Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1997: Powerful [Bonus]

[Bonus thanks to Douglas_Bell <3]

Nosphaleen’s lips parted as though she wanted to say something. But after a moment, she closed them, smiling a bit bitterly.

She still felt that sometimes… they should be informed. Where was the fun in just killing them.

To the side, Fanelei wanted to faint. Was it because she wasn’t young and pretty enough? Where was this care and patience coming from?

Sylas shifted only the slightest bit, his movement meant for nothing more than removing his hand from Nosphaleen’s head. But as though they had all been injected with the very same stimulants, all the Emperors and Ancestors peered toward him at the very same time.

There was a dense pressure hanging in the air, and though the vast majority of them were still extremely hesitant, it was clear enough just how right Pedraeg had been.

In fact, the moment the Scorpion Emperor sensed the slight shift, he couldn’t help but grin.

Amongst smart people, there was no need to explain so much. He didn’t care for Sylas’ words at all. He was used to taking things in the quick term in order to secure long term victory. A man like him wasn’t going to care about the scorned words of a fool whose death was imminent.

Even if Sylas managed to survive-which he clearly had a propensity to do—by the time he found a path to the Demi-God Realm, The Sanctum would only be all the more deeply entrenched… And that was if Sylas could even survive leaving here in the first place.

He bet that after suffering the loss they had here today, the Buri and Sona would never be so casual the next time they chose to send people after him.

As for the problem of taking a Demi-God slot of the Thryskai, that would be dealt with in due time. When they arrived at the Demi-God World, they would surely have similar protections to a Summoned World.

There would be time to adjust.

Time for more generation, more planning, more power.

Everything was going just as he planned. Every moment of it.

But just as Pedraeg was at the peak of his confidence, a third figure appeared in the battlefield between Deacon and Keyesen.

Sylas.

Their pupils constricted and their heads snapped back toward the Sylas that was right beside them. But he was still very much there, very much real, very much not seeming like a clone at all.

But the one down below felt the exact same. It was like there was no difference between them at all.

However, Sylas didn’t look like he was about to fight at all. He just stood there, right beside Deacon, his expression indifferent. However, his Will felt larger than life, and standing by his shoulder, Deacon felt as though he might fall into a sinking hole he would never be able to pull himself free from.

“STOP HIM!” The 713th Lion Emperor roared.

Pedraeg wisely chose not to say a single word. He knew that the situation was still delicate. If he spoke first, then it would make them more hesitant than they should be. But if it was someone like the Lion Emperor… that was very different.

No one had adjusted to the new world order just yet. The Lion Emperor’s words still held maybe the greatest amount of weight there was here. Maybe that would change in the future, but that future wasn’t here yet.

“Silence.” Sylas said calmly.

The voice of the 713th Lion Emperor was abruptly cut off as though it was sinking into an abyss. All at once, the Emperors were tied, frozen in place, unable to move a single inch.

Pedraeg’s pupils constricted into pinholes.

This was impossible. The formation was still built on the Wills of their Ancestors, their very own Spirits. Sylas hadn’t been able to change their Ancestral Spirits, and he wouldn’t be able to until he was at least two or three tiers higher.

Maybe alone they wouldn’t be able to shake the formation, but if every one of them pushed back, they should be able to exert more influence than just Sylas alone could.

And yet, it was like Sylas’ hold on the reins had only become stronger.

“I’ve tried to be kind and giving, but maybe I’m just not cut out for that sort of thing. Or maybe beasts like you all only respond to a single thing. If that’s the case, I’ll show you the power you want so badly.

“Kneel.”

BANG.

The 713th Lion Emperor felt as though his knees cracked through space and time. Maldrith followed suit. The Scorpion Emperor Pedraeg having fallen long before either of the two of them.

“I would kill him personally, but I believe Nosphaleen has a point. There’s no need for me to do so. It’s hard to describe to fools the level of Rune Mastery I’ve reached. So instead, I will simply show you.”

The Sylas down below pressed a palm to Deacon’s back and then shoved him forward.

Keyesen was still in a bit of a daze. The crimson Scorpion rose up from his back, his Armor being both cannibalized and reforged in real time.

Pedraeg was right about one thing. Having a foundation built on generations of persistence and effort was worth quite a lot. Much like the Dogons who were born with a Rune Flesh understanding of Rune Mastery, Keyesen had formed a Spark Mastery of his own Rune Armor, building a perfected version at 100% Mastery from the moment he awakened.

On top of that, there was a unique connection between his Spirit and his Armor that made it beyond just a normal Rune Armor. It was tapping into something powerful… Arcane Madness.

Keyesen’s Armor was being supplied with an endless amount of strength from a pool of Greed that spanned the entire universe.

Not only that, but he was accessing Demi-God level Will.

He was truly powerful.

It was a shame, then, that his opponent was Sylas Grimblade.

Not just any Sylas Grimblade, but one who had finally found an opportunity to do something he had wanted to for a very long time.