Chapter 395: "Nice."

Chapter 395: "Nice."

Rakna sighed as he came out of the shower, Eion veins glowing under his skin as his body steamed away the water dripping from him. "I needed that," he uttered whilst stretching his neck. "I've just been fighting recently... and losing on top of that, now that I think about it."

"{Haha, indeed. You've lost three fights in a row at this point,}" Fray commented.

"Zasha, Roias, and the old man, huh?" The therian hummed and clenched his hand. It's not like he was ashamed or upset about his losses. In the end, only one fact remained; he had already become markedly stronger than when he fought Zasha, Roias, or even Arimane just a few hours ago.

"Well, I still have some way to go," he muttered to himself and put on Allegro, which he changed into a light set of clothing similar to a pajama. When he stepped out of the bathroom, however, he sighed again and gazed at his bed where Flavia and Higure were playing a card game in nightwear.

"So? Why are you here?" He deadpanned.

"Well, we girls wanted to have a pajama party together, you know?" The lioness smiled. "But then we realized; 'damn, we need someone to warm up Rakna's bed'."

"No, you don't. Why are you trying to make that sound logical?"

Higure ignored the therian's retort and continued, "So then, we had a grand and noble battle royale of rock-paper-scissors. The final was me and the young lady. But we tied five times in a row, so we took it as fate and came here together."

"..."

"Kaelith and Nyx were not allowed to participate, so expect them to be a bit mad tomorrow," she added and Rakna facepalmed. "Oh, and Kara was quite sad to end up third. She almost won against me. She pouted and said you'd have to brush her tails to make up for it."

"Make up for what? It's not my fault..." The therian mumbled.

"Apparently, you didn't reward her enough for all the work she did for you," Flavia complemented with a small smile. "You should thank her, at least."

"I guess I can't deny that..." Rakna scratched his head tiredly and ultimately joined the girls, letting them lie down on each side.

"Ooh, I like this," Higure purred as she rubbed her cheek against him. "I should do this more often from now on," she said while Flavia quietly blushed, a bit less bold than the lioness.

Rakna snorted in amusement. "Cats sure love to cuddle," he joked. "But before you start violating my innocence, I have a few things to check," he said and opened several System windows.

"What a mean way to put it," the lioness scoffed. "I'm not violating anything. I'm just going to jump you until I'm satisfied," she declared proudly.

Flavia and Rakna gave her equally blank looks.

"What? I didn't say anything wrong."

"Of course, you didn't..." The therian snickered and with a flick of his finger, the System prompts were made visible. "Here. You can go through it with me if you're bored," he said, skipping the notifications of his skills and proficiencies leveling up; except one.

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The Harvester's Soul has leveled up!

The Harvester's Soul has leveled up!

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Your Divinity and Infernity have started to flourish into a Domain!

It is yet immature and formless.

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'Now, that's an interesting message,' he thought. 'I'm curious to see what would happen if I used the Awakening of Divinity. Would the Obsidian Star override it? Can my Domain be awakened normally in the first place? With both Divinity and Infernity being just a component of the Stone...'

The idea was interesting but for now, he pushed it to the back burner. He already had a hunch on what his Domain would be, after all. That aside, he proceeded by opening a certain title.

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Imperial Crown of The Harvester

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Previously known as 'True Imperial Designation', this title is the highest form of nobility that can be granted to a 'Leader Type' Host or Local by the System. It is molded by the user's power and is unique to them.

This title grants the beasts summoned by the holder the ability to stay manifested forever and gather mana on their own. The summoner can nonetheless still provide it themselves if necessary. Furthermore, the intelligence of the summons will reach a new level and they will be capable of following complex instructions depending on how high level they are.

Finally, the Crown of the Harvester allows Rakna Xiorra Blade to absorb summoned beasts to not only increase attributes for a short amount of time but also temporarily acquire their physical traits.

The duration depends on the quantity and quality of summons assimilated at once. The boost in attributes will no longer scale by level, but directly with the attribute values of the summoned creatures. The stacking limit remains limited by the user's capability to handle the strain.

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Additional Rewards: 25 Volatile Attribute Points.

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"Wow, every trait?" Higure exclaimed. "And you can summon all kinds of beasts, right? What if you absorbed a dragon and gained its defenses, natural magic conductivity, and breath?"

"Yeah..." Rakna mused. "I felt the effects firsthand when I used it on the Soul Remnants. I recall the sensation of having all kinds of new feedback. My vision and my hearing especially. But I also had some that gave me more control over my bones and muscles."

"At some point, it felt like the number of joints in my skeleton had at least tripled. Not to mention my regeneration was boosted by a lot... if I'm not wrong, among them was a jellyfish. So, I gained the ability to literally rejuvenate my cells," he chuckled.

"I'm jealous," Flavia pouted. "I wish I could rejuvenate too."

"Hah, you're a witch and a sorceress of immense talent," Higure smiled. "With the right spell, you could probably keep your youth for all eternity."

Rakna chuckled. "Well, youth is a bygone concept for me at this point," he jested and opened a new window, one that displayed the direct benefits of the Imperial Crown. "There it is. When I sucked in the traits of my Soul Remnants, Fen and Rex were amongst them," he explained. "Thanks to both of them, I managed to use their abilities better. Especially..."

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True Royal Luquila's Wings

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You have awakened and learned to use the true powers of a Royal Luquila. Flight speed is no longer calculated with unit measures, but is proportionally scaled to the Speed Attribute instead.

Mana flight no longer has a limit but the cost increases exponentially and most forms of spatial and temporal interference can easily be broken through.

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Techniques Learned: Time Leap, Space Leap, Quantic Plumes.

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"That's what you used to teleport and travel in time..." Flavia said, fascinated. "I wonder if I could do the same with my magic."

"Most likely," Rakna said. "You already can use Space Magic to some extent, right?"

"Yes, but Time Magic is much harder to handle," she admitted. "How to say it... it's like I'm trying to fight the World every time I want to use it. It's rejecting my use of it."

"Well, time is closer to an omnipresent entity than anything else," Higure mused. "You should focus on trying to 'bend' it rather than trying to control it. Or perhaps dissociate yourself from it instead of forcing it to listen to you. In other words, treat the River of Time as a giant. You can't fight it, but you can try to circumvent it."

"I see... thank you for the advice," Flavia smiled.

"Haha, you're welcome. Us 'sisters' naturally need to get along," the lioness smiled.

"I don't even want to know what you mean by 'sisters' here..." Rakna muttered and she laughed in a joyful manner that managed to soothe even him. He held back a fond smile and opened the most important notifications of the day.

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Heart of Lv.??? Eternal Dragon of Evil absorbed.

Absorption Factor = ???%.

Ascent Correction: ???

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+111 STR

+124 END

+98 SPD

+86 DEX

+165 INT

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Note: These numbers do not take into account the corrections for future Ascents.

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---

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Philosopher's Ardent Soul is reacting strongly!

The Harvester's Soul is reacting strongly!

The Kind Demon's Kin is reacting strongly!

Chalice of Wishes is reacting strongly!

A great amount of demonic energy is being combusted at very high rates!

The Obsidian Star's Divinity and Infernity are starting to harmonize!

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Warning! Internal Force Surcharge! The Scavenger has entered an Overloaded State!

The Harvester's Soul is being overwhelmed!

The Host's Soul Power is rapidly expanding!

The Sub-Path, Nephilim, is reacting strongly!

Your Path, Nine-Tailed Werewolf, is reacting strongly!

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---

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Your level has increased!

Your level has increased!

...

Your level has increased!

+ 22.4 STR, SPD, INT!

+1 Skill Point!

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You have reached Level 250! Your Sub-Path has been unsealed!

Your soul is stabilizing! The anomalous force is being absorbed!

Your Sub-Path has mutated into Ten-Tailed Nephilim!

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Your Ultimate Exceled Skills of Sin are being consumed!

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Absolution of Belphegor has been taken out of your status!

Ego of Lucifer has been taken out of your status!

Caress of Asmodeus has been taken out of your status!

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Cost: None.

Duration: Variable.

Cooldown: Variable.

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Authority of The Law-Breaker

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Nephilim are known as the rebellious children of Existence and disregard all rules. They cannot be sealed or restrained. Their mind is impregnable and fate is theirs to command, whether it be theirs or the one of others.

Additionally, the Original World Laws are significantly weakened when applied to the holder of this skill, and more generally, if they are within an environment defined by rules or under the influence of a restriction, the user is capable of rendering them null depending on how strict and powerful they are.

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If a spell is undefendable, you can block it.

If an object is indestructible, you can break it.

If something is impossible, then you can do it anyway.

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That is what an Authority confers.

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"..."

"..."

Flavia and Higure were speechless.

"...nice," Rakna uttered again and they both flicked his head as if reprimanding him. "Ow..." He let out a completely deadpan voice and they sighed.

"What the heck even is this, honestly?" The lioness huffed. "'The World Is My Cradle'? Is that a new roundabout way to say Mary Sue?"

"I'm surprised you even know what that is..."

"The Tenth Tail thing is broken too," she continued. "And the last one is so imprecise and implicit that it's scary."

"I agree," Flavia added. "On top of that, this must be a limited version, if the System handled it like it usually does. Nyx already told us that our growth is being carefully systematized, after all."

"Well... to me, only three things stand out to me," Rakna said nonchalantly. "The 'fate will favor me instead of another', the 'ability to read souls and thoughts', and 'to nullify rules'. I agree that things such as gaining a level every five days or learning something by just seeing it are impressive, but it's nothing to me."

"First, gaining a level every five days is only useful long term and I have no intention of extending my stay in the System for so long. And what's the point of learning stuff if what I have is already much better?"

Higure snickered. "Self-awareness; you gotta love it."

"On the other hand, those three lines I mentioned are on a completely different level. Especially the second and third ones. To 'read' souls is probably similar to what Hans does, and I probably can see more than just their thoughts as well. And to nullify all rules can be taken very far."

"How so?" Flavia asked.

"Don't look too far," he snorted and pointed at the System window. "The answer is right there."

"Oh," Higure blinked in realization and the Chaos Witch was right after. "That's true... the System imposes rules on its Hosts. If you can break those, you can become a living virus. Probably nothing could stop you."

"You got it," Rakna nodded and replaced the prompts with the first section of his status. "The only problem is that I don't know how to do it. I'll have to test that 'Tenth Tail' too. Though... I can't say the extra Luck point is unwelcome," he chuckled.

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Name: Rakna Xiorra Blade

Age: 18 | Level: 274

Race: Alkahestic ???-Tailed Werewolf

Path: ???-Tailed Werewolf (*)

Sub-Path: Ten-Tailed Nephilim

Affiliation: Throne of Glory (Member), Obsidian Throne (Leader)

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Titles: Legendary Slayer – Legendary Wolf Emperor – Divinity Slayer – Treasure Hunter – Nemesis of the Abyss – Dungeon Bane – Calamity Hunter – Dimension Breaker – The Kind Demon's Kin – Chalice of Wishes – Limitless Traveler – Sovereign Monarch of Firmament – Emperor of a Solitary Land – Anti-Divinity – Elysian Pariah – Femme Fatale – Martial Grandmaster – Legendary Beast Emperor – Immortality Breaker – Imperial Crown of The Harvester

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Potential: S+ | Host Rank: X | Ascent: I

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Attributes:

STR: 200* + 85.8 | END: 200* + 75.4

SPD: 187.5* [+12.5] + 79.3 | DEX: 200* + 18.4

INT: 200* + 195.4 | LCK: 10

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Available Volatile Points: 25 (Ascent Correction: 12.5)

Available Attribute Points: 229.6 (Ascent Correction: 114.8)

Available Skill Points: 4

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"A round number after it was stuck at 9 for so long," Rakna smiled happily. "I like it."

"A word of advice, devourer of mine, you should be careful with your words when you reveal this to Kaelith," Higure advised him.

The therian snorted. "I'll be sure to do so."

"Why do you have interrogation marks in your Path and Race?" Flavia inquired.

"Well, probably because it clashes with the Sub-Path," Rakna replied. "My full potential involves a tenth tail now, so it essentially means I'm not just a nine-tailed werewolf anymore," he mused and noticed the small mark next to his Path name. "Oh yeah, my Path Quest is back. The previous one ended in the middle of something... maybe I will resume from there..."

"Hm... okay! Enough reading!" Higure groused and leaned over Rakna whilst waving her hands in the air until the System window went away. She placed her hands on his torso to straighten herself and grinned at him. "Now, it's fun time."

"...chances of you accepting a refusal?"

"None."

"That's what I thought..." He sighed in defeat.

"Don't worry, I already erected runes to stop noises from escaping the room."

"When did you even do that?"

Higure's tail waved back and forth as she looked at Flavia. "Ready, girl?" She asked mischievously and much to Rakna's misery, the kindest woman he knew responded with a shiver-inducing smile that made him fear for his safety.

"It's only fair for me to be the devourer at least once, no?" Higure quipped and licked her lips, her eyes glowing menacingly. "I heard you have some interesting spells... bring it on."

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* * *

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Meanwhile, inside Kaelith's room, the girls were quietly playing a game of cards.

"Your turn, Marie," Evelyn said and the lamia quietly hummed as she drew a card.

"They should have started by now, huh?" Kara said to herself as she inspected her hand; they were playing a game that mixed the rules of the 'old maid' and poker.

"Started what?" Lanata asked innocently, her sword pressing on her shoulder.

The older vixen smiled. "Adult things, dear."

"Coitus," Ceresta casually said and they looked at her incredulously. "Am I wrong?"

"Well, not really..." Nyx mumbled.

Kaelith harrumphed. "Really, how debauched. Is he going to take all of us in pairs?"

"Well, who expected those two to tie five times in a row... what are even the chances of that?"

"No higher than 0.0017%," Ceresta answered as if it was an afterthought.

"Yeah... they must have conspired somehow," Kaelith narrowed her eyes.

"Doesn't Flavia know divining?" Marie mentioned. "She may have used that."

"Uh? Wait, then why would she make them tie over and over again?"

"Oh my," Kara seemed to realize. "Maybe it was her plan to have them both win."

"Why though...?" Kaelith couldn't understand.

"Well, think about it, Kae. Who among us is likely to be the most enthusiastic in bed?"

"...you?" The younger vixen instantly accused her own mother.

Kara blinked. "My, thank you for the praise," she smiled widely. "But no. It's most definitely Higure who would be the most fervent. Can you imagine? Seeing Rara flustered under her? I'm sure Flavia was dying to see it," she giggled.

"Wow," Kaelith pursed her lips. "That girl really has a hidden side. But, Mom, that probably won't last long for wolfy," she added with a smirk.

"Oh?"

The younger vixen chuckled and Nyx blushed faintly. "He's the kind to be dominant when you push his buttons too much."

"Oh, oh," Kara cupped her cheek. "Now that's an information I need to remember. Don't you think so too, little phantom?" She said to Evelyn who was a flushed mess.

"Hey, harem infatuation time is over, time to reveal the cards," Marie sighed at them and everyone showed their hand.

"Hehe, I won again," Lanata said cheerily.

"How the hell do you keep winning?" Kaelith groaned.

"Even though I sneaked a card in my sleeve..." Kara whispered with a pout.

"We can hear you!"

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* * *

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At the same time, in the living room, Allan stared at the TV screen with blank eyes. He mashed the buttons of his controller but there was no trace of victory in sight. Tyran, Pronos, and Natsu were also there, silently watching it all.

"...hey," the blond squinted at Hans sitting next to him. "Don't tell me... you still haven't erased the skill you 'rewrote' to beat Higure?"

"I am sorry to tell you that excuses have no place here," the azure-haired boy calmly replied. "You still have much to learn before you can triumph over me."

"...did you just rephrase 'skill issue' to me?"

"There are no rules in war."

"You're so much more petty than you let on, aren't you?"

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I mean... this isn’t the first time I disappear for a month, as shameful as it is. I don’t particularly have a reason for this one. I guess you can consider it an impromptu break.

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It’s terrifying how fast time passes. Sometimes, I wonder how you guys tolerate me.

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Kinda forgot this was the chapter I had stopped at too. This one has it all. Bit of fluff, bit of lewd, number-gasms, some slice of life, and a pinch of comedy.

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Anyway, I’ll post more later, hopefully.

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PS: OH MY GOD, Inkstone has Italic and Bold now?! No way! I feel like I just fell into an alternative universe!

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Well, it's still shit cuz it doesn't carry over from Word, but progress! Now all we need is the goddamn text alignement!

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And on you guys' side (on the website at least), maybe one day they'll finally add a modifier for the width of the reading interface.

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