The Annihilator: Killer Of Gods

Chapter 226 Nedin, Karsha's number two

After leaving the island, Karsha reappeared on the mountain overlooking the vast, forest-like grassland. It was the same spot where he had stood with Morris before departing for the island. He had tasked Morris with gathering information on those likely to come after him.

Karsha had anticipated a powerful group, knowing the Great Families wouldn't miss the chance to claim the soul weapon. However, upon hearing that only 500 Saints and 30 Sages had been sent from each Great Family, Karsha's expression dulled.He had overestimated the Great Families.

Although his Lesser Alpha Core wasn't fully saturated yet, he could already tell he'd need a substantial amount of blood to reach full saturation and form the next core. Fortunately, he had almost located all the ingredients needed for the Core Formation Pill.

While he hadn't secured every ingredient, he remained unfazed. With the Qilin Fruit in his possession, he could create an even more powerful pill.

The pill would only be necessary once; after forming the core, he would need to absorb large amounts of energy—whether from blood, monster cores, treasures, or even souls. He wasn't entirely sure of the extent of items he could absorb, but he knew it would be significant.

His first core had been formed from what Lady Illo described as a priceless treasure. The Ten Mutant Cores were rare, so rare that even slaughtering 100,000 mutants would provide virtually no chance of obtaining one. Karsha had been lucky to receive ten of these, which had enabled him to form his first core. Now, however, he would have to rely on his own efforts to form the next.

According to Lady Illo, while a Tier 9 monster core could raise a Great Sage's cultivation level from 1 to 2, a single Tier 9 Mutant Core could raise it from 1 to 5. The energy it contained was so vast that if Karsha hadn't acquired the Soul Ring, even with the system's help, he would have needed weeks to fully absorb just one core.

In fact, the system could have used a single Mutant Core to form the Lesser Core, but its high standards demanded all ten Mutant Cores to forge the stronger Lesser Alpha Core. As a result, Karsha's core would be far stronger than those of most Lesser Alpha Beasts.

This also means that the next core, the Great Alpha Core, will require even more resources, so Karsha wants more blood. Once he saturated his current core—which he already had enough blood for, thanks to the Blood Fiend's sacrifice for the greater good—he now needed more blood to form the next core before embarking on the Blood Expedition.

Thanks to his close ties with the true Sect Master of the Sunlight Sword Sect, he received some inside information. According to Yi Ran, terrifying beasts are hiding in the forest where they will be stationed for two weeks. He even learned that the forest's outer section harbors beings capable of overpowering Saints.

Karsha wasn't concerned about the outer area; his focus was on the inner area. He wanted the finest blood for his core and sustenance for his avatar. From Yi Ran's description of the inner section, Karsha knew he'd feel right at home there. But despite his strength, he had learned his lesson from his time on the Snake Island, so he intended to prepare well this time.

If he wanted more blood, cores, bodies, and possibly avatars for his wives, he needed access to the inner section. Of course, he could go to the Red Planet and hunt monsters in those forests, but Karsha dared not. His last encounter there didn't end well, and he would need to become a behemoth before venturing into those forests again. Old Man Teye was no longer around to save him as he had before.

He had already wasted enough time; he still hadn't started mastering his skills and the new techniques he had received. He already had Fire Beam, along with other remarkable skills and a large sum of skill points. The system had advised him to master his skills to at least an SS rating before upgrading them. This way, even if the skill evolved, his mastery would take only a minor hit—at worst, reducing to an S or A rating.

In short, he needed time to master these skills, so he pinned his hopes on gathering enough blood from the Great Families. However, his hopes were dashed when they sent only a pitiful number of warriors.

"Ha, I guess a guy can only hope for more," Karsha smiled, moving back from the mountain peak. He had already instructed the system to alert him when the scouts returned to the city. After stopping beneath a tree and activating his domain to cover only the 100 meters around him, Karsha summoned his Mystical Grade Avatar for the first time.

Khinux, the abyssal leviathan, appeared beside Karsha. Standing at a towering three meters, his crimson eyes pierced through the openings of his spiked helmet, and he held his colossal sword like a god of death. Karsha looked at the metal-armored avatar and smirked. This guy had actually killed him once; if not for the Emperor's watch intervention, he would indeed have died.

"About our previous conversation, are you ready to start contributing, or are you still sulking over our last battle?" Karsha asked, smiling. He'd already activated the domain, so he wasn't worried about anyone overhearing their conversation, especially the warriors resting before the slaughter.

"Just to clarify, it was a fair fight," Karsha continued, "and even though I borrowed your battle style to create my own, I still won. So suck it up and start taking the initiative. I've told you before, I won't abuse my power over you, and I won't treat you like a slave. But if you want to grow stronger, you'll need to get your own food.

"I've already provided you with a few bodies, but you need to start hunting for yourself. I'll help with anything beyond your reach, but for everything else, you're on your own. These 'bugs' here could give you some souls to devour.

I need the bodies for their blood though, but you can have their souls," Karsha offered, yet Khinux stood silently, not even bothering to respond. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

"Why should I listen to an insect like you?" After a whole minute, he finally spoke, and Karsha was surprised by the clear voice he heard instead of the dark, sinister tone from their battle.

"Well, this 'insect' did kick your butt to death. Is that enough reason to convince you?" Karsha replied, but Khinux just glared at him with those fierce red eyes.

"These bugs don't suit my taste. Since you want them, you can have them." Karsha clenched his fist in frustration at the provocative words.He could easily command Uno to kill these experts, but that would mean exerting his influence as a master, effectively turning Khinux into a slave.

His recent experience as a slave had left a dark mark on him; although he hadn't been controlled by slave seals, he had been a slave nonetheless, and he didn't want to impose the same on Khinux.

"That's it, I've decided," Karsha declared. "From now on, you'll have some competition. Even though she isn't a Mystical Grade Avatar like you, she has the potential to become one. Maybe a little rivalry will snap you out of your delusion."

Karsha summoned Nedin, and immediately the temperature around them softened. A striking beauty appeared, standing two meters tall, holding a sword. Karsha was taken aback; the last time he saw Nedin, she had been half-snake, half-human—a true Naga. How had she transformed into a fully human woman? She wore sleek, form-fitting leather armor, her gaze icy and intense.

"You…when did you become fully human?" Karsha couldn't help but ask. As an Emperor Grade Avatar, she retained her memory and speech.

"I awakened like this. I'm as surprised as you are," Nedin replied, her voice calm. Karsha took a deep breath, astonished. Not only did Nedin sound different from their battle, but she also looked more human and beautiful than he'd expected. Though he hadn't summoned Thundercoil's avatar, he sensed that something was amiss.

From what he'd learned from June, avatars were merely condensed consciousness from their dead forms. They existed but were neither truly human nor fully real. Yet Nedin not only looked human, she also spoke and behaved like one—and, disturbingly, she seemed tamed.

"How did you awaken like this?" Karsha asked. A frown creased Nedin's face as she struggled to recall, and even Kninux's crimson-red eyes took on a similar look. Karsha understood; she couldn't remember what happened after her death.

"We'll talk more about it later," Karsha decided. "From today, your name is Nedin. You'll be my number two." He willed the system to formalize it, and, as expected, the contract appeared. He signed it and then reviewed the requirements to upgrade her to Mystical Grade Avatar.

Requirements:

1. Heart of a Tier 9 Mutant

2. 100 Ice Fruits

3. 1,000 Tier 8 Monster Cores

4. Celestial Goddess Ice Fruit

Karsha smiled, looking over the mind-shattering requirements. Though the system was generous enough to allow him to obtain the heart of any Tier 9 mutant, this was still beyond his current abilities. A Tier 9 Lesser Mutant was something he couldn't hope to fight right now; if he encountered one, his only option would be to run.

"Here, take these Ice Fruits and eat them. We'll handle the rest later," he said. Nedin accepted the fruits and nodded in gratitude, casting a quick glance at Khniux before heading to her new home, Karsha's Soul Sea. He sent Khinux away as well and deactivated the domain. The scouts had returned, and it was time for him to begin the harvest.