Chapter 611: Descent of the Ancient
Alex awaited eagerly for the clash between the Ancients to begin once more, to see what else Dark could do with Error, and more importantly, what other domain of darkness he might have learned to wield.
Maybe it would be something common in their time, an elemental aspect such as Shadow, Death, Silence, and so on. But maybe Dark had discovered something as broken as Error itself.
Alex did a poor job of suppressing his excitement, his thoughts jumping from one possibility to another. At the same time, a part of him wondered what gift he would receive from this dream, while also fearing that perhaps only the knowledge of Error would be his reward.
Not that gaining firsthand awareness from the very entity that had discovered Error was a bad thing. But he couldn’t help but wonder how much it would truly differ from what he already knew.
Before Alex could dwell further, his mind went silent. The next moment, the scene before his eyes shifted, from the endless coils of the great serpent Ouroboros to the familiar crimson chamber.
The ancient, circular chamber, drowned in crimson light, lay in complete disarray.
Many of the crimson pillars that once circled it were destroyed, shattered pieces scattered across the floor. Deep cracks ran across the ground, large portions of it torn apart, some covered in thick layers of ice, others gouged into deep craters where tongues of lightning still danced.
Alex felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, realizing the dream had ended, offering nothing more than a brief exchange between the two Ancients.
Yet he quickly pushed the feeling aside, reacting to the devastation around him.
His Void Sense surged outward, and in the span of a heartbeat, he gathered a clear image of what had transpired while he had been lost in Dark’s memory.
’It looks like my dream lasted longer than just a few minutes,’ Alex sighed inwardly, drawing in a deep breath as his gaze shifted to the right.
There, leaning against the wall, stood the breathtaking beauty. Her silver armor was marred with lacerations and burns, her face unusually pale, and even her eyes appeared a little dim compared to their usual brilliance, deep black and silver, like a swirling nebula.
Alex’s eagerness returned. He wanted to open his status window to see what he had gained from the dream. He knew he had received something akin to a trait. He could feel it within himself, an overwhelming, near-bottomless presence infused into every cell of his being.
However, he pushed his excitement to the back of his mind and turned to face Zahra. "Did Morvagor found us?"
Alex reasoned that since the Fishman King, who was thought to be dead, was found to be alive by Zahra and was still somewhere on the island, it was likely that he had found them after sensing the disturbance caused by the Elemental Domain getting unleashed.
"Yes," Zahra answered calmly. "He had lost himself to rage and wanted to kill us, blaming me for the ambush."
"He was beyond reason, and with his fury giving birth to rage apparitions, I had no choice but to kill him." She recounted the events as though they were a minor inconvenience.
Alex shook his head slightly in both amazement and amusement. Dealing with an injured yet enraged Eighth Rank Ruler alongside countless rage ghosts was a matter of life and death, but to Zahra, it seemed to carry little weight.
"Zarach was also here," she said after a moment of silence. Alex’s eyes snapped back to her, questioning if he had heard correctly.
She blinked, as if to confirm, before adding, "He was using a Ruler’s Wish to stay hidden and was following us for an unknown period."
Hearing that, Alex felt a sharp mix of confusion, alertness, and anger. "He tried to kill you the moment the dark slate began to turn to dust. But he died instantly because of the unknown barrier that surrounded you when the slate activated," Zahra concluded.
Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
Slowly, his lips curled in amusement, not because he cared for Zarach’s death, but because the man’s end was so comical. To try to harm him, only to die in an instant, was news Alex could welcome.
’I had already concluded that Zarach foiled Zahra’s plan because he didn’t want me to acquire the dark slate and its benefits,’ Alex thought. ’But if he was that adamant, why didn’t he use greater means to search for the Serpent King?’
Alex didn’t just mean using a Ruler’s Wish to find Ozythar’s whereabouts, because he understood well enough. It would have required nothing short of a gold, if not platinum-grade, wish since the other party was not only extremely strong, but also deliberately hiding himself, and the disturbed environment of Rage Island would have only made the search for him more difficult.
Another detail didn’t escape him: Zarach only attacked once the dark slate activated.
The reason was clear. That bastard wanted Alex to taste victory first, only to have it stolen away, leaving him devastated and wondering what he could have done differently, what he could have gained.
Alex might not know much about Zarach, but from their interactions, he understood one thing well: the man was intelligent, manipulative, and dangerous.
The deadline for their duel was five months away, and Alex had yet to accept it. Zarach’s motives were plain: by stealing the slate after Alex acquired it, he wanted to provoke him, to anger him into accepting.
At the same time, Zarach’s actions painted another picture, that he feared Alex’s growth. But Alex also knew this might be nothing more than another layer of manipulation, a way to push him toward the duel.
Speculations like these had no end, and even if one of them proved true, it wouldn’t stop Alex from fighting.
Unless he was absolutely certain he would lose, he was going to have his rematch, and this time, he would win, no matter the odds.
Alex turned toward Zahra and smiled in genuine happiness. "Zahra, you have my eternal gratitude. If you ever need help, you can count on me."
Zahra, weak but smiling back, took a moment to consider before speaking. "I wish to join the New Year Festival. I hope you can join me."
"Sure," Alex answered without care that the New Year fell on the same window he and his brother had planned their single day of rest to return to the real world. "Now, that aside, do you need my help?"
"No, I am fine. Just a little tired."
Alex gave a silent nod and drew in a steady breath. His twin hearts began to beat faster, and with his breath held, he opened his status window, ready to see what had changed within him.
✦✦✦✦
Player Name: Hidden One
Class: Abyssal Guardian
Race: Human/Ancient
Title: {Primate’s Bane}{Indomitable Ruler}{Legend}{Era Unveiler}{Guest Noble}{Mana Loved}{Domain Ruler}{Valiant Warrior}{Battle Emperor}{Chosen By Death}{Archsage}{Zenith Mortal}{?????? Child}
Legacy: Darkness Ruler
Physique: Dark Ancient Physique.
LVL: 600
Rank: Sixth Rank
STATS
STR: 400K. AGI: 400K.
VIT: 400K. STA: 400K.
INT: 400K.
HP: 40_M/40_M
MP: 40_M/40_M
Unassigned stat points : 0
Hidden stats
Luck: ???
Charm: 99/???
Wisdom: 199/???
Reputation: None
Condition: Healthy
Weapons: [Misery _ Mythic(Low)][Sorrow _ Mythic(high)]
Equipment: [Duskweaver Aegis _ Legendary]
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
✵✵Skills✵✵:
•-Class Skill:
{Concept Erasure}{Ruler of Emptiness}{Thought Acceleration}{Dark Dominion}{Abbysal Rejuvenation}{Chaotic Nexus}{Reaper’s Contract}{Summon Elemental}
⁌━━━━━━⁍
•-Physique Skill: {Descent of the Ancient}{Eyes of the Ancient}{Heart of the Ancient}{Perfect Darkness Manipulation}{Tenebrous Shard Enclave}{Darkness Embrace}{Nihility Purge}{Devourer}
⁌━━━━━━⁍
Unique Skill: {Continental Teleportation}{Astral World Projection}{Superior Chaos Manipulation}{Ruler Pride}{Abyssal Resonance Spirit Art}{Dragon Monarch Seal}{Minor Soul Energy Manipulation}
⁌━━━━━━⁍
Battle Arts:
Endless Void: {Void Walk} {Void Sense}{Void Assimilation}
Nameless: Concept of Unification (Advanced Mastery) Concept of Severance (Beginner Mastery)
⁌━━━━━━⁍
•-Equipment Skill: [Defiling Star Torrent][Falling Sky][Sorrowful Judgment][Abyssal Convergence]....
⁌━━━━━━⁍
•-Manually Learned Spells/Skills: [Chaos Wings][The Dark Sun][Nihility Star][Sanguine Avatar][Stygian Lance].....
━━━━━
Skills:
[Psychic Bastion][Endless Regeneration][Phantom Sword Flash]....
✦✦✦✦✦
There were no significant changes to his status, though it was only on paper.
Alex had improved immensely in the past few years. First of all, there were his maxed-out stats, a feat he had achieved long ago, but the difference in his strength, between simply having raw numbers and now being able to properly make use of them, was almost bordering on seventy percent.
His two battle arts had also significantly improved. Beyond sharpening his knowledge and refining existing skills, Alex had learned one new aspect in each of them.
Void Assimilation allowed Alex to merge either his mind or his body with the void.
When he assimilated his mind, his perception stretched outward at the speed of light, spanning tens, dozens, even hundreds of kilometers in mere seconds, if he had the means to sustain it.
And when he assimilated his body, he could use his Void Sense to pinpoint a desired location and traverse using Void Walk, crossing vast distances in the blink of an eye.
Although he was still at a beginner’s stage of the mystery for now, having spent little time learning and refining it.
Alex had even less understanding of the concept of Severance, an aspect that covered the domain of cutting apart anything, not bound to a weapon, nor its effects limited to physical things.
In truth, if mastered even to a lesser degree, it could greatly help Alex in his battle against Zarach. Severance could allow him to cut through fate itself and all manner of tangible and intangible threats.
But mastering it, even to that extent, was no less daunting a task than learning to wield Error.
Alex had spent most of the past few months refining his strength. Aside from his tremendous physical gains, all his other traits had also developed.
His elemental manipulations, swordsmanship, senses, and even his control over Monarch Aura had all advanced significantly.
Yet the biggest improvement was still his physique, though he needed more time to fully adjust to those gains.
Back to the present. Alex’s eyes barely skimmed over his status before freezing on the single new addition.
He exhaled the breath he had been unconsciously holding. ’This is special,’ The name alone was proof, and seeing it, a smile quickly stretched across his face.