Genetic Ascension

Sylas appeared on the moon looking like quite a mess. His pants were torn, his upper body was bare, and unlike the other geniuses that had come here with all the treasures and support in the world, he looked entirely alone. Even his strongest assets, the Madness Key and the Scorned Wraps, didn’t seem to be much at all.

The former couldn’t even be seen by outsiders or those he didn’t have the Will to “let in,” while the Scorned Wraps looked like they had seen better days. Beaten, battered, and covered in caked blood that never seemed to go away, they didn’t look like treasures at all.

But honestly speaking… Sylas truly didn’t feel like he needed any of that. His appearance alone was enough to turn heads, because his existence alone was enough.

Whether it was Zoryx, Thalrik, or Soryntha, they all seemed to sense him at the same time. Although this was the first time they had personally seen Sylas in the flesh, they knew who he was instantly. There probably wasn’t a single person in the upper society of the Skai 11331 Galaxy who hadn’t seen this face before.

Sylas Grimblade.

Soryntha’s heart shook the most violently, because she was the only one among them who truly understood what it must mean for Sylas to be here… especially since he was standing right in front of her.

Without a care for Zoryx and Thalrik, Sylas had chosen her path to block of them all.

Standing there in silence, he made no attempt to block the Thryskai or the Trakar. They would be dealt with later. But right now, Soryntha was his target.

Without a choice, Soryntha had to stop running, her wariness playing out in her expression in ways she couldn’t quite control. This wasn’t a fear of Sylas’ strength, per se.

If she was correct, everything had played out exactly how Sylas wanted. She couldn’t grasp the details of it all, but somehow, she felt that the only reason things were going this way was because this was exactly how Sylas wanted them to go.

And there was something about that thought that was particularly frightening—so frightening that she felt a sickness in her gut as she almost threw up.

How could a little human possibly play her Petals of the Seeing Thorn and her Valeria Clan so easily, as though they were nothing but pieces in his palm?

“Wifey! Do you want some help, maybe? The price is pretty cheap—just give me your True Chosen mark!” Thalrik yelled from a distance, a laughing tone in his voice.

He didn’t seem to care very much about Sylas’ appearance either, though he was curious about how it had happened.

What no one here knew was that Sylas had entered the Silver Grade Battlefield along with the others. The details of that event had still yet to be borne out.

In the eyes of many, that event was meant to continue for years, if not decades. No one was even ready for it to be finished yet, and most thought that it was still playing out even now.

Those who had lost their geniuses inside thought that they had just been unlucky… they could have never guessed that this event, which should have lasted years, had been ended by Sylas in not even three days.

If they had known… they would have long assumed that Sylas was a Progenitor. And if they had known this, maybe the way they treated this situation would be very different.

Soryntha’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t respond to Thalrik at all. Taking a breath, she slowly exhaled.

“I hope you understand that the Titans Leaderboard is not a reflection of strength. It is a reflection of potential. You might be ranked above me, but that doesn’t mean that you can defeat me. I would advise that you get out of my way if you want to keep your life.”

Sylas didn’t respond, standing there in complete silence. He didn’t even try to read her stats—he didn’t need to. It wasn’t necessary.

This would end exactly how he expected it to quite soon.

Seeing that Sylas wouldn’t be reasoned with, Soryntha’s apprehension vanished, and her eyes became deathly cold. With a flip of her palm, a chain of green steel wreathed in thorns appeared in her hand, her other palm finding a dagger to hold in a backhanded grip.

The chain slapped against the green, dusted grounds of the moon with a heavy thud, leaving a long trench in its wake.

Zoryx and Thalrik were both close to the entrance of the Dungeon, but this was something that they most certainly couldn’t miss. They had already turned back to see what was happening.

This was the famous Sylas Grimblade, and they also didn’t know what changes Soryntha’s strength had undergone. They couldn’t help but wonder why her position on the Titans Leaderboard hadn’t changed at all. What tricks had the Petals of the Seeing Thorn prepared?

Soryntha unleashed a screech, Runes flying through the air as her chain lashed out. A resonance formed between her chain and her voice, increasing its power several times over.

As it flew through the air, the wind imploded again and again on impact, accelerating the weapon forward even faster than before. By the time it was above Sylas’ head, it was already moving at a speed so breakneck that it was practically flashing through space itself.

And yet, Sylas simply raised a hand and caught it out of the air.

All the momentum of the chain came to an abrupt stop.

Zoryx’s eyes narrowed.

Thalrik paused, his wild grin fading just the slightest hint.

Soryntha’s eyes widened.

“What?”

She couldn’t seem to believe it, and that slightest hint of shock was enough for Sylas to pull on the chain.

Her feet left the ground and she found herself soaring toward Sylas so fast she had no chance to dodge or reorient herself.

A fist slammed into her gut with such force that the air behind her spine seemed to collapse.