The Annihilator: Killer Of Gods

Chapter 157 Catching Up

The moment the ring disappeared, his wings appeared, allowing him to stay in the air for a few seconds before he decided to descend. He had observed the Shadow Guards, and even without the system, he knew they were now Mutants. Their aura was several times stronger than the last time he saw them. The current version of them wouldn't need even ten minutes to deal with one of the Overlords.

"Why are you guys bowing down?" Karsha was startled to see the Shadow Guards, even Ayarr, go down on their knees and bow when he descended. He was taken aback by their sudden action. He was from Earth, and practices like bowing down to people were only common in countries ruled by a monarchy; in some cultures, it was regarded as a form of greeting.

When someone bows to you, it symbolizes respect, but in most cases, it implies superiority. Karsha didn't know which applied here, so he was taken aback.

"It would be best if Lady Illo tells you herself," Dhaka replied. "Alright, now stand up; this looks weird." Karsha wasn't one to care about superiority, so he made them stand. Back on Earth, even as a General, he usually went out with his soldiers for drinks and joked around when they were off duty. Gestures like salutes and other formalities were only practiced when superiors were around.

"There is something different about you, Ayarr." Karsha looking at Ayarr, could tell a royal aura was exuding from her, even though she was trying her best to remain the same old her.

Hearing Karsha's remark, her cheeks turned deep red. It seemed that despite the curse being broken, she was still the same old Ayarr, the shy assassin. "I am still the same. Why are you guys acting like this?" Ayarr replied, but sadness could be seen in her eyes.

At first, the Shadow Guards saw her as their teammate, but now the look of respect and reverence was what she saw in their eyes. It appeared she was becoming distant from them. Karsha, of course, noticed this, so to pass the time, he decided to get to know the Shadow Guards better and help fix this situation before he left.

"So, you are a princess now." After the Destiny Key merged with him, Karsha gained some abilities that, despite not being documented by the system, were undeniably there. He also acquired all the knowledge he needed about the island.

Of course, there were some blocked memories that he knew would unlock once he fulfilled certain requirements, like defeating the Guardian of the Inner Area of the island.

In one memory, he recalled that the Purple Tail Anaconda race ruled all the snakes on the island, meaning all snakes would listen to them. But aside from that, there were few with royal blood, and seeing the unique aura around Ayarr, Karsha quickly deduced its significance.

Hearing his question, Ayarr tried her best to nod. Karsha smiled and decided to address the problem. "Well, Ayarr, whether you like it or not, you are a princess now, and your teammates and friends will see you as a princess more than as a teammate. They will always try to protect you because that's how it should be.

You are royalty now; whether you like it or not, you will be their priority. However, that doesn't mean you can't get back to the old days when you were just teammates. I know you are the shy type, but consider this: they are your teammates, but are they also your friends?

You call them your best friends. Do you have that type of bond with them? If your answer is no, then you have a lot of work to do. You first have to build that bridge, and only then will they get close to you and become who they used to be.

They are just acting on instinct." They were now seated on a stone a few kilometers away from Khinux's huge body. The Shadow Guards sat in front of him, listening like obedient children. Turning to Dhaka, Tifa, Alida, and Kilian, he continued his speech.

"Although our Princess Ayarr here is the one who should make some effort, you guys can count yourselves as the lucky ones." Karsha's words elicited various expressions on their faces.

"Why are we lucky?" Tifa asked as politely as possible.

"You all are close to the Princess of the entire Snake Island. Do you not know what that means? Now that the curse has been broken, the island is about to develop into a civilized society. This means many different races of snakes will emerge, and opportunities will start appearing here and there. Being close to the Princess means you won't have to suffer as much.

Although you are the Shadow Guards, you wouldn't have access to everything, but with a princess as a teammate and friend, your status will be almost on par with hers.

If I were you, I wouldn't let this chance slip away. Seize this opportunity and form an unbreakable bond with her. Trust me, she is much better than most of those princes and princesses back in my world."

Karsha didn't want to confuse them by saying "Heir," but his hatred for Vance grew with every passing moment. Throughout his battles, he kept devising ways to deal with him and ultimately with the entire Varon family and any other families after that.

After his encounter with death and the awkward conversation with Nfang, Karsha's mindset changed. He wouldn't waste his time playing with his enemies like he did with Nedin; if you offend him and your crime warrants a death sentence, he will be the judge, jury, and executioner.

"Thank you, Karsha," Dhaka said, being the mature one. He understood perfectly what Karsha meant. Karsha nodded and took the last of the friend meat June had given him before arriving. Lacking any untainted weapons to cut it, he used his hands to tear it into six pieces and distributed it to the Shadow Guards.

"Things are going to be hard now on the island," Ayarr said, looking as the dark forest transformed into brightness, thanks to the sun now shining down.

"You're wrong, Ayarr; things are going to be fun now. The curse that plagued your kind for so long is also your salvation. Your island is about to enter a new phase of evolution, and I, for one, would like to see it." With the knowledge of the entire island in his mind, Karsha knew that the next few months and years would be about the island becoming something better.

Upon hearing Karsha, the Shadow Guards couldn't help but look at him with anticipation. "I won't say anything; Lady Illo will do all the talking." Karsha smiled at the five snakes looking at him.

Aside from knowing all about Snake Island, he also had a connection to it that allowed him to identify the valuables left behind by the mysterious figure. He could now teleport to those locations at will.

It was as if the whole island was at his mercy. He could speak, and everyone on the island would hear him. Moreover, he could bestow authority upon others. Right now, if he wanted to return to the human world, he could open a portal at will.

Of course, he wouldn't do anything reckless until the system was back online. He would have three whole days to accomplish everything once the system was up again.

"So, what was that ring thing on your back?" Kilian, the battle maniac, asked. He was like a juggernaut in battle; his shield, coupled with his strength, was more than enough to shatter mountains.

"Honestly, I don't know, but I think it's something that can turn me into a mutant like you guys." Karsha didn't care whether the Shadow Guards would be jealous of him. He felt he had dominion over the island, and he could sense he had some control over the lives of the snakes on the island. For them to turn on him would be akin to asking for death.

Fortunately, instead of jealousy and envy, looks of shock, awe, and reverence were evident on their faces.

"You mean you're now a mutant?" Kilian asked again, his voice filled with shock.

"Oh no, I'm now a Lesser Alpha. Unlike you guys, I still have a long way to go." The ten mutants had helped transform his cells to enable mutation, and through that, he managed to form the first core.

Your next journey awaits at empire

"This is incredible! You will become even more powerful in the future," Kilian exclaimed. His voice was now filled with pride. He was also a Great Mutant and would soon be stepping into the realm of Dark Mutant, which would further enhance his power.

"Don't worry; I won't bully you when I become much stronger than you," Karsha laughed, and the Shadow Guards joined in. They were now stronger than him, their stats far surpassing his own. If they were still regular Tier 8 snakes, he might have been able to fight them, but now that they had become mutants, he wouldn't be able to do much—especially with all his weapons broken.

'I need to learn this rune thing and use it to make my weapons stronger,' Karsha thought inwardly. He had already seen how powerful the runes were back on the Red Planet. At one point in his battle with Khinux, he nearly used the talisman that Old Man Teye had given him.

However, after seeing just how complex the runes were, Karsha knew that using it on a small fry like Khinux would be a waste. He would study it, replicate it, and once he succeeded, he would turn it into spoken spells and give them to Tifa.

They continued their chat for several hours. Karsha learned a lot about the Shadow Guards and even managed to convince them to trust humans to some extent. They also took care of the venom sacs and stored the body. Before long, 24 hours passed, and the system upgraded successfully.

< System Upgrade Successful. Current Version: 3.0 >