With a flick of the dragon's blazing claws, rainbow light streaked through the air, tiny sparks gently hovering around.
[-10 XP]
The dragon blinked, even though he already knew that the celestial energy and the mysterious XP used by the system were the same.
'My supernova core generates this energy, but its true nature remains elusive,' mused Vesuvius, eyes closed in contemplation. To him, mana was akin to fuel—useful for powering magic circuits, abilities, and even magic devices, but limited in its ability to bend the rules of existence.
In contrast, divine energy acted as an authority, an order capable of warping and changing the fundamental realities within the bounds of one's dominion, as symbolized by their affinities.
'If mana is the fuel and divine energy is the programming language or administrative command, then what is celestial energy?' Pondering this, Vesuvius opened his eyes, squinting against the swirling currents of rainbow energy around him. An idea struck him, unearthing information from his inherited draconic memories.
'Things created from mana and even divine energy were always temporary, not real, only fake. The celestial energy is the hardware upon which everything is built.' The way he understood it was to think of it as the energy of creation.
'The system collects it as XP, using it to craft abilities and strengthen bodies and souls.' As he reflected further, deeper understandings of the system's mechanics crystallized. 'Yet, the system requires divine energy to manipulate rules to create abilities and mana for operational energy.'
'Mana is trivial; it can be provided by the system's users themselves.'
'The god of knowledge once lamented their weakening due to the creation of their various systems. Could it be that they are utilizing their own divine energy to sustain these operations? Indeed, that would be logical.'
Suddenly, the commanding voice of the dragon god resonated in his mind, anchoring him back to reality. "Ignite your mark and ascend. The moment you claimed the authority of time and space, it became known. Your foes are aware of what you have achieved and your location. They will come for you."
The dragon god continued, "The moment you took the authority of time and space, the information about it was spread. Enemies know what you have done, and where you are. They will come, and they will strike you."
Initially, he wanted to collect all the stars before ascending, feeling like every drop of power would be important, but now the situation has changed.
"Ignite." He whispered, and immediately all the mana and divine energy in his body boiled. Then he directed it all to the golden mark, where it erupted with a dazzling golden halo, its luminescence intensifying with every droplet of divine power and mana. All the energy was seemingly vanishing, sucked into it as if it were an endless pit.
Simultaneously, his energy soaked into the darkness of the black hole like water in a sponge.
Ding!
//
You have claimed a new star class: Super-massive black hole
A man dressed in a dashing white suit on a bustling street suddenly paused, his gaze lifting skyward. A brilliant golden flash pierced the afternoon, outshining even the sun's radiance. The light vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving only a lingering trace and a surge of excitement in the man's heart.
"Something bad is going to happen," he whispered to himself, a spark of joy igniting within. "Isn't that great?"
In the next instant, the light flashed again, and the man disappeared, leaving behind only a few drifting feathers that glowed with black and white light.
POV ???:
A small crowd has gathered under the dark moonless sky, looking up at it with their glowing golden eyes. Their black robes covering shiny armor silently rustled in the gentle autumn draft, the only sound in the small, wall-enclosed yard.
As the time ticked, the silence remained, with no one daring to interrupt the feeling of sacredness and holiness the moment brought to them.
Only when the divine aura subsided a little did one of the beings finally open his mouth and say, "This aura, is draconic but even stronger than those of the true dragon council."
Only after a few seconds, another voice spoke, "Could it be the great dragon bloodline ancestor?"
POV Vesuvius:
The dragon opened his golden irises, standing in the vast plain of endless black and white marble tiling, stretching as far as he could. A gentle breeze billowed silently. However, something immediately destroyed the idyllic atmosphere.
Shattered and broken metal suits of armor, empty and void of content, lay everywhere, gleaming under the radiance of an omnipresent light source. Between them were silver ones, almost identical to the one he fought before, and black and golden ones, starkly contrasting with them.
'What happened here—' the dragon couldn't even finish his puzzled thought when he realized something. Curiously, he lifted his front limb, staring at his crystalline, black claw.
'It wasn't only my soul that was brought here, but also my body.'
"Welcome into our ancestral land, our old home." The familiar voice of the dragon god billowed from above, and endless golden luminance spread everywhere and covered everything like a golden blanket.
Then the cold, purplish, mist-like aura of death burst, clashing with the golden radiance in great contrast. Then the second, third, fourth, and fifth equally powerful auras spread out.
Vesuvius immediately recognized four of them as the remaining deities of Genesis, but the last one was new. It made his very soul tremble with pain and pleasure, the conflicting sensations mixing and clashing around him.
'A demon! And a very, very, powerful one.' He thought he felt the peak of demonic powers when meeting with Satanael, but the one before him was even more terrifying.
(AN: Sorry for not posting chapters for almost a month, but I realized I had to finish my bachelor thesis, and because I am dumb, I chose something so dumbly complicated that it expanded to sizes for diploma work... Why can't I ever take the easy route?)