Way of the Knights

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*Boom!!!!*

A loud explosion occurred, sending the walls of Spatial Abode to vibrate due to its impact. 

Inside one of the rooms in the Spatial Abode, a man could be seen floating in the air with his eyes closed and in a fetal position. The moment he opened his eyes, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the room. A dense and mighty aura spread like wildfire, the ground beneath the man cracked and the walls were fiercely shaking. 

The man shifted his position from a fetal one to standing. His face was perfectly sculpted as well as his body tone. Not an ounce of fat could be seen on his body, his muscles were compact and lean but bursting with incredible strength. His skin glowed like a pearl, unblemished by any kind of impurities. His hair fell like a waterfall behind, gleaming with a brilliant marine color. The light in his eyes dimmed down and was replaced by a rainbow colored pupils. 

Of course, this man was none other than Raven who just finished his breakthrough. 

He was naked at first, but as soon as he regained consciousness, a golden light covered his body. The light morphed around his body, adorning him with its gentle yet unrestrained feeling. Soon, the golden lights twisted and transformed into a set of plated Golden Armor. 

The Golden Armor was a tight fit to him, each parts looks like it was made out of thick and rough golden Scales. The armor made Raven's body appear bulkier specially on the shoulder part. He looked down and inspected himself, smiling a bit upon feeling the surging strength and confidence that the armor gave to him. 

Raven gripped his fist and threw a punch at an empty space. A loud clap reverberated throughout the room, shaking the walls a bit as well. That casual punch just now, was strong enough to cause a Knight to lose consciousness when it hits them.

A smile appeared on his face. He's officially a Golden Knight as of now. Meaning that once he returns home, he'll be one of the most powerful people that had ever graced their home. And even if he just stepped into this realm, his strength might be on par with the veterans back at his home, perhaps even greater. 

He's now one step closer towards the peak of this plane. Just a bit more and he'll stand at the top, once that happens, it will finally be time to address the matter about his ascension. But for now, he had other matters to attend to. 

The Golden Armor disappeared as he willed it, he then walked towards his stuff and wore some clothes. Raven then used this moment to sit down and check the changes on his body. 

Due to the transformation and his care towards his body, there are no impurities left on his body anymore. All of his organs are in a perfect condition and their functions received a significant boost, which expanded his longevity as well. His constant training of his physical body caused his flesh and bones to be refined to an unbelievable degree. 

Turning to his core, Raven could see that the seal had loosened a bit. Which means that he could extract more from the source for his own use. This will allow him to last longer in battle and his skills to have a greater impact and strength. 

As for his own soul, nothing much had changed. It's still 20% recovery and it will remain like that until he gathers more ingredients that will cure his soul. 

Overall, Raven was even more terrifying compared before. Now, he was confident that he could remain in the 5000 meter depth without the help of the Spatial Abode and still have the strength to swim back up. 

"Hmm?" Raven suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his psyche. His head then unconsciously turned towards the room where he left Venus. 

He smiled and decided to check up on her. Once he entered the room where she's at, Raven saw her awake but still a little bit groggy. 

Venus experienced some changes to her as well. She grew thicker and longer, her aura now feels like a genuine Tier 4 Demonic Beast, some of her scales had color to them. They were mostly concentrated on her back, the scales took a tinge of red color, almost as if they were rubies. 

Raven walked up to her and picked her up. Venus snuggled on his neck when Raven said: "Good girl. I knew you can do it. Rest for now, when you wake up, we'll be back on the road once more."

Venus did what she was told, she then turned into a long white scarf that adorned Raven's neck. After that, Raven went back to the control room and drove the Spatial Abode out of this place. 

***

A week after Raven left the Sunken Ivory Castle.

"Greetings, Elder."

The idol of the Kraken Priestess greeted upon witnessing an old man appear out of thin air. 

The hunched back elder held a wooden cane on his right hand, he was wearing a dirtied white clothing and has a peculiar earrings. His beard was long and was almost reaching her lower body, his eyes were closed as well. 

Anyone who hears the Kraken Priestess greeting this homeless looking old man, will definitely be shocked to their core. The Priestess' status in her home is similar to that of mortals worshipping a god. So seeing/hearing her greet this old man with respect is bound to cause some commotion. Thankfully, no one could see them. 

"Oh spare me the greetings, Young Priestess. Don't sully your reputation for an old man like me."

"My reputation doesn't amount to anything, Elder." The Kraken Priestess replied, "Such thing cannot provide any comfort to me, nor my sister. Elder's help however, is the opposite of that. I will forever be grateful for your help."

"My, you surely know how to make an old man blush." The old man jested, causing the atmosphere to turn lighter. He then opened his eyes for a brief second, something that didn't elude the priestess' eyes. 

The priestess heard him sigh, he was silent for a bit before saying: "At most, she can hold out for another decade, but no more than that."

The priestess shivered upon hearing that, she unconsciously lowered her head and gripped her fist. Anxiety gripped her heart as the sense of urgency started to surge on her chest.

"I didn't tell you that in order to rush you." The elder said, causing the priestess to look towards him. "I told you because I want you to prepare yourself for the worst. I know that you're doing your best to save her, and I also know that you don't want to lose her since she's your only ally. But it ultimately fate that decides everything. This old man just want you to remain headstrong."

"Thank you, Elder. I appreciate your concern." The Kraken Priestess replied with difficulty. She unknowingly bit her lips in frustration yet she also knew that his words were true. 

The Elder saw her face and that caused him to sigh, he gently shook his head and looked around. Seeing this place cause him to remember a lot of things that happened ages ago. It also reminded him how old he was and how much time he has left. 

A sad smile surfaced to his face but he can't really escape the inevitable. He faced the priestess once more and said:

"Enough about this sad thoughts. I visited you to ask one thing."

"What is it, Elder?" The Kraken Priestess asked.

"Have you had any visitors lately, aside from me?" The old man asked: "I searching for someone, a good looking young man, probably about 18 to 19 years old, blue hair, and wears black clothing. An intelligent ape told me that he's supposed to be visiting the Four Extremes, this place just so happened to be the closest from where he was last seen. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, yes I do." The Kraken Priestess answered almost instantly. How could she forget about that guy? "A guy that fits your description, had visited this place. Unfortunately, you were a bit late Elder. He left about a week ago."

"Is that so? Such a shame then." The Elder replied, he then asked her: "Can you tell me what he did here?"

"Something that even I didn't expect, Elder." The priestess replied: "At first I thought that he's challenger. He was aware about this place, which gave me an impression that he knew about it's purpose. But that wasn't the case at all."

"Oh?" The elder raised a brow, the priestess then continued…

"He found the key towards the Master's Chambers but instead of taking it, he left it where it was. He didn't show any kind of interest in the inheritance nor joining the Boundless Azure Sect at all. Instead, he harvested a rare kind of alchemy ingredient that's only present here, and desired to drink the Soul Purifying Water. He even threatened me to it."

The elder laughed out loud and said: "What an audacious young man! He actually dared to threaten you? How bold! How interesting! Hahaha!"

"This makes me even more interested to meet this young man."