[Vol. 8] Chapter 329: Ascension
“Uh, I…”
It was clear to the eye, the young man was hesitating.
Under the intense gaze of the black-haired girl, he opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something, but in the end no sound came out. For some people, this question might have an obvious answer. But for others, it was harder than life or death itself.
Rowan Nilin was clearly one of the latter.
Violet didn’t rush him or push for an answer. She simply watched with interest as his expression kept changing, as if everything she had just said was nothing more than a casual, made-up story, with no real meaning hidden behind it.
But for some reason, the young swordsman faintly felt that couldn’t be true.
After thinking for a long time, facing the black-haired girl who was waiting with a half-smile, Rowan could only answer honestly and seriously.
“Um… I still don’t know.”
“Pff~”
Seeing his embarrassed face, the priestess finally couldn’t hold back and laughed.
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Your teacher is usually such a smooth talker, so how come his disciples all turn out so serious and can’t take a joke?”
She waved her hand to show she was done with the topic, then glanced up at the “lively scene” in the sky. When she turned back, her expression had a hint of emotion.
“Actually, no matter which choice you gave, I had already prepared a long counterargument to shoot it down. So this was a question you could never really answer correctly. But I didn’t expect you to dodge it in your own way. Not bad, not bad, interesting…”
Not knowing what to do, while not exactly a clear answer and maybe even a little irresponsible, was in some sense, the answer that pleased the priestess most.
After all, they were only bystanders. Talking big was easy when you weren’t the one suffering. How much of the pain and struggle of the real person could they actually understand?
If you haven’t tasted someone’s pain, how can you lecture them about goodness?
A person’s nature isn’t some fixed background. It changes with time and experience. Until you really face that desperate moment, no one can know what choice they will make.
And Rowan Nilin’s life was probably only just beginning.
With a cheerful smile, Violet patted the young swordsman’s shoulder, then brushed past him. Without turning back, she waved her hand and walked off into the distance.
“I’m leaving. You stay here and keep waiting for Bevis. He should be coming out soon.”
“?”
Rowan froze for a moment, staring at her lonely back as it grew smaller down the street. Then he finally realized what that faint, strange feeling earlier had been. Almost without thinking, he shouted.
“Um… Miss Violet, are you going to do something really important? Do you need our help?”
The girl’s steps paused just slightly. Her voice came back with a smile in it, but she didn’t turn around.
“Of course it’s important. But no need to help. My beloved cat hardly ever sneaks out on its own, and the stray cats and dogs outside are really fierce. If I, the owner, don’t hurry and help, it might hurt the flowers and plants. That would be bad, right~?”
………………………………………
Imperial Capital, Royal Palace, top of the Star-Gazing Tower.
The four items filled with the great power of the Serpent, [Fang], [Scale], [Shed Skin], and [Blood], floated in the air. Together with the specially treated [Heart], they quietly revolved around Leonis’ body, which was wrapped in a mist of colorful light.
Not far away, the dragon girl who had just taken the serpent’s bone essence herself only watched coldly. As always, she silently waited for the ritual to move forward. By this point, the main part of the ritual was nearly finished. The blood-stained paper figure, which had been filtering energy for a long time, was now full of holes. This meant its mission was almost over.
While watching the changes in Leonis’ aura, making sure nothing went wrong with this mortal halfway, the dragon girl also split her focus to guard against a sudden attack from those in the sky. But perhaps her earlier thunderous strike had temporarily scared them into holding back, because neither the Twilight Council nor the dragon-led groups showed any sign of attacking here. That saved her quite a bit of trouble.
The great amount of Origin Power absorbed through the tower kept pouring into Leonis’ body, becoming the best soil for the Serpent’s remains to take root. As time passed, those five items finally began to fuse into Leonis’ body, sinking beneath his skin.
And as the process advanced, the little dragon girl finally raised her eyebrows slightly—she could feel for the first time the existence of the power that White had spoken of.
“Zzz~ Zzz~ Zzz~...”
At last, powerful waves of aura spread out like endless tides. Leonis’ presence surged at an incredible speed, and with it, some force from beyond this world suddenly descended!
“Crack-crack-crack...!”
Countless glowing chains rushed out from the void, wildly wrapping toward the robed man sitting on the platform. These were the embodiment of the world’s rules, a natural counterattack against the forbidden being that was about to appear. Just like how creatures from another world would be suppressed by the rules of this one.
It meant that right now, a being who should have been born as part of the world itself had, in essence, become a complete outsider rejected by the rules of this world!
“BOOM!!!”
Before the chains could reach him, the colorful light around Leonis had already drawn fully into his body. The broken paper figure finally shattered apart completely. Leonis suddenly opened his eyes, and in them shone a godlike brilliance that seemed to hold supreme rules. He raised a hand and grasped at the incoming chains.
“Crack-crack-crack!!!”
Unbelievable, those divine chains representing the world’s power of suppression froze in midair, then split with cracks like fragile glass crushed by an overwhelming force, before exploding apart!
Suppression… failed!
“So this is… the feeling of becoming a god? It seems much more ordinary than I imagined.”
Speaking indifferently, Leonis stood up. His appearance seemed unchanged from before. Even though he had gained power beyond reason and reached a level mortals could never dream of, his expression remained calm, without the slightest ripple. Perhaps it had always been this way, or perhaps the price of becoming such a towering existence was the complete loss of what was called humanity.
In his eyes, which now had vertical serpent-like pupils flowing with mysterious light, he looked down upon the vast Imperial Capital below. Soon, he raised his head to gaze at the high councilors and mythical beings above, his face emotionless.
“Gods… huh. Even so-called gods and higher beings still scramble and fight without limit to seize things from higher levels. If that’s the case, then what difference do they truly have from mortals?”
“Tch, what nonsense are you mumbling about? I already did what I promised. Now it’s your turn, hurry up and go!”