Chapter 1013 Yes, I did
"I thought for sure you were going to die. Hahaha. That's not a bad thing to say, right?" Braxten said with a huge grin on his face. His colorful attire painted his surroundings in a goofy light, hiding the true nature of the status of Opungale at the moment, if only faintly.
"No. If you guys didn't hold off that hag for so long, things wouldn't have ended so well in the Territory," Skullius said with his hands slotted in the darkness of his robes. He and Braxten Shannazah were walking down a grassy patch littered with the summoned seahorse-like creatures stitched to the world.
Of course, they weren't alone.
"I don't buy it," Agnees Kudobtu said with a stoic expression. "The fact that you were somehow able to use your abilities in a Territory and even break it, tells me that you must have had some kind of back-up plan. Hell, even after that giant, golden thing of yours was destroyed, you still had options."
Skullius chuckled. "Maybe."
As he said that, both Shannazah and Kudobtu looked up.
The ginormous frame of the PHANTASMIC RETAINER, the Spirit of Drowning, was still floating above, a portion of it buried in the clouds. It remained as imposing and domineering as before, and the shadow it cast kept to its fierce depth as it followed along with Skullius' movement.
No one had deigned to ask about this and what it actually was. Even the two from the Six Houses of Pelian were afraid they might not comprehend the explanation. "So, your mission is over, right? I bet your contributions definitely qualify as 'acting as allies for Opungale', don't they? Will the King give you a reward?" Skullius asked the two.
Braxten coughed awkwardly.
"Oh, I wish Royan was that much of a benevolent man. For the past centuries, the Capital Service and the Families have been responsible for every single duty that the Royal Family is supposed to oversee. It was honestly surprising to me when I heard Royan took it upon himself to have diplomatic talks with Opungale. Or maybe it didn't, now that I think about it. That idiot has always been all about saving his own skin. I sometimes doubt that he is related to a legendary figure like a Philemen Royan," he said.
Skullius chortled faintly.
Right.
Philemen Royan.
The man who built Pelian and allowed humans to do what the beasts could naturally; to form a Territory.
Philemen was a man from Emeradis who united hundreds of thousands of people to occupy a piece of land both Maqi and Emeradis had warred over for a long time. And to ensure that he reserved it without trouble, Philemen had wagered with Maqi and Emeradis that he could produce 100 Incandescent Stager in a decade, and that these Incandescent Stagers could beat 100 of the same Stage from both Maqi and Emeradis.
"Indeed. I have reached the Incandescent Stage. It seemed so impossible in a short amount of time, but here I am..." Skullius replied to the inquiry with a grin.
Indeed, the Hybrid Luman had skipped the Master Stage entirely and reached the Incandescent Stage right after completing his Second Trial; to forge one PHATASMIC RETAINER!
This was made possible by the fact that his soul had been enriched by Sila's, which was at the Incandescent Stage, and by the fact that Skullius' body was not of this world. His body came with the Null Life complementary skill, [Flesh It Like You Mean It].
His name was chosen by the guidance field.
His Tasks and Trials were revealed to have been given by Fulgardt himself, however the Immoral had managed to achieve that.
Thus, since Skullius' soul had already transcended, his body, after being given a chance, also transcended to close the gap.
There was nothing the Rules of Aigas, which were never meant for him in the first place could do about it.
Kudobtu and Shannazah didn't even know how to react to this information. How would you even ask how that was possible to someone like Skullius? Technically, there were more questions to ask before even arriving at that point!
While the two were debating and digesting what they had just heard, the figures of Vali and Maxim approached.
Skullius didn't sense them immediately, as he became absorbed in future prospects. He hadn't begun to think about what his rise in Stages would mean until Shannazah brought it up.
Now, he could help but wonder how he should craft his Majestic Territory.
It wouldn't be easy or instant, but he already knew the steps.
He wasn't going to make a run-of-the-mill Territory. He wanted to forge something that would be a nightmare for any opponent he would have to face on Aigas or outside it.
Especially... that damned fake.
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[Author's Note]
There will be a 15 chapter mass release this week. I'll probably make it a surprise...