Chapter 243: Double-edge Blade

"What is the use of these Aether stones?" Juliana asked, her sharp gaze locking onto Aurora as she lightly traced the hilt of her dagger.

?"Well, Aether stones work like Evolution stones, and also don’t work like one..." Aurora crossed her arms tightly over her chest, the silver metal of her armor creaking slightly in the biting wind.

?"I mean; Ex-Rank Awakened have two energies, but the body can never contain two different energies at once. One needs to take control... When an Awakened advances to Ex-Rank, they gain a total of one hundred thousand Aether energy points. Of course, just like spirit energy, it can be used to cast skills, and it will also replenish itself to that limit... Although Aether energy is stronger than spirit energy, it’s still fundamentally new to the body, not like spirit energy which came when a Human awakened. When these two clash, spirit energy will go all out and try to absorb the Aether energy, which results in unstable and impure energy in the body." She exhaled softly, a faint cloud of white mist escaping her lips into the freezing air.

?"Aether stones come into play because just like evolution stones, which have Spirit energy in them, Aether stones have Aether energy... If an Ex-Rank absorbs this stone, it increases the density of their Aether energy, and also increases its purity and maximum limit." she explained, her pitch-black eyes scanning the trio to ensure they grasped the delicate rules of the pinnacle ranks.

?Juliana tilted her head, her mind immediately piecing the puzzle together. "So you keep absorbing these Aether stones until your Aether energy is on par with the spirit energy, then you stabilize the Aether energy, which will then absorb the spirit energy, leaving you with one?"

?Aurora turned to Juliana, a flicker of genuine astonishment breaking her stoic facade.

?"Correct." She nodded her head, impressed by how quickly the SSS-Rank mage had deduced the ultimate bottleneck of cultivation.

?"What happens when someone turns their spirit energy into Aether energy? Will they gain more power, or advance a new rank?" Kelly asked, her curiosity piqued as she stepped closer, trying to fathom a power ceiling higher than the one standing right beside her.

?"There are indeed ranks above Ex-Rank, but no one has ever reached that rank." Aurora answered, her tone carrying the heavy, absolute finality of an undisputed fact.

?"Really? You’re saying no one amongst the ancient families has advanced above Ex-Rank?" Asher asked, his golden eyes narrowing as he dug deeper, probing the structural integrity of her claim.

?But Aurora instantly caught on to the interrogation. She sealed her expression shut and gave a rigid shake of her head:

?"I have no idea." She said, her voice dropping into a guarded, diplomatic monotone.

?’You want me to reveal classified information? You might be remarkably handsome, but that isn’t happening.’ She thought, maintaining her impenetrable stare.

?Asher slowly nodded his head, catching the micro-hesitation before her denial. ’With that fast reply, there is definitely someone who has advanced beyond Ex-Rank... Meaning, this person already has Aether energy. And here I was thinking I am the only one with Aether energy.’ He thought, his mind racing to recalibrate the true power scale of the Ancient Families.

?{What are you saying, Master?}

?The system’s voice echoed in his mind, carrying an almost condescending resonance.

?{Humans could only gain Aether energy because of Aether stones.}

?{Furthermore, Aether Stones are formed from demonic energy. This is why it can only be seen after defeating a Boss Monster with three or above titles; moreover, due to its origins, Humans can only increase their purity and density up to 50%.}

?Asher’s breath hitched microscopically. ’What happens if it passes 50%?’

?{The human gets corrupted by the demonic energy in the stones, and turns into a demon... In short, Aether stone is a double-edged blade.}

?’It grants absolute power, but one failed move makes you lose everything... But system.’ He looked to his side at Juliana’s sharp profile, then at Kelly’s bright eyes.

?’My wives are absolute geniuses, they can’t remain at SSS-RANK forever. Does that mean I have to subject them to these corrupted stones too?’

?{Master, when you possess a supreme cheat, you should make big use of it.}

?"....?!"

?{With the system, The Aetheldawn family will stand above everything, including gods... Master just needs to keep investing.}

?Asher sighed deeply in his mind, an invisible weight lifting from his shoulders. It seemed he had been worrying over a limitation that simply didn’t apply to him. He refused to watch any of his wives twist into mindless demons for the sake of power. With the system’s arrogant but absolute reassurance, a cold, confident clarity washed over him.

?"Alright, so in two weeks, we meet in Doomsday Island?" Asher asked, snapping his attention back to the expedition logistics.

?"Huh? No!" Aurora quickly yelled, her hands shooting up defensively as her stoic composure completely shattered.

?"Doomsday Island?! The King is there!! If he notices us, all our plans are ruined. We will meet in Vaeloria, Aethelspire city... We will discuss the rest of the plan there and head out." She revealed, the sheer, unadulterated terror of the dungeon’s ruler flashing vividly in her dark eyes.

?"Aethelspire, isn’t that the city Vaeloria’s Ancient Family resides in?" Asher pressed.

?"Yes, that’s the Genesis Ancient Family’s second main estate." Aurora answered.

?Her words caused a slow, dangerous smirk to carve its way onto Asher’s face.

?’Wow, the heavens are truly handing them to me on a silver platter... Not only did you bastards hurt Sara, but you also hold dominion over Vaeloria country, and Genesis country... Well, my immediate plan is to forcefully take over Vaeloria; seems our paths are destined to cross again in the worst possible way for you.’ He calculated, a predatory gleam igniting in his golden eyes as he stared at Aurora.

?"As the fifth Ancient family, I have the right over Vaeloria; can I use force if they refuse to hand it over?" He asked smoothly.

?".....?!"

?Aurora stared at him for a long, heavy moment, utterly derailed by the casual violence of the question. She turned around, her black hair swaying: "That’s the two families’ business. Maybe attempt diplomacy before launching an assault; the Genesis Ancient family are proficient with catastrophic elemental attacks, and they also have many Elemental gods backing them. It’ll be vastly better to avoid open battles."

?"Where can I see the gods?" Asher asked, his tone as casual as if he were asking for directions to a local tavern.

?The exact moment she heard the blasphemous question, Aurora froze solid. The temperature around her seemed to plummet.

?"There are some questions which shouldn’t be asked." She said coldly, looking over her shoulder at him with a gaze that promised nothing but death for those who pried too deep into the gods.

?"....?!"