Solomon opened his eyes to a sprawling canopy of vibrant blue. A gentle breeze rolled across the infinite horizon to rustle the tall grass burying his bruised body. The warm sunlight of late evening washed over the peaceful plains.
He blinked rapidly against the bright glare while pushing himself up from the dirt. He scanned the endless fields of green stretching out in every direction. The violent crashing of marble and holy fire from the cathedral had completely vanished from his senses.
Solomon raised his right arm to inspect the grueso wound Uriel had inflicted just monts ago. Flawless skin and fully attached fingers greeted his absolute confusion. He flexed his wrist and curled his hand into a tight fist without experiencing a single shred of agony.
The splashing of rushing water drifted across the quiet landscape. He dragged himself to his feet and followed the noise through the tall vegetation.
A massive river of crystal clear water cut directly through the grassy fields.
"What exactly is going on here?" Solomon crouched by the riverbank and stared at his reflection in the rippling current. Countless ancient mythologies claid fallen souls always crossed a grand river to reach the afterlife.
His knuckles turned white as he dug his fingers directly into the damp soil. The vivid mories of the angel crushing his ribs flooded right back into his mind. "I absolutely refuse to die like this."
He struck his restored fist against the dirt. He had finally swallowed the divine artifact required to awaken his dormant powers. Getting slaughtered by a winged freak before even discovering his true capabilities forced a scowl onto his face.
"I can’t die when that thing is still alive. I have to kill it!"
A sudden flicker of movent caught his peripheral vision. He snapped his head sideways to find a small silhouette composed entirely of brilliant golden light standing a few feet away.
The entity lacked any distinct facial features or physical shape.
The glowing figure glided across the grass like a drifting current of wind. Solomon stood up and extended his right hand toward the mysterious apparition. His fingertips brushed against the radiant surface of the entity.
A blinding flash imdiately erupted from the point of contact. The golden light swallowed the green plains and the rushing river in an instant. The overwhelming brightness forced Solomon to squeeze his eyelids shut against the burning glare.
The total silence of the grassy plains shattered as the violent reality of the ruined cathedral rushed back into his ears. Solomon snapped his eyes open and found himself lying amidst the shattered marble pillars.
He felt a small object digging sharply into his palm. He uncurled his fingers and found the glowing gemstone from the Crown of Eden resting safely in his grasp.
Solomon stood by the rushing river and stared at the glowing gemstone resting in his palm. He looked up from the water and noticed a barren tree standing alone in the middle of the grassy plains.
The gray trunk lacked a single living leaf or branch. He definitely rembered scanning a completely flat horizon just seconds ago.
’Where did that even co from?’ he wondered, walking through the tall vegetation toward the dead wood.
He approached the massive roots and inspected the dry bark. Deep, crude scratches scarred the surface of the trunk. The rough letters ford two simple words.
’Water it.’
Solomon glanced back at the rushing river flowing just a few steps away. He fully intended to water the tree, but he completely lacked any containers or tools to carry the liquid across the field.
He placed his left hand against the dead bark to inspect the carvings. The gemstone resting in his right palm imdiately flared with a blinding light. The golden crystal vibrated violently against his skin.
He brought the artifact closer to the trunk. The radiant glow intensified until it completely washed out the surrounding shadows. Solomon slamd the gemstone directly into the center of the carved letters.
The dry wood violently absorbed the crystal right out of his fingers. The entire tree shifted and expanded upward as fresh life flooded the roots.
A single branch sprouted directly from the center of the trunk, bursting with vibrant leaves that perfectly matched the radiant golden color of the consud gemstone. Deeply etched letters instantly carved themselves into the new wood, clearly spelling out the words ’Eden Bloodline’.
A chanical chi rang directly inside his skull.
[The Crown of Eden has been devoured and absorbed. Talent: Convergence has been activated.]
Solomon staggered backward as a violent surge of energy flooded his veins. The agonizing exhaustion tearing at his muscles suddenly vanished.
[Eden Bloodline unlocked. Ability: Indefatigable acquired.]
The chanical voice continued to echo through his mind. [All accumulated fatigue will actively convert into physical strength. This passive ability features zero cooldowns and remains perpetually active.]
The newly unlocked ability actively converted any accumulated physical fatigue directly into physical strength. The passive skill functioned without any cooldown restrictions, ensuring it remained continuously active during combat.
However, the conversion process consud a small portion of his overall stamina with every use. The recovery always fell short of a perfect hundred percent. The lost energy would constantly add up over multiple uses, aning his maximum physical output would continuously decrease during prolonged battles until his body finally received proper rest.
’It is a stamina tax,’ Solomon realized.
"Executing the Imperial Sword Arts drains my physical reserves entirely." Solomon rubbed his chin and stared at the glowing golden leaves. "Stacking aura on top of those techniques guarantees my collapse within a few attacks. This specific bloodline ability is an absolute cheat code that solves that exact vulnerability. I can swing that executioner’s sword continuously until the stamina conversion completely burns out my base reserves."
He stepped closer to the towering trunk. He traced the rough bark with his fingertips. "What exactly is Convergence? Does this tree represent my actual soul, or is it rely a visual manifestation of my core?"
A sharp chanical chi rang directly inside his skull. [Devouring additional royal crowns will yield further bloodline abilities. Each consud gemstone will spawn a new branch of power.]
Solomon widened his eyes at the ntal notification. He dropped his hand from the tree and stared at the endless horizon. "So I have to hunt down ruling monarchs and steal their crowns. I either have to target the royal families directly, or I must spend the rest of my life digging through forgotten ruins to scavenge for lost treasures."
"I spent three agonizing years training in the gutters just to trigger this awakening." Solomon kicked a loose clump of dirt into the rushing river. "Now that the talent is finally active, turning into a crown-eating serial killer sounds like a nightmarish never-ending adventure." He massaged his temples and let out a long sigh.
"I have no idea what to make of this. I was thinking I would get so kind of power-up and that’s it. But this requires to keep grinding and keep getting stronger."
The bright blue sky above him suddenly fractured. The vibrant grass and the flowing river lted into absolute blackness. The tranquil illusion shattered completely.
Solomon snapped his eyes open and found his body lying across the broken marble floorboards of the ruined cathedral.
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