“Hmmm where should I start?” With a hand caressing his cut-beard, Zenzo Jyk deliberated for several seconds before beginning, “If we’re talking about the most important events, then the war between the Serey Zhan Empire and the Nezulian Republic surely takes the cake.” Zeke deeply creased his brow, but he didn’t interrupt the man. “It didn’t happen right after your disappearance, it was more like a progressive start, so to speak. The Imperials’ army marched Eastwards and when they were dangerously close to the republic’s border, it resulted in a couple of inconsequential skirmishes… all of which were won by the former. It was then that the republicans deployed their heavy technologic artillery and retaliated with full-force. However, in comparison to the Imperials, their armies were small and they relied on their artifacts and military-grade killing machines.” “Is the war over?” “No.” With a stoic face, Zenzo shook his head once, “It reached a stalemate. To better understand, you
Zeke conversed with Zenzo and Destiny for two whole hours. The two tried their best to inform him of what happened during his 5-year ‘hiatus’, so to speak. Unfortunately, Destiny had constantly been on the run from the Warlord and his goons and Zenzo was locked up in the basement, so the two didn’t have an opportunity to gather enough detailed information. Most of what they recounted was either rumors or hearsay.The last strange or perhaps odd thing was the disappearance of Jennifer Savbra one month ago. Apparently, her outpost had been attacked and some witches were killed. The identity of the assailants remained unknown.Nonetheless, Zeke was pleased with what he had learnt and had a better grasp of the general situation.The Serey Zhan Empire attacked the Nezulian Republic, therefore, the latter fiercely retaliated using an artificially-made Dead Ends. As a result of that, perhaps, the real Dead Ends, which originated from where the nuke had fallen, sporadically spread until it co
“Look, the place is sealed up and we’ve got more important things to take care of.”General Zhang was having a meeting with several high-ranking officials, including Minister Bhak Djinn and the irritated and foul-mouthed Teresa King.Once she heard his dismissive and pretty uninterested response, the Minister of External Affairs banged her fist on the table, startling everyone.“Sealed up? It’s a very serious matter, Zhang! While you’re wasting resources and manpower in replicating the godforsaken Dead Ends, there’s something more dangerous lurking close to us.”“Dangerous? Come on, Teresa.” The red-haired General chuckled and shrugged, “No offense, but it’s not particularly unusual for one of your ‘secret’ subordinates to go missing or die during their, likewise, ‘secret’ expeditions. I understand where you’re coming from, but the Imperials are at hour heels and not even the Dead Ends seem to be stopping them anymore. That damned Elena is insufferably stubborn.”“I agree.” Spoke the
Zeke clicked his tongue as the voltage burst forth and rose high-up in the air, shooting out dozens upon dozens of bolts all around him; It was like a miniature storm with him at its center.“Another?”Sulong gulped some saliva as his will wavered for a moment. Signora’s mouth was half-open as she stared at the massive reptilian beast with shiny red scales and horrifying open maw.The dragon started the fight by opening its mouth and spitting a literal sea of flames, which Zeke shot towards while swiping his hand horizontally, causing an equally large burst of blue lightning to explode, clashing with the fire.The whole area was enveloped by flames and lightning, but it was just the beginning as Tavnir flapped its gargantuan wings and, its size notwithstanding, moved aggressively and with remarkable agility.It tried to devour the relatively miniscule Zeke in one-go, but the latter jumped to the back and used ‘Proto-Arrow’ with the Longbow.The voltage around him concentrated on the t
The shifty Sulong maintained a short silence, in which Zeke just dumbly stared at the ground, seemingly letting the shocking revelation sink it. Admittedly, discovering that his mother must’ve been Jennifer surely was a shock to him. It was totally unexpected.Moreover, he had been curious about his father and expected his mother to have died as The Warlord didn’t speak of her. In fact, Zeke didn’t even assume she was alive and in the Aether Planet.Generally, Witches were able to get pregnant and give birth to baby boys, however, their male children would grow up to be normal people. Defects, more often than not.Now that he had learnt who his mother was, Zeke didn't know how to react or confront her. “Wait… didn’t she go missing?”Sulong nodded and hesitantly explained, “That was my next point. She has been kidnapped by the Ascetic Blasphemers, and when I heard of that, I headed to the Imperial Capital. In fact, just a couple of days ago, I was contacted by Archmagus Robert.”“Di
The knights that accompanied Elena were no pushovers. The ambush and the dangerous Dead Ends notwithstanding, they responded swiftly and accordingly.Ten of them raised their shields, which started to let out a strong golden radiance. The brilliant energy fused together and deflected the descending large volume of water.It was then that the identity of the three assassins was revealed.Special Agent Katrina, Captain of the Secret Intelligence Team ‘Edward Orland’, and the renowned Healer ‘Jan’.The knights maintained a defensive formation as the shield--wielding ones took the front and protected their leader.Meanwhile, Elena waved her staff and cast a blinding spell that exploded toward the three assassins.Katrina jumped toward the magic and swung her new weapon, the Shadow Blade. It was a jet-black katana with a rough handle and an ominous shadowy matter glued to its sharp edge.It significantly boosted its user’s physical capabilities and protected her from the Archmagus’ retalia
The 1st Legion, led by the Knight Commander ‘George Mullen’, rejoined with the 3rd Legion led by Elena Whitefort.Fortunately, the Archmagus ensured that there were no casualties. She even dealt with the Dead Ends barring their way.However, when she returned to the camp, she collapsed and had to be healed and monitored regularly.Only after 5 days did she wake up, welcomed by the face of her old friend, George.“Took you long enough!”He helped her sit up, a shit-eating grin plastered on his beard.George was a burly man with a bushy beard, a pair of gentle eyes, and a pair of thick eyebrows. He was a stalwart man, loyal and highly-respected in the Empire.He was the Knight Commander, in charge of the 1st legion and, to a certain extent, the one in charge of all the Empire’s armies. “Ugh… I still feel sick!”“What did you expect? You used Kethra’s Verses. As the Master of the Soul Magic Pillar, you of all people should know that that artifact affects the user’s soul.”Elena shrugged
It was obvious that the group of people drinking in the tavern were a clique. The moment the housewife at the counter changed her attitude, they got to their feet and looked at the hooded newcomer with visible hostility.“There’s no need to resort to violence. I’m not here to cause trouble.”Hoping to avoid a conflict, Zeke raised his hands and faced the crowd of scary-looking middle-aged men. He wasn’t afraid of getting attacked, but if the situation were to escalate, he would have to retaliate and consequently reveal his identity.He might not be as famous as the Archmagus and wouldn’t be recognized by normal civilians, however, he was more worried about the types of individuals who had eyes and ears everywhere. The people who would catch his scent and labor to make things difficult.“How about Venzo Fekhyr, anyone knows his whereabouts?”The atmosphere got more intense and only an unsettling silence followed Zeke’s question. At last, one of the burly men, dressed in ragged clothe
“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