Chapter 315: Five Harmony

Rion stepped closer to the gates and examined the markings of Azure Ascending Spear with his Zone.

Just as his Zone focused on it, he sensed the faint amount of aura embedded in them and as he checked deeper, the world around him changed.

Selva's mother disappeared from his vision and he found himself standing behind a man wearing a normal tunic and brown pants.

The man held a spear in his hand and a crimson aura covered his muscular body while his long raven-black hair was tied into a ponytail.

Seeing the back of that man, Rion froze in surprise and a single word escaped his lips, "Father...?"

As this Haden was just an image, he couldn't hear or answer Rion.

For a long while Haden stared at the gates and then, he lifted his spear and thrust forward.

One by one he used the moves of Azure Ascending Spear.

He played out the first layer of serpent.

Azure Ascending Spear — Serpent's Slither!

Azure Ascending Spear — Serpent's Coil!

Azure Ascending Spear — Serpent's Bite!

Although the attacks were flashy and dangerous, all they could do was leave a few deep marks across the gate.

During this Rion noticed something, these attacks were nowhere near what Haden was actually capable of. Which meant he had left these marks way before reaching his current stage.

After a few minutes, he played out the second layer of Imoogi.

Azure Ascending Spear — Imoogi's Lunge!

Azure Ascending Spear — Imoogi's Tail Whip!

Azure Ascending Spear — Imoogi's Rise!

These attacks were much stronger than previous ones but they were still incapable of affecting the gates any more than leaving a few deep marks.

After failing to break through the gates, Haden lowered his spear and turned around without a word.

Suddenly both of them were face-to-face with one another and for the first time, Rion saw his father holding a self-deprecating look.

Without saying a single thing, Haden left the place while clenching his spear.

This very desperation later became his motivation to break through his limits and ascend to the stage of the Half God of War.

The vision ended and as Rion came out of it, he felt something cold and sharp on his neck.

He lowered his gaze and the dagger pressed to his neck and the hand holding it entered his view.

"Who are you?!" Selva's mother hissed furiously.

'Seems like my entering the vision somehow lessened the effect of The Honored One,' Rion concluded inwardly and let out a chuckle.

Selva's mother's anger exploded and she shouted furiously, "How dare—"

However before her words could leave her lips, Rion whispered, "Sleep."

The word escaped his lips and transformed into the conceptual firmament of sleeping. Then it struck Selva's month and she instantly fell into an eternal sleep unless awoken by the Bearer of Absolute Spark.

Rion lifted her using his aura and laid her atop a slab near the wall.

Then he walked closer to the gates and placed a hand on them.

Since coming here he had tried multiple times to sense what was beyond it but no matter what method he used, his Zone couldn't go past the gates and the walls.

His gaze lowered to his heart and he mumbled, "Should I try it?"

The method he was thinking of using was something he couldn't yet completely control so it could end up dangerous.

He had also thought of using the Absolute Spark however he knew it wouldn't work. From the beginning, he had an instinctive knowledge of what it could do and what it couldn't.

"Not like I have any other option," he muttered and whispered, "Absolute Seal... Open."

The instant those words left his lips, the forced Pseudo-harmony which had kept the five energies at bay fell apart.

"Ugh!" Rion stumbled forward as the energies began to clash with one another.

"Shit!" He cursed and tried to force out the purple flames of the Abysmal Flame.

However no matter how much he tried he couldn't move it out or at least that was how it was supposed to be but just as he once again touched the door, the purple flames instantly burst out of his hand and began to climb the gates.

The luminous crystals embedded all across it flickered and the gates groaned as the flames began to eat it however as that was happening, a new energy entered his body.

"What the—"

Unlike the others, the new energy began to coil around the others and began to form vessels for each of them.

As the flames devoured more of the gates the energies' clash gradually subsided, leaving Rion perplexed with what had just happened.

As the gates were devoured completely, a blue screen appeared before Alex.

[You have reached the state of Five Harmony!]

[Aura, Life Essence, Ether, Devouring Demonic Flames, World Energy!]

Upon reading the latter, Rion's jaw fell open and he muttered, "This whole gate was made out of azrath???"

Dumbfounded, Alex waved his hands, and the flames that he couldn't control before, vanished into purple smoke.

He smiled and mumbled, "Feels much better than leaving everything to fate."

Now that the door had been opened... or devoured, his Zone instantly spread inside and a blue screen appeared before him.

[Ding! Sign-In at the <The Giant's Asylum>?]

[Yes / No]

He stared at the screen with a single thought, 'Why is it an Asylum?'

'Yes.'

[You have obtained (Devil of Freedom!)]

[Ding!]

[Lucky spin is in effect!]

[You have obtained No Change!]

[The reward stays the same!]

"Wait what?!" Rion's eyes widened in disbelief and suddenly someone spoke from within the shadows at the far end.

"Who are you mortal? I hope you have a good reason for waking me from my slumber otherwise do not think that you can leave this place alive."

Rion fell silent and channeled mana into his eyes.

'Where is it?' He searched for the Devil of Freedom and after a few seconds, he found the treacherous being.

"Wait... are you the crow sitting on that broken pillar?"

"..."

"Are you?"

"Yeah..."