Chapter 247 : Empyrean Sun
Chapter 247 : Empyrean Sun
A young man was floating in the sky, looking at a massive river that extended as far as the eye could see. Despite being described as a river, it was larger than most oceans of the Old World, but that was not the most amazing part. What truly drew awe in the hearts of everybody that saw it was that it was fuelled entirely by pure blood.
The young man was nearly two meters tall despite only being seventeen. He had a handsome face with sharp brows and wore a red robe covered in golden runes.
His eyes were closed, so he was not admiring the view of that massive river of blood but using it as an energy source. His body generated a devouring force that brought streams from the river into his Rebirth Heart.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared behind the young man, and when he saw how this one brought those streams of blood into his body, pure awe appeared in his eyes.
The middle-aged man knew how toxic and chaotic the energy inside that blood was and that even Wave Kings were careful when using it, but the young man showed nothing but calmness.
"Is there something you need to share with me, Ezra?
The young man's voice was soft and calm, yet it carried such a powerful intent that made the middle-aged man feel nervous despite his Early Wave King cultivation.
"Young Lord, I have learned the reason why the Blood Duke left for Blade Mountain. It all has to do with a person named Cain Laurifer. To protect this one, Blood Duke killed a powerhouse of the Martel Family and severely injured their High Elder."
The peace and calm in the young man faded once he heard the name Blood Duke, and he adopted a solemn attitude as they carried on.
"Tell me more. I assume you have investigated that person already?"
"Yes, Young Lord Zima. Cain Laurifer, sixteen years old, a Vice-Captain from the Imperial Lightning Fort, Level 8 Wave Warrior with Flawless Marrow, reached the third level of Blood Hand, secured the natural inheritance of Blade Mountain, and has in his possession a Natural Holy Weapon.
According to my assessment, his current battle power will allow him to defeat Middle Wave Champions and fight those at the Late Stage. His current talent would grant him a free pass to the peak of Wave Champion and a high chance of becoming a Wave King.
His talent in the Ego Eternal Path of Power is even more remarkable, with the idea he reached the Middle Wave Champion already circulating among powerhouses.
By all measurements, he is a Tier 1 Genius."
Ezra did not discourage Cain or look down on this one just because they were on opposite sides. Disparaging your opponent while exalting your own achievements was something only those without trust in themselves would do.
Zima knew he could trust Ezra for this type of task, which was why he had trusted that the information was correct.
"I see. Cain Laurifer is indeed a genius, and his mastery over Blood Hand is better than most of the so-called Blood Children. Still, he is not part of us, and his inclusion would only lead to future weakness.
Diversity might be a source of strength in most of the empire, but it would only lead to weakness in Blood Sea. That is something the Blood Lord refuses to accept."
Zima softly shook his head but focus returned to his mind the next second.
"Ezra, establish a communication channel with the Martel Family and see how angry they are about the actions of the Blood Duke."
The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed as he heard that, and he did not need more words to understand what Zima meant. After a short bow, he flashed away, ready to fulfill the task.
Zima was left alone, and he slowly opened his eyes, revealing blood pupils, and what was even more impressive was the golden light in them that was the physical manifestation of his willpower.
Despite being just seventeen years old, the young man had already entered Mind Over Body. By the intensity of that golden light, it was clear his willpower had already surpassed the Wave Champion Rank limit!
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Cain was oblivious to the multitude of geniuses making moves due to his action, but it could not bother him even if he knew.
He had reached the Imperial Lightning Fort two days after gaining the natural inheritance by tagging along with Olivion and Zarak, which used a ship that moved much faster than a Star Cruiser.
According to what the duo told him, his achievements during The Hunt were nothing short of extraordinary, and the Collapsing Lightning Duke needed to talk with him.
Cain was told to wait in his room until the Sector Duke summoned him, and he had no problem with that since the orb of red light inside his soul dimension kept trembling.
Once Cain was alone, he shut down all communications and told the system to only pass through those related to the Collapsing Lightning Duke. Then he closed his eyes, and he could see his Alter-Ego in that darkness.
The golden humanoid that hid in the deepest part of Cain's soul and guarded the massive gates opened his eyes and focused into the distance as he saw the orb of red light unleash its energy.
"Brat, you are ready to start cultivating your Visualization Technique?"
Apex could not help but feel nervous as he saw that since he knew very well the uniqueness of Cain's Alter Ego and how the Red King's Ego Wave influenced it.
Cain could not help but frown when he heard that.
"Apex, are you not supposed to be able to read my thoughts?"
Cain never needed to share his plans with Apex out loud since this one could read his mind, which was why he found that question so odd.
"Hmph, brat, I read your thoughts by interpreting the waves of your souls, but that requires focus, something I can not give when I am in the midst of hacking or helping the system to carry on with battle formation and the likes.
Not to mention that the more powerful your soul becomes, the harder it will be for people to read your thoughts."
"Oh, I see."
Although learning about Apex's limitations would have excited Cain and filled his mind with all sorts of plans for using it, now it was interesting and nothing more.
The relationship between him and Apex had grown a lot from the moment they met, and Cain would not hesitate to put his life in the hands of the System Spirit.
A smile appeared in the golden humanoid as he focused on Cain's soul and perceived the feeling and thoughts of this one. Knowing the level of trust that Cain put in him calmed some of the worries of the System Spirit.
"I felt my Alter-Ego had grown large enough during the clash with that old man's Ego Wave. I just need to let go of my mind, and the name will come on its own."
The first step to channeling the power of your Alter Ego was to obtain its name, and Cain was finally ready to do it.
He closed his eyes, letting go of everything that was not the red orb, and saw how this one began to change.
The energy in the red orb was a duality, with one side full of life and the power of growth, while the other had nothing but destruction and the force of oblivion.
Slowly the red sphere grew from a grain of rice to the size of an apple, and that was far from all since the duality of its forces was no longer in a chaotic fusion state.
Instead, the power of life and destruction split, generating what seemed to be a yin-yang symbol. And just like in one, there was a spot containing the energy of the other on each side.
It was at that point that the Alter-Ego unleashed waves of radiation that began to flood Cain's soul dimension.
The growth of the Alter-Ego was the growth of willpower that translated into the growth of the soul.
Cain showed utter bliss as the Alter-Ego radiation made his soul grow stronger, and slowly a name came to his mind. It was the name of his Visualization Technique, which embodied the path of his Ego Eternal Path of Power.
"Empyrean Sun."
Cain uttered those two words, and the next second, a golden flame full of vitality flooded the inside of his body. It filled him with incredible energy and stamina, making him feel it could heal any damage as long as a single cell of his body was left.
Of course, that feeling was an exaggeration brought by the sudden burst in vitality, but Cain was sure that if he had this power during his fight with the Sword Avatar, he would not have ended in such a pathetic state at the end of the battle.