Before they realized it, a week passed as they continued learning how to emit the Aetheric waves. Alas, only Zeke reached minor mastery but he needed to be wholly focused on the task and completely unperturbed.Zeke was planning to continue training until he was able to use it at will, but the System didn’t seem to agree with him. Out of nowhere, to set a time limit to get rid of the Dead Ends, basically forcing him and Celestia to charge ahead with what little experience they had.With 12 hours on the clock, the truck drove straight into a seemingly stationary massive red cloud, seeing nothing but destroyed buildings and empty cars everywhere.There were no human stupid enough to remain in the vicinity of the Dead Ends, be it the lucky survivors or the military.After a half an hour drive, the truck was but several hundred meters away from its destination.“Brace yourself!”Celestia pressed on the pedal and tightly grasped the steering wheel as the truck started rocking back and for
Sitting on the crystalline throne, Nicneven Sin, the Witch Queen, looked down at Jonathan Stellar Link. He was joined by the last surviving member of the eradicated Proto-Demon Tribe, Essyna.The tragedy that happened to her friends and clan members had affected her greatly, nevertheless, for the sake of vengeance, she had held on and agreed to help the Witches and Jonathan.Her ability was most unique of all and no magical artifact could imitate it, therefore, she was going to play an integral part in what was soon to come.“I understand.”Nicneven turned to look at one of the 6-Star Witches, a gloomy-looking woman with curly brown hair and seemingly tanned skin.“You will start the necessary preparations at once, Verentia.”“By your will, Your Majesty.”The 6-Star Witch, titled ‘The Witch of Destruction’, respectfully bowed her head before walking away.Kleya and the remaining 6-star Witch were sitting behind the throne, motionless and stoic. “Any idea when it will happen?”“The Sy
There was a momentary silence after Zeke disappeared. The Witch Queen floated in the air with a surprised and confused look whereas Jonathan rushed to Essyna’s side and urged her to open the portal again.The Proto-Demon was breathing heavily and kneeling on the ground, incapable of lifting a finger, much less using her ability a second time.“Leave it. It’s over.”Jonathan gritted his teeth and wanted to protest, but once he saw Nicneven’s cold and murderous stare, he lowered his head and obeyed.‘He’s still alive. If he isn’t, the Special Mission would have failed. Damnit… What a crazy bastard!’As the barriers were being removed one by one and the Witches were lining up in front of the Witch Queen, the atmosphere grew heavy.After a couple of a minute or two in tense silence, the Nightmare Witch declared,“The outpost commanders will leave tomorrow morning. The rest will be stay here to fortify-”Before she could finish, there was a deep rumbling as the entire city shook violently.
“Is this really the truth?!”Celestia faced the Witch Queen and the three 6-star Witches with an astonished expression.“Mind your words, human. Her Majesty has no need to lie to the likes of-”The Witch of Destruction was rebuking Celestia only to be interrupted by Nicneven, who raised her hand.The bronze-skinned tall witch apologetically bowed her head and returned to her usual silence.“You can check for yourself if you want. Even if you don’t, the truth will be revealed before long.”“What do you mean?”The Witch Queen paused for a couple of breaths, seemingly musing about something.“The Serey Zhan Empire will attack the Nezulian Republic. For now, I will be taking a neutral stance.”“Attack? There will be a war?”“The Emperor cannot tolerate or condone the action of your nation anymore. I don’t either, in fact. However, the way I see it, the threat they pose is nothing compared to the Dead Ends. Sure, they can dabble in their beloved technology and try to harness the power of t
It was in the middle of September when Celestia had finally returned home, to the Sunken Metropolis. As expected, her and Zeke’s long disappearance had caused a lot of worry in their entourage, but they were left with no answers for a long time. The only people who knew a little bit about the matter were Sulong, Jeremy, and Jack, who refused to answer anything, even when Edward personally came. The trip back to the Nezulian Republic was, at least, comfortable for Celestia. She was escorted by the Witch of Destruction all the way to the border, and from then on, she travelled on foot until the nearest big settlement. “What’s wrong, sweety?” In the fancy manor in which the Black household lived, Celestia’s father softly smiled and asked his absentminded daughter. “A-ah… nothing.” Unlike her usual rebellious and defiant attitude, Celestia was, for most of the time, in a daze and responded with perfunctory answers. “I didn’t believe them when they said you went and got yourself kil
Weeks and then months passed since Celestia’s return to the Sunken Metropolis.Erys' students returned to the academy and continued their life, and the Special Investigation Squad continued taking care of clandestine and dangerous matters happening all around the school, though such matters were very scarce.However, there had been an unexpected development concerning one of Erys’ top students: Celestia Black.Two months after her return, she reached all the necessary conditions to graduate. It was said that the Principal personally offered her a lucrative deal, but the girl refused on the spot and, most surprisingly, went to work for the Lightning Flame Merc Company.Her inexplicable actions put more attention on the company and heightened its rise to flame a lot.In fact, the Lightning Flame Merc Company grew so ‘popular’ that all kinds of political and military individuals would hire it for their personal use. At some point, Sulong Braveheart and Celestia Black were visited by Gen
[Full-body reconstruction completed (95%): All stats have been increased.] [Special Mission ‘Missing Eye’ has been initiated: A system Holder’s eyes are irreplaceable and must be protected at all costs. They are directly affected by the System and allow the user to access the Status Windows and interact with the System. User ‘Zeke Orland’, Divine Thunder, must retrieve his missing eye. Rewards: ??? Location of the eye: 5724Km South-West.] [Some of the standard Main-Paths have either been removed or updated. Please check the menu for more details.] [Special Mission ‘Demonic Heart’ has been initiated: After resisting the third Tribulation, all users must undergo the process known as ‘System Merge’. However, user ‘Zeke Orland’ is missing his real heart. Find the Demonic Heart to proceed with System Merge. Optional Objectives: - Learn the truth behind the user’s birth and forgotten past. -Learn the identity of the leader of the Ascetic Blasphemers.] [User: Zeke Orland] [Title:
Crystal City, HQ of the Blood Ghouls.After the failed raid against the Warlord and his people, the bandit group known as the Blood Ghouls had spread their wings across the entirety of the Kingsmen’s Ruins. All opposing factions were either wiped or integrated into their midst.The Mad Dogs, led by the siblings, had quickly surrendered shortly after Zeke’s disappearance. However, the Silver Daggers, led by Zenzo Jyk, were brutally massacred.Their leader, who was defiant to the last second, was spared by Paul but imprisoned in an inescapable cell. He became a toy for the Warlord, kept alive to be mocked or tortured depending on the boss’ mood.In fact, Sena and Roger very much liked to visit their old ‘rival’ and boost their ego by ridiculing his pitiful and miserable state.There was a small celebration atop the pagoda tonight. A large feast was prepared for the higher-ups of the gang; Bards and musicians were playing the instruments and melodiously singing as the atmosphere was ligh
“I and Hephradet personally studied it, but found nothing. Here you go.”Kleya handed back the strange item back to Zeke.“There’s no Aether or any other foreign energy inside. We couldn’t determine its purpose.”“I see. Thank you anyway.”“Don’t worry about it. You should rest more or else I’ll never hear the end of it from Jenny.”Zeke wryly smiled and nodded. His mother kept nagging him day and night, telling him to rest and not continuously wander around the castle checking on everyone and making sure there were no issues.His body was already healthy and he felt no odd disturbances or unexpected awakenings. Everything is as normal as it could be.Just as Kleya left the room, Jennifer came in. Behind her was a red-faced Celestia, which made Zeke frown.“Mom?”Surprisingly, Jennifer grabbed his ear and pulled him to the couch.“Did I not tell you to overdo it?”“W-what? I haven’t done anything!”“That’s not what she told me!”Celestia stood a distance away, her head lowered in emba
“It’s still too early to assess everything, but… over 80% of the entire planet’s population died.” Kleya, whose eyes were a bit red and her face was filled with fatigue, sat across Zeke and Celestia. “And Her Majesty?” When she heard his question, Kleya lowered her head and held herself back from crying. “We… we think she died fighting the System. It’s no longer possible to return to the Unending Star, so we decided to acknowledge that Her Majesty was amongst those who had fallen there.” “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. She… she died protecting what she believed in. Us. Not just the Witch Association but all of the Aether Planet.” Zeke sighed, feeling sorry when he saw Kleya like that. The Witch Queen was the pillar of the Witch Association, their respected leader. It was especially so for Kleya and the other 6-star Witches, excluding Jennifer. “A-anyway, the situation at the capital of the Nezulian Republic remains the same. We’re still looking for a way to cancel that Frost Spell cast
“Huff… huff…” With a hand pressed against his hurting chest, Zeke dragged his tired feet toward the fallen copy. The copy’s head turned to look at him, its eyeballs, which looked as if they were to pop-out, were letting out the familiar yet incredibly dim crimson light. “We had completed our objective. There was nothing left for Us to do.” “That didn’t give you the right to wipe entire civilizations.” “You… wouldn’t understand, Zeke Orland.” Unlike earlier, the System spoke through the copy’s mouth. Its charred and cut lips moved in an unnatural way, but the voice was identical to Zeke’s. “We had succeeded. We had saved the world. Then, We understood that our creation, our existence was only for that purpose. That We were a tool destined to cease existing.” “...” “We could not tolerate that.” “So you manifested a will of your own?” In response to that, a self-deprecating laugh came from the copy. “After choosing our first User, we saw how the Races we were supposed to prote
While the Phoenix battled the System in the Cursed Plains of the Unending Star, Zeke’s fight against his copy continued.Things took a turn for the worst when the Crown was crushed and the System’s powers dramatically increased. Nevertheless, Zeke didn’t lose yet. His body was flung and then crashed into the ground, blood gushing out from his shoulder and back.Even then, he slowly stood up and grinned toward the System.“Still fighting the good fight.”The previously calm ‘copy’, or at least the System’s disembodied voice, grew agitated as Zeke refused to remain on the ground.“My will is not so easily broken.”[Voltage King]Zeke’s eyes shone with an azure light as his voltage grew silent and became white.[Divine Champion][Divine Sreyzhanian Arts]Just as he charged at the System again, its body suddenly turned stiff as if being immobilized by something.The item handed by Kayro Ol Zerg flashed from Zeke’s pocket.[Fist of Fury]Zeke’s fists, glowing orange and wrapped in condens
“What’s wrong? I thought you were invincible in your domain.”Zeke’s taunt had no effect, at least not at first. The System stood straight and looked down on its wounded body.“You know nothing of Us.”The copy raised its hand, and very soon, something familiar appeared.It was a tangible object of an odd-shape, but Zeke knew what it was. The Crown.“You will know what it is to be helpless and defeated, 5th user.”“You’re still talking?”Zeke let out a smile and charged forth, his fists wrapped by thick voltage.The System crushed the crown as the red voltage manifested and exploded in an uncontrollable manner.…“Is it done?”Julia Lopmore furrowed her brows as she looked at the enemy, whose body was crushed, burned, and almost unrecognisable. It wasn’t a body anymore, but a mass of flesh and poison.The silence lasted for a very short time as the Crown also appeared in reality.“Stop it!” Shouted Frederic as took out a blue bead, one with the same size and shape that Nicneven had pr
Xiao, with his spear in hand, actually deflected the Divine Thunder before safely landing on the ground.Several people appeared close to the Witch Queen. As she swept her eyes across the six people that unexpectedly showed up here.“Your Majesty, we’re here to lend a hand.” Frederic Whitefort smirked and looked at her as he muttered those words. He had brought along Azmer, Xiao, Celestia, Ava, and Julia Lopmore.“You… how ar-”“We can save that talk for later, eh?”Frederic motioned toward Zeke, who was standing there and staring back at them with a hollow expression.“As I’m the weakest of the bunch, I’ll just stay behind and offer assistance… as well as try to heal Her Majesty.”The Vagabond knelt next to Nicnteven and extended his hand towards her. He let out a warm and serene white light, which made her feel rejuvenated. It was Holy Magic, something which she didn’t know he could use.“Wouldn’t Zeke die if we tried to kill the System?” Asked Julia while furrowing her brows.“Not
Right after the destruction of the Heart of the Dead Ends, Zeke stood there, seemingly in a daze.The Witch Queen stared at him intensely, and when his eyes glowed with a crimson light, she immediately attacked.Jonathan roared and rushed as well, a creeping Darkness exploding from his hands.Nicneven struck out from afar, unleashing a blazing wave of flames, fused with a spinning thick beam of Ice-aspected energy.The Paths of Extinction System, which had taken control of Zeke’s body, retaliated with full-force as well.Dozens of thunderbolts erupted from Zeke’s raised hand, blasting Jonathan back and clashing with the Queen’s magic.“The Seat of Magic.” Muttered a voice that didn’t resemble Zeke albeit speaking from his mouth.It was emotionless and cold, one which no living being would be able to imitate.[Voltage Zap]Using such an elementary skill, the System shot innumerable bolts that arched in the air and concentrated on Nicneven.She jumped out of the way and performed a stra
“I know this is a lot to take in, Zeke Orland. But, I want you to trust me. Know that I have your best interest in heart and I wouldn’t have come unless necessary. I could’ve let you venture alone and complete your objective, after which you’ll be killed by your own System.”Zeke pointed his open hand toward the incoming shades.[Voltage King]A barrage of lightning bolts was unleashed, piercing through the shades and extinguishing them. They vaporised in an instant, leaving only a bit of red fog.The Dead Ends and the Paths of Extinction System, they both had that unique and ominous crimson light. However, Zeke thought it was just a coincidence.Now that the truth was revealed to him, he felt a bit lost. It wasn’t that much of a surprise that his System was dangerous or a threat as he had already suspected as much after learning about Edward Heart.Nevertheless, the fact that it was a tool from the very beginning did make him feel weak and clueless.An eerie silence flowed between Ze
Thanks to the thunderstorm Zeke had previously summoned, the three of them managed to reach and enter the Black Spike. Strangely enough, the entrance of the spire was fully-opened as if beckoning them inside. “This looks man-made.” “Because it is.” Answered Nicneven as she held the black katana with one hand and controlled five differently-colored elemental orb with the other. The interior of the black spike was empty but particularly eerie. Everything was black and except a spiralling staircase that led to the top, there was nothing else, not even the crimson fog. “Who made it?” “...” “Why do you refuse to tell me anything, Your Majesty? What is the Dead Ends? Who created it?” “You do not need to concern yourself with that. Just destroy the Hearts and everything will end.” Her immediate dismissal did irritate him, but he didn’t press her for answers he knew she wouldn’t give. “This is the final stretch. Jonathan, take the vanguard.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Jonathan pushed bac