Chapter 1159 First Step Towards True Will Of Self

Chapter 1159 First Step Towards True Will Of Self

[Fate Flipper?] Xi beat him to it.

"Cough..." Jake, taken aback, choked as if he'd just swallowed a mosquitoe, gagging on his own saliva.

Far from tiring of their little game, the teasing voice of his favorite Oracle AI seriously continued with,

[Then... Fate Screwer?]

"..."

It pained him to admit it, but it didn't sound half bad.

"I was thinking something like Fate Slayer, but I guess it's pretty much the same thing." Jake gave in with a defeated sigh.

Seeing that he was no longer reacting to her teasing, Xi sighed even more dramatically, then said,

[While I was joking just now, my words weren't entirely without basis. Though the name of this First Form won't impact your psyche as immediately and profoundly as a Soul Class, the intention behind the name can lead to very different Aura manifestations.]

"You mean..."

[That's right. If the First Form names mentioned in jest were Soul Classes, their influence on you, while similar on the surface, would affect you and result in slightly different abilities. When it comes to Soul Classes related to Fate as you understand it, in terms of changing what is supposed to be determined, inevitable, or irreversible, there are a few that come to mind.

[Some may sound like bad jokes, like the two I threw out to tease you, but others can be invoked like Fate Ditcher, which conveys the idea of literally getting rid of an unwanted destiny, or Fate Twister, which aims more at manipulating it. Fate Cheater is another well-known Soul Class for its ability to dodge certain deterministic rules under specific conditions. You devoured an Aurae Stele, so you should be able to feel it easily.] Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com

Jake had to admit there was truth in that statement. After devouring the Aurae Stele at the end of his Fourth Ordeal, Jake was in theory able to summon via Phantasm Artifact another Stele, or to become one himself through Artifact Incarnation.

"Sounds pretty good..." Jake nodded passively once more. "Should I infer that having a bloodline allowing one to affect their destiny or that of others is the royal road to the top?"

It bugged him a bit. His jack-of-all-trades bloodline was indeed overpowered, but to his great regret, a concept as abstract as Destiny wasn't part of it. His only entry point into this domain was his immense luck taken from Beskyrian genes.

[That's not too bad. All roads lead to Rome.] Xi reassured him, before awkwardly correcting, [At least, when it still existed, but you get the idea... If an Evolver survives long enough to become all-powerful, what seemed impossible and distant before will become as simple as snapping your fingers. Bloodlines, Soul Classes, Cultivation Techniques, Artifacts, Authority... they are just more or less convoluted paths leading to the same finish line. Some of these paths may be considered shortcuts, while others may seem strewn with obstacles and handicaps or even lead in the wrong direction, but if you persevere and survive to the end, you will eventually reach your destination.]

Jake didn't rush to contradict her, but inwardly he was far from convinced. If he hadn't obtained his Myrtharian Bloodline and chosen to stay human, he would never have performed as well during his subsequent Ordeals. Most likely, he'd be a cold corpse by now.

Likewise for his Soul Class. Refusing to choose one would have deprived him of a significant and free power-up.

Therefore, contrary to Xi's idealism, his common sense whispered to him a much more down-to-earth and disappointing reality: Clinging to his humanity and principles didn't pay off.

To become stronger, Jake intended to continue seizing every opportunity presented to him, even if they involved distancing him further from his humanity or admitting that he hadn't made it on his own.

Nonetheless, when he had the opportunity to make his own decisions for once, he certainly shouldn't deprive himself. The choice of this First Form was fully up to him, because the Intent chosen definitely came from him and not from the obscure database of any Stele.

"Then Fate Slayer it is." Jake reconfirmed out loud. "Whether a Soul Class of the same name exists or not is irrelevant. What matters is that this Intent exists within me and reflects my will to destroy anything that stands in the way of my freedom, my ambition, and my happiness. I differentiate it from mere Killing Intent in that it only manifests when I feel my life and my ideal future threatened. It's actually an amalgamation of different True Wills, including True Will of Killing, which will be mobilized together when this condition is met."

[A Killing Aura for your first form wouldn't have been more practical?] Xi questioned, though she understood him better than anyone.

"A tangible Killing Aura that I can manifest at any moment is obviously more practical." Jake acknowledged right away. "But, I don't need a bazooka to kill ants. Conversely, the day an invincible enemy stands before me, I want to be able to put a nuclear warhead in their face, even if it kills me. That's what this Fate Slayer Aura will allow me to do by enabling me to mobilize a large amount of Soul Power against an enemy far surpassing me."

[I see where you're going with this. It's an excellent compromise." His Oracle AI finally approved. "Such an Intent indeed doesn't need to dabble into fate, karma, or divination to exist. It's just an amplified Killing Intent with a reduced scope of action. At least for now.]

Now it was time to get to work.