Zeke patiently recounted what happened to his mother, who attentively listened with a faint smile on her face. Due to their relatively ambiguous relationship, caused by the tumultuous circumstances of their several meetings, she didn’t forcefully do anything. For instance, albeit sitting right next to him, she didn’t touch his hand or anything, though it was likely due to his reserved and awkward current attitude.She might not know everything about Zeke, but she did learnt quite a bit when she briefly stayed at his apartment years ago.He might not necessarily act like a teenager, but he was still young and clearly needed guidance, especially with everything that has been going on around and to him.When he was finally done speaking, Jennifer nodded her head and said,“All that matters is that you’re okay. To begin with, you shouldn’t have recklessly charged in when they were waiting specifically for you.”“...”Zeke was wont to object to anyone that showed displeasure to his actions
The conversation between Zeke and Jennifer came to an abrupt end as none of them knew what to say. She thoughtfully looked at him as she kept holding his hands, wanting to enjoy this moment of peace and warmth as long as possible. Although she was his mother, she couldn’t dictate what he should or should not do. Forcing him to accompany her to the Witch Association would only worsen their relationship and possibly ruin her chances of actually being a genuine mother to him. “What about you, mother? Will you be returning?” “Miss Kleya will be staying for a bit longer in the Empire. I’m going to stay with her until she returns.” Jennifer was the Army Commander of the Witch Association. Regardless of her personal feelings, she couldn’t abandon her post and be with her son around the clock. Nevertheless, she wasn’t going to remain idle and do nothing either. She was planning to talk to the Witch Queen in hopes of convincing her to finally make a move and put an end to this bloody war
“Welcome back, Elena.”His Majesty, Emperor Ascalon Serey, welcomed the Archmagus with a smile. However, she didn’t look the least bit happy. Although the invasion against the Nezulian Republic had seen some advancement, they suffered a lot of casualties.Most of all, the Knight Commander had died due to the mass-destruction Artifact the Republicans had deployed.Elena Whitefort had escaped through the skin of her teeth and only managed to save a small portion of the entire army.After all gaining ground and closing in on the Capital of the Nezulian Republic, they had been forced to retreat.The real Dead Ends was spreading from the West of the Nezulian Republic to the North, soon about to reach the Whitefrost lands. There was also the artificial, less dangerous but still threatening artificial Dead Ends that the higher-ups of the Republic were using.Put simply, the 1st and 3rd Imperial Legions weren’t enough to completely subdue the Nezulian Republic. The war has been ongoing for a
“You’re here! Good!”Despite her beauty, Elena was quite the fierce and stubborn woman. Her mastery in Magic and many achievements throughout the years were the main focus of her fame. Her attractive appearance wasn’t the main focus, so to speak. Still, there were many foolish people that tried to court her and ended up getting beaten. She was the head of the Whitefront Family, however, the lack of a husband by her side was what made many of her clan members try to wrestle her status away. Unfortunately for them, they were brought under heel by her absolute prowess.Now, such a woman barged into the room and was giving Zeke a rather menacing look.“Is there something you want?” Zeke stood up and faced the Archmagus.He could sense the monstrous quantity of Aether flowing through her body, but he also noticed that her movements were somewhat stiff, probably due to the serious wounds she sustained in Three Finger Mountains.“I’ve heard that the Emperor asked you to join us… but I’m not
“Good… good!”While wiping the blood off her lips, Elena immediately cast another spell which caused the ground to shake and light rays to surge forth. [Block Spell]Much to her confusion, however, the spell was stopped half-way as voltage crackled around Zeke. His silhouette blurred and shot at her, forcing her to retreat to the back while conjuring one shield after the other.The raging blue thunder was attacking indiscriminately, riddling the ground with holes and cracks as well as dancing uncontrollably in the air. Her shining white shields disintegrated upon contact and, within a couple of breaths, the youth was already in front of her.She swiped her staff from the side, attempting to counter-attack, but he deflected with ease and followed up with [Fury of Fists], which was strengthened by [Champion of Strength Mode] and [Sreyzhanian Arts].The ashen-haired Archmage was blown to the back, her body spinning in the air like a ragdoll. She was conscious enough to swiftly cast a sp
Zeke’s right eye was inside of an exquisite box inside of a glass pedestal. The Archmage approached it, used the talisman again to make the glass vanish, and then retrieved it.“Just so you know, we’ve conducted no tests whatsoever. Your eye is in a very good shape.”Zeke didn’t question her statement and merely accepted the box. He didn’t hesitate to open it and peek at the eyeball resting with it. It looked pretty disgusting with coagulated blood around it. The tiny blood vessels were abnormally thick and imbued with an outrageous amount of Aether, surprisingly.Zeke didn’t know how he was going to literally put his eye back into its socket, but he felt relieved that it was finally back to its rightful owner.Just as he was about to touch it, he heard hurried steps coming towards them. Elena furrowed her brow and exited the Vault.“What is the meaning of this?!”One of the elders, a relatively tall one with a dishevelled beard and eyes as small as beans, was angrily shouting with a
“I heard about what happened in the Whitefort household, are you alright?”A couple of hours after the strange occurrence in the Archmage’s home, Zeke returned to the Imperial castle and met with his mother.Since he didn’t have anything important to do, so to speak, he wanted to spend some time with her before she left for the Witch Association.“I’m fine. It was dealt with by the Archmage.”“I see…”Despite his assurance, Jennifer still thoroughly checked his body for any injuries. When she found nothing, she sighed and softly smiled.“It would be for the best if you avoid the politics of the Empire. They are even more messed up than the Nezulian Republic.”“That’s not hard to notice.” Zeke reciprocated with a faint smile.Although he didn’t actively show it, it was very clear that he was in a very good mood. He had cleared up a couple things with his mother and he felt comfortable to be at her side.Each of them had important duties… obligations that bound them to certain places. N
“You are leaving so soon?”Emperor Ascalon, ruler of the Empire, sat on his throne and gazed at the black-haired youth.Zeke Orland came to meet the Emperor for the last time before his departure.Jennifer had departed two days ago and it was also time for him to return to the Nezulian Republic.Sulong was also present, but he behaved awkwardly as he knelt on the ground and kept his head lowered. Despite his earlier claims, he looked quite nervous as soon as he entered the Throne Hall.Archmage Elena Whitefort, who had surprisingly become his bickering partner, was laughing from the side. She was fully enjoying his pitiful sight and sweaty bald head.“Yes, Your Majesty. I have rested for long enough. Thank you for your generous hospitality.”“...”The Emperor frowned and after a momentary silence, he asked,“Have you thought about my proposal? You will be a great boon to the Empire. As the Emperor, I will make sure that you will be given the highest possible status. Those are just the
“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