A few monts ago,
"I wonder what kind of trick she’s going to pull this ti... and how far she’ll go?" Aether mused, a smirk playing on his lips as he thought about Thalia, who had been trying—no, desperately attempting—to seduce him. He knew she was up to no good, but that only made it more amusing.
What ridiculous stunt was she planning now?
Just as he was making his way to et Emberlyn to retrieve the cracked Mask,
!~Ding~!
[Notice: The Log has finally accumulated an imnse amount of Affection Points, triggering Skill Upgrade!]
[Warning: Initiating Log-wide recalibration to upgrade the Skills...]
[...]
[...]
Aether’s steps slowed as his gaze sharpened. The Log... was finally responding? Ever since he had ordered it to divert all affection points toward skill upgrades rather than increasing his level, it had gone completely silent.
Not a single notification.
Not even when he was with Dora and Thalia... and he was absolutely certain they had given him Affection Points.
"Well, well... Look who decided to wake up." Aether chuckled, tilting his head as amusent danced in his eyes.
!~Ding~!
[Skill Upgrade Complete!]
[Active Skill Upgraded: Freedom → Absolute Freedom:- The Slave Mark has been permanently removed from the User’s body. The user’s master, Kai Frostblade, can no longer command or force the User under any circumstances unless the User directly attacks or attempts to kill him. However, the User remains bound to the contract with ###### and cannot disobey its terms according to the law and the User remains vulnerable to the Chains of Eternal Slave, a binding force that cannot be removed]
[Active Skill Upgraded: Puppeteer → Master Puppeteer: Strings of Dominion:- The User can control an unlimited number of puppets, provided sufficient Affection Points are used to create them. However, increasing the number of puppets places significant strain on the User’s mind.]
[Active Skill Upgraded: Crimson Veil → Crimson Veil: Wrath of Dominion:- The User can manipulate others indefinitely by consuming the required Affection Points. Additionally, the skill grants the ability to control blood freely.]
[Active Skill Upgraded: Teleportation → Chrono Traverse:- The User can now teleport between Empires seamlessly without consuming Affection Points unless the target area is blocked by external forces. In such cases, the required Affection Points will vary depending on the strength and complexity of the obstruction.]
[Passive Skill Upgraded: Eternal Seal → Seal of Aethernal:- The bond between the User and their Seal bearers has beco an unbreakable connection immune to any interference. Both the User and Seal bearers can feel each other’s emotions tenfold. Furthermore, the Seal bearers are now able to communicate directly with one another—this privilege is granted solely at the User’s discretion]
[Passive Skill Upgraded: Eternis Storage → Umbra Sanctum:- The storage now has infinite capacity and can hold one living being of any size.]
[Passive Skill Upgraded: Phantom Steps → Spectral Phantom:- The User’s movent speed is increased by 50%. The skill can be used without limitations or cooldowns.]
[Passive Skill Upgraded: Poison Resistance → Venom Apex Resilience:- Any poison harmful to the User’s body can now be purified instantly, regardless of its potency.]
[Unique Skill: Clarion Energy:- This skill remains immutable.]
[Unique Skill: Rebirth:- This skill cannot be upgraded.]
[Unique Skill: 3 Seconds:- This skill cannot be upgraded.]
[Unique Skill Progress: Forbidden Language [50% Comprehension] → Forbidden Language: 80% Comprehension.]
!~Ding~!
[Notice: The Log has upgraded the skills in accordance with the current situation, ensuring balance within the laws and contracts and worlds...]
Aether blinked.... Then again.
"What the fuck?" he muttered, rereading the text. "Is that even allowed? Did I just—" He rubbed his temples. "Am I dreaming? What kind of broken bullshit is this? Plot armo—"
Before he could finish,
Drip...
Aether’s entire body tensed as a sudden sensation ran through him. He felt sothing... dripping inside him. A strange warmth spread through his chest, not burning, not searing—just an odd, unnatural calm washing over him, as if a raging fire had been doused in an instant.
"What the hell was tha—"
Drip...
His breath hitched.
Drip...
His fingers twitched.
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
....
...
Thud!
Aether barely registered the mont his body collapsed. His consciousness slipped into darkness, sinking deeper and deeper until—
He was inside the Ethereal-Umbra Domain.
Like before, it stretched endlessly before him—half of it pure, blinding white, the other half a vast abyss of black. And in the very centre of this eerie equilibrium... there it was.
His transparent Arcane card.
One side of it was consud by pitch-black, a darkness so deep it almost swallowed the transparency entirely. It spread diagonally, creeping like ink across the surface. But on the other diagonal...
Drip...
Drip...
Drip...
....
...
Pure white essence, ford glistening droplets, dripping steadily onto the untouched transparent diagonal side... For the longest ti, that side, the Ethereal side, had remained stagnant, unchanging. But now—finally—it was filling.
Aether exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing.
"I see..." He nodded to himself.
Ever since he had saved the Empire—no, Empires—this must have been the result. Without his intervention, countless children, families, and entire bloodlines would have been wiped from existence.
And now, his Ethereal side was finally responding.
"Fuck... Finally." Aether groaned, running a hand through his hair. He had grown sick of watching only one side rise—his Umbra side had nearly reached its peak. If it ever did, he had no idea what would happen to him. But considering the Umbra side was capable of...
Yeah, it wouldn’t be good.
"Anyway..." He glanced around, his expression shifting to a frown. "Why the hell am I here?"
His voice echoed in the vast domain.
"Anybody ho? Hello?"
Silence.
Aether sighed, raking his fingers through his hair as he walked forward, his Arcane card continuing to absorb the white droplets.
Then, a smirk tugged at his lips.
"Alright, ladies... I know you’re here sowhere," he called out, his voice taking on a smooth, teasing edge. "There’s no need to hide from , is there? I an, after everything, don’t you want to at least say hi?"
Nothing.
Aether chuckled under his breath. "Ahh, co on now... you two have been lurking here the whole ti, haven’t you? Watching ? Keeping an eye on ?" His smirk widened.
Still nothing. But he knew better.
They were here. He couldn’t see them. Couldn’t feel them. But they were definitely here.
His eyes glinted with sothing wicked.
Aether’s lips curled into a sly grin, "Co on, ladies..." he teased, his voice smooth and playful. "No need to be shy. I’m not about to bark at you." His eyes sparkled with amusent as he continued, his tone shifting slightly, becoming more serious. "You gave a chance to live. I should be grateful for that, even if, to be honest, my life has been a complete ss. But still, you gave a chance..." His smile widened, a glint of sothing more calculating flickering in his eyes. "And I plan to repay that favour... with interest."
Drip....
The sound echoed endlessly, filling the vast domain. Yet, there was still no response. Nothing but the relentless, rhythmic dripping.
Aether sighed, shrugging as if it didn’t matter, "Whatever... it’s not like you guys are scared of or anything." His lips curled into a faint, knowing smirk.
"But to think... my previous iteration actually managed to influence the Log—the very thing that’s supposed to be yours." He crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "No.27 must’ve been strong enough to pull that off. I wonder... will I ever reach that level? Will I ever be capable of sothing like that?"
Still, silence. As if his words held no weight as if they didn’t care whether he provoked them or not.
Aether clicked his tongue, his fingers twitching slightly. "Hmm..." He humd, his sharp gaze sweeping across the domain before speaking louder,
"I don’t know if I’ve piqued your interest, or if all of this is just so ga to you... and to be honest, I don’t care." His expression turned serious, "I don’t care what you’re trying to accomplish by using , nor do I care about whatever twisted plan you’re weaving behind the scenes. I am nothing but a mortal before the gods. I am just nobody."
His hands clenched into fists,
"But one thing I’ll make crystal fucking clear." His voice sliced through the silence like a blade, cold and absolute.
"I will live. And so will my beloveds. No matter what kind of fate awaits —no matter what kind of destiny you try to throw in my path—this is my road to walk. Not yours to create. Not yours to manipulate." His eyes glead with a fierce,
"I will decide what path is suitable for . That is my right. That is my will. I hope you understand that much." He said as his eyes road around the domain to see any reaction while inwardly, ’Wait? didn’t they already forge my path?’ Aether’s lips twitched inwardly thinking about his missions that co from the Log.
But then Aether shrugged he was just building another path on their path!... It’s not he following his mission mindlessly!!
Nothing sa!!
Anyway
"..."
"..."
Still no response.
Aether exhaled, shaking his head slightly before speaking again. "As long as you don’t harm or my beloveds, I won’t interfere with whatever you’re doing." His tone remained steady, and asured. But then, sothing within him shifted. His sclera turned black, his entire eyes darkening into an abyssal black. "But the mont you cross that line..."
Your next chapter is on .Côm
"You will see sothing worse than No.27." His voice carried a chilling finality.
"No... I will make sure of it. If he could do what he did... then so can I."
A flicker of sothing stirred within him.... And then—his left eye which turned pure pitch black suddenly shifted,
Drip....
Sothing calming his anger as... Pure white spread on his left eye!
His right eye remained pitch black Like he had heterochromia eyes... His voice was barely above a whisper, yet it carried a force far greater than sound.
"Because..." His lips parted ever so slightly, his words laced with sothing almost... primordial.
"We are.... Aether!"
Drip...
The domain trembled violently!
!~Ding~!
[Soul attribute has been renad to Twin Domains due to the sudden changes in the Log!]
[Twin Domains: 946/888↑]
[Tolerance of a 15% difference between the domains is now fully maintained!]
!~Ding~!
[Origin/Desired Weapons have been reactivated, restoring full potential.]
Aether’s body began to fade, dissolving into nothingness as his presence vanished from the domain.
The mont he disappeared—
A massive, sinister black grin appeared on the Ethereal Domain... At the sa ti, an equally enormous, eerie white grin surfaced within the Umbra Domain...
"He threatened us?"
"It appears so."
"For a re being... he has quite the mouth on him, doesn’t he?"
"Indeed. Amusing, isn’t it? To think he dares to believe he could be worse than No.27."
"..."
"Hard to believe No.27 did what he did."
"Yeah. Who would have thought... he’d do that to his own daughter?"
"Should we show it to him? Should we let him see it? It might shift things in a direction we didn’t expect."
"Hmm... That would be...."
"He warned us as if he knew what No.27 did! But the truth is, No.28 doesn’t even know what No.27 is truly capable of... No.28 isn’t even a speck of dust compared to No.27, who destroyed every being, including Arcane and the others."
"Nah, it wouldn’t do any good... The current No.28 is different from the others. He’s the only one capable of activating his bloodline throughout his reset! We cannot afford to lose that! Even with No.27’s greater power, he could never activate his own bloodline. That’s what makes No.28 unique... and far more dangerous than No.27."
"Hmm... Well, You are right, he is the first one even though they were him! Hmm... we’ll see how it plays out. Once everything’s in motion, there’s no turning back."
"Indeed.... Ti is already ticking. The process will eventually reach completion, and everything will return to its most basic form."
"Until... he needs to survive."
"I hope he does. I hope he survives without the need for a complete reset... I find myself liking him more than the others."
"...."
"Tsk, I’m just kidding!"
"..."
"Co on now... I’m just playing with you."
"...."
"..."
"Sigh... Whatever!"
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