Chapter 785: Void Skill Evolution

He breathed heavily as he lay on the ground. During those final moments with the warrior, he could feel it. His void energy was already on the precipice of something amazing. He had felt it when he acquired his Concept of Space: Everlasting Void, but his [Pseudo Void Manipulation] skill had been holding him back.

However, now that the skill was at level 19 and touching the threshold of rare rank. The barrier that had been preventing him from making any progress was wearing down, and with each minute he fought that group of four, he chipped away more.

Until it reached the very edge.

[Pseudo Void Manipulation lvl 19 -> lvl 20]

He let out a cheer of excitement, and for a brief moment, his tight control over his void energy went rampant. To his embarrassment, a violent wave of uncontrolled void energy shredded everything within ten feet. That included the cold body of the warrior who helped him reach this stage.

He silently apologized for the mess, then flipped over and sat on his butt to review the notification.

[Pseudo Void Manipulation] has reached threshold. Would you like to evolve the skill?

Appraising requirements…

Congratulations. Skill requirement met.

Skill [Pseudo Void Manipulation] is evolving… possible advancements: [Void Manipulation], [Void Aegis], [Abyssal Expanse]

He stared at his options and cursed loudly. Why did it have to offer him skills that sounded so cool?

[Void Manipulation] was expected; it was what he had been planning on. However, [Void Aegis] was probably derived from his use of void barriers. And from the sound of it, it would be quite powerful. He didn’t have a “proper” defensive skill yet, and this offering was tempting.

Furthermore, the last skill offered was even more tempting. It was likely from his explosions of void energy and the way it surged out without restraint. The abyssal part was a bit weird to see, but he suspected it was technically the most powerful of the three options. He just had that feeling when he examined the notifications.

That being said, he knew that he couldn’t take either [Void Aegis] or [Abyssal Expanse]. He needed to stick to his plan. And so, with a slightly saddened heart, he selected [Void Manipulation].

The skill acquisition was actually very smooth. It must have been because he chose the general upgrade route, but he barely felt a thing as new information flooded into his brain. His skill orb within his soul underwent a small metamorphosis, light condensing and rippling over its surface.

Then before long, the new brighter and shinier skill orb replaced the old one.

Congratulations, you have learned [Void Manipulation] (Epic+).

He grinned, and before he did anything else, he quickly activated [Void Step] and [Void Strike]. He didn’t see a reason to wait. It had spent enough time wanting to combine these skills and so that was what he did.

The three void skill orbs hovered in his soul space as he let skill structures for all of the skills activate at once.

[Void Step] covered his body and prepared to open a breach for him to teleport through. [Void Strike] was channeled throughout his flesh and bones. Not a single inch of his body was left untouched by void energy.

Then [Void Manipulation] held it all together. It tied these two skills in a way that he had not been able to do. He could feel [Void Step] receive an influx of power from [Void Strike] and vice versa.

Then, wrapped around everything, was his Concept of Space. He could feel his Willpower Concept, which had been subsumed, was continuously reinforcing his void energy.

He held it all together, but belatedly realized he didn’t have an outlet for all this energy. Frowning sharply, he looked around; he didn’t know if he was lucky, but he spotted two signatures not far away. They were similar to the group of four he just took out.

Without any hesitation, he used this trinity of combined skills to teleport himself over. He used way too much mana to do it, and to his chagrin, the excess exploded outward in a deadly blast.

The two robe-wearing men didn't even get a chance before they were launched off their feet. Void energy lacerated their skin, and he felt several fractures in their bones in a wasteful display of power. He didn’t stop there though, he chased after them and before they could recover, was already delivering a punch at their chests.

Space warped as purple light erupted from his hand. His fist, which hadn’t been able to pierce their defenses easily, went straight through the first man’s chest like wet cardboard. The detonation of void energy that came out of his fist was even more brutal.

The robed man was dead before he removed his hand from his chest. Julius then turned around and kicked the other man right in the knee. The knee snapped to the side, and Julius slammed his elbow into his chin. He heard something crack in the man’s neck and face.

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Julius didn’t stop there. He wrapped the man with void energy and let it go wild. Much like the swordsman, his opponent didn’t last long before he fell to the ground, dead as a nail.

Only then did the final piece slip in. As if it had been eagerly waiting for years, his skill orbs lit up and dazzled like stars. They then all mashed together in his soul with so much force that he actually felt a little bit of pain.

Synergy detected. Would you like to evolve [Void Manipulation], [Void Step], and [Void Strike] into a single skill? Notice: This will remove existing skills.

He accepted the prompt and let the familiar feeling of the combination of skills wash over him.

Honestly, if mashing the skill orbs hurt a little, then the experience of them actually combining felt more like someone driving deep wedges into his soul and pouring liquid fire down the open channels.

He had never had a skill combination be so painful. It was like pure void energy flooding through his entire body and down into his mana channels, cleansing them so they could better handle his void energy. It wasn’t a body evolution, but it was certainly close.

It felt like the pain lasted forever. Only when he heard the soft, ragged sounds of his own breath did he realize it was over. And when it was, he glanced over and read the notification waiting for him.

Congratulations, you have learned [Mantle of the Everlasting Void] (Legendary+).

The first thing he noticed was how inflated his soul suddenly felt. The sensation was eerily similar to how he felt when he got too many epic skills. While higher-ranked skills often increased soul strength, that didn’t mean it increased more than it was used.

With this skill, he now had five legendary skills. He doubted there were many people out there with a single legendary skill at Tier 4 in the first place. So him having five already was really quite an accomplishment.

As if the world heard him think it, he suddenly felt the Words of the World descend upon him. It wasn’t like the usual notifications either. This was more visceral and terrifying. It was like the entire weight of the world draped over his back, like a long, heavy curtain.

He tried to peer beyond the curtain, but all his senses were seared into oblivion instantly. It was like staring straight into the sun, and he certainly paid the price. He staggered to the ground, but thankfully the damage didn’t seem permanent. His healing skill was already repairing the damage.

He was a bit of a dumbass, though, and couldn't help but try to peer beyond the veil once more.

Predictably, this went just as well as the previous attempt. Only this time around, the damage was even more severe. He felt his soul take substantial damage and get a nudge from the world, almost as if it were a warning.

As much as he wanted to and was tempted to, he refrained from looking beyond this curtain again.

Instead, he read the notification glowing brightly.

Congratulations, you have acquired five legendary skills before Tier 5.

This accomplishment has been analyzed and recorded. No external aid has been detected. You have earned yourself a Feat. The Feat will be engraved on your soul.

Congratulations, you have earned the Feat of Legendary Foundation.

Julius froze when he read the new notification. This wasn’t something he had been expecting. He hadn’t even known it was possible to gain another feat. Not after he already had the Feat of Enduring Resolve at the second stage.

But it definitely wasn’t a bad thing, and he felt something within his soul shift to accommodate the newest change. He hadn’t detected the last time he earned a feat, but his soul senses were much more sensitive now than they had been back then.

He couldn’t help but wonder what effect this feat would have on his advancement to Tier 5 and Tier 6.

Admittedly, it was nice that it seemed that he was being recognized for his accomplishments. It was human nature to enjoy being rewarded for one’s hard work. And getting five legendary skills was living proof of all of his trials and tribulations.

It was evidence that all of the late nights he spent training his skills were worth it. That he hadn’t spent countless days going without sleep and continuously destroying his body all in the hope of gaining a single level for nothing.

He basked in the glorious moment for a good while. What was the point of pushing oneself if you couldn’t appreciate the payoff?

It was only when he felt like he spent enough time doing this did he finally reach out to his new skill.

[Mantle of the Everlasting Void] wasn’t exactly what he expected from the skill merging, but he wasn’t about to complain. Just the way it sat in his soul made him realize just how special the skill was. Most of the skill orbs in his soul space didn’t have this kind of weight and presence. At least not like this specific orb.

Yet, the orb for [Mantle of the Everlasting Void] was heavy. The only other skill that was close was [Phoenix Incarnate]. Still, the healing skill felt warm rather than heavy.

After examining the skill orb, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer and activated the skill. His mana converted into void energy instantly, faster than he had ever managed before. It reacted just like his kinetic energy.

He watched, completely enraptured, as he saw the skill structure for the first time. It was one of the most complex and beautiful things he had ever seen. It made his previous void workings look like a pile of moldy dirt in comparison.

The skill's structure resembled a masterpiece that an artist painstakingly painted, with each fiber of void energy forming a profoundly deep and beautiful image. He could barely track half of what the skill did.

A simple black cloak manifested over his shoulders. It looked as if it absorbed every speck of light that touched it. However, it also looked like you could see the endless beauty of the constellations hidden within the weaves of the fabric.

He lifted his hand and ran his fingers along the mantle, completely breathless. It was so soft that it was almost offensive. He knew it wasn’t made of any fabric or any real material. That it was made out of pure void energy and his willpower, but that didn’t stop him from second guessing himself.

Appearances aside, he immediately took note of the strength he was getting from the mantle. Void energy of incomparable purity surged through his veins. It was so powerful that he was pretty sure that if he had a fraction less of a sturdy body, he would have died the second the mantle made contact with his skin.

He looked over at the rest of the rift with sparkling eyes. Fortunately, he had plenty of opportunities to test his new skill out.