R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 64 (Patreon)

R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter 64

(This chapter, which will kick off the finale of Volume 4, was very difficult to write!)

Micheal took a deep breath as he exited the First Gate.

Before taking in his surroundings, before waving hello to Serena who was sitting just a few meters away in front of the Gate, before doing anything else…

The first thing Micheal did after he left the First Gate was simple.

He immediately began to form a Mana Circle:

His 2nd Mana Circle.

‘7 long years.’

Micheal’s gaze remained calm and steady as he closed his eyes, focusing on the intricacies of his Soul.

For 7 long years, Micheal spent his time alone, practicing inside the First Gate.

It was a great amount of time, and at the same time, a small amount of time.

7 years and 3 days, exactly.

2,551 days spent in solitude.

It was difficult to grasp all the changes that could occur to a person over such a long period of time.

Even a single year was enough to bring enormous changes in one’s personality, let alone 7 of them spent in isolation.

‘Feel the Mana.’ Micheal’s breathing resonated with the air around him, drawing the latent Mana in the air towards his Soul.

‘Finally… the 2nd Circle.’

Inside the First Gate, increasing one’s Ki or Mana was a far more difficult challenge than in normal reality.

Fundamentally, due to the way the time-accelerated First Gate functioned, it was almost impossible to draw on the latent energy in the air. Instead, one was reliant on the function of the Gate to restore one’s body and energy over time.

Micheal was able to circumvent this limitation, somewhat, due to his Sky Tier Ki.

However…

Mana and Ki were energies that were ill-suited for each other. Micheal could draw upon his Sky Tier Ki and transmute some of it into Mana, but there was a huge drop-off in terms of quality and quantity.

For 7 long years, Micheal had been stuck at the 1st Circle, unable to condense enough Mana to form his 2nd Circle.

No more.

Micheal’s eyes glowed blue as he felt a cool energy condensing in his Soul. Symbols fluttered into existence before his eyes, the glowing glyphs of the Language of Magic shuddering into existence.

In a second that seemed to stretch for hours, all 412 lines of the Echoes of the Eternal Magic Imprint ran through his mind. Each sentence of Magic caused his Soul to shake, imprinting itself onto the still-forming 2nd Circle.

Several moments slipped by as energy gathered around Micheal, setting the air to trembling inside the Soul King’s Inheritance.

“Micheal?” Serena’s voice was muted as she got to her feet, staring at Micheal in wonder.

In the keen eyes of the Farian Disciple Apparent, an enormous concentration of energy was gathering on Micheal, sucking all the latent energy from the surroundings in a giant, distorted whirlpool.

‘Got it.’

A smile appeared on Micheal’s faces as he felt everything fall into line smoothly. Mana rushed into his Soul without any issues, the years of effort he put into practice showing their results.

‘It’s a success.’

Just like that, with barely any fanfare, Micheal formed his 2nd Mana Circle.

“Micheal!” Serena rushed forward and greeted Micheal with a hug. The Farian was careful to only move after it was clear Micheal had finished whatever he was doing, not wanting to disturb him.

“Disciple Apparent.” Micheal bowed his head slightly.

“What? Hey, call me Serena!” She pushed him lightly,

“Right, sorry. Serena.” Micheal returned with a smile.

“It’s been a while.”

Serena’s eyes widened as she looked back at Micheal, curious.

“Just how long were you in there?!”

As Micheal began to trade stories about the First Gate with Serena, he finished mentally adjusting back to his surroundings, shrugging off the dregs of emotion that came with extended time in solitude.

Before he left the First Gate, Micheal had prepared himself to adjust back to entering a normal timestream. He even went so far as to practice talking out loud again, to avoid any issues integrating back with his allies.

“7 years?! That’s insane!” Serena’s eyes bugged out as she stared at Micheal,

“I almost feel bad…”

“What?” Micheal paused before patting Serena on the shoulder.

“You managed to make it to 1 and a half years, that’s already an incredible achievement!”

After talking with Serena, Micheal quickly found out that Serena had remained inside the First Gate for 1 year and 146 days.

It was far less than Shin and Sophia’s record of 3 plus years, but there was a good reason for that.

Serena was the Disciple Apparent of the Farian’s Wise Lady. She had undergone rigorous training and education from a very young age, gaining mastery over her Bloodline early. The Kowalsi Tribe were the most warlike of the Farians and before Serena left them, she had been raised by them.

The amount of benefits Serena could gain from the First Gate was limited.

‘She already has knowledge and skill… what Serena most needs is self-confidence and practical experience.’

“Hey, I didn’t waste my time! Look at my Phoenix Fire!” Serena protested as she held out her right hand.

A large globe of brilliant red fire spawned into existence as Serena drew upon her Red Phoenix Bloodline. The pulsating flames glowed brightly in the air, giving off an oppressive wave of heat.

“Pure Phoenix Fire.” Micheal muttered, his eyes lighting up.

A smattering of applause broke out from the Farian guards lurking in the background. Micheal joined them as he laughed out loud.

“I’m officially impressed.”

Serena grinned at Micheal’s reply, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. She straightened her posture, standing tall and practically teeming with pride.

‘It hasn’t even been that long since she was struggling to purify her flames.’ Micheal thought, remembering when he gave her advice just a few nights ago.

Serena spent more than a year practicing in the First Gate, but to purify her Phoenix Flames to this degree wasn’t something that could be explained with pure effort.

‘You’d have to be at least a Master to cast off her Phoenix Fire now.’ It was a staggering amount of growth.

‘What a talent.’

“Have you entered the Gate of Healing?” Micheal motioned towards the Second Gate.

“Yeah! It’s so good to talk to you again!” Serena nodded excitedly, glossing over her time in the Second Gate.

Micheal smiled at her excitement.

‘The First Gate must’ve been hard on her.’ It had been hard on all of them, whether it was Micheal and Shin, or Sophia and Serena. Spending that much time in isolation was never an easy task.

“Do you want to go in now?” Serena nodded towards the Second Gate.

“No, there’s something else first.” Micheal shook his head.

Micheal’s mind was clear and his body was in perfect shape. He had shaken off most of the downsides that came with spending time in the First Gate, leaving him in tip-top condition.

“There’s something I need to get out of the way now.” Micheal muttered as he walked down from the First Gate’s dais and turned his attention to the other side of the Inheritance…

To the Fifth Gate.

“I’m going to make a quick trip.” Micheal remarked.

“A trip?” Serena asked, following him like a lost puppy as he walked up to the Fifth Gate.

“Yeah, to a place called the Sanctum.” Micheal rested his right hand on the giant doorway that constituted the Fifth Gate.

Ever since he met with Tallanoran and gained increased access to the Soul King’s Inheritance, Micheal had gained something of an innate understanding of Tallanoran’s Inheritance. That included how to operate the Third Gate and access Kyrui’s Inheritance.

It also included how to operate the Fifth Gate, the Gate that was known as the Gate of Death in the first timeline.

“Wait, are we going now?! Shouldn’t we wait for your friends?” Serena queried.

Micheal shook his head.

“They should be out of the Third Gate soon, but there’s no need for us to waste any time waiting.”

Micheal’s supernatural intuition had told him needed to move fast. It didn’t tell him why, or how, or anything else, but just the supernatural feeling that he needed to move quickly had urged him into action.

‘I can’t afford to lose this opportunity.’

He had obtained most of the benefits that he could out of Tallanoran’s Inheritance, but there was still one last thing he needed to get.

‘The Titles System.’

As Micheal rested his hand on the Fifth Gate, he felt a strange, sickening energy flow inside of it. Micheal’s eyes widened as he recognized this flow of energy, a familiar sensation resonating within him.

‘The Power of Space.’ The same type of power Kyrui used to great effect was concentrated inside the Fifth Gate.

“This is a portal that connects Tallanoran’s Inheritance to the Sanctum. As long as I can open it up, I can make a trip there and back.” Micheal explained to Serena.

Why did the Soul King’s Inheritance connect to the Sanctum?

Tallanoran hadn’t told him why, but Micheal had managed to surmise the logic behind it while he was training inside the First Gate.

‘It was probably a means of infiltration, built for some sort of future counter-attack that never panned out.’

He couldn’t be sure about his guess, but felt that it was probably correct. Tallanoran’s remnant soul had dissipated, so there was no way for him to confirm his theory.

‘Regardless. All that matters is it works.’

Micheal closed his eyes as he sent his Ki into the Fifth Gate. His mind focused on the innate knowledge he’d obtained about controlling the Inheritance, grasping ahold of the energy inside the Fifth Gate and ‘activating’ it.

“Woah.” Serena stumbled backwards as a bright flash of light shot out from the Fifth Gate.

“Careful.” Micheal’s free hand grabbed hold of Serena, preventing her from falling. In the same moment, his eyes glowed white as a huge torrent of energy flowed through him and the Fifth Gate, warping his perception of the world around him.

‘I can sense it, cleanly. Everything.’ Micheal noted, feeling every subtle twist of the power of Space before him.

The presence of Mana in his Soul and his Mana Circles had enhanced how precisely he was able to sense energy.

‘And-’

Micheal’s thoughts were cut off as he froze, the twisting world returned to normal in an instant.

He blinked.

The Fifth Gate was open.

“Wow! That’s awesome!” Serena’s voice brought Micheal back to the present as she bubbled up next to him.

“I’ve never seen a Portal before!”

Before she could walk forward, Micheal grabbed her shoulder, holding her back.

“Careful. It might not be safe.”

The Fifth Gate had transformed into a Spatial Portal, connecting one point in space with another. On one side was Micheal and Serena, with a backdrop of Farian Shadow Guards keeping watch.

On the other side…

Micheal froze, his heart spasming as he stared through the Portal.

‘No way… you’re kidding me…’ His breath caught as he almost stumbled out of shock.

‘It’s this easy?!’

Before Micheal’s gaze was a room full of large white pillars, coated in golden glyphs that gave off small sparks of energy. The ornate carvings held a great sense of age, giving them an ancient feel. The floor of the room was carved from some type of hewn gray stone, smooth and featureless.

What drew Micheal’s attention, however, lay at the center of this room:

Seven ornate sarcophaguses, carved with images of clashing bolts of lightning, that lay open, several of them broken as if they had been disturbed.

‘Is this a trap?’

As Micheal gazed at the room, his heart pounding, he could just barely make out the gold skin of one of the corpses stored in one of the broken sarcophaguses, gleaming dimly.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Micheal had no records or future knowledge about the Sanctum layout, so everything he encountered here would be unknown territory.

The one thing he did know, however, was what lay before him.

The culmination of all of his efforts here on the 2nd Layer…

A power reserved for the Gods.

It was finally time.

“Hold on, Serena.” Micheal’s voice was unusually calm as he drew her back, pulling her away from the Fifth Gate.

“Micheal?” Serena stared at him, sensing something unusual in his voice.

Micheal smiled back reassuringly.

“Let me check if it’s safe.”

Micheal turned around as soon as he finished speaking, his heart pounding with anticipation.

‘Let’s not waste any time on something this important.’

With a goal he had been searching for right before him, Micheal made the decision to move swiftly.

Without hesitation, he entered the Fifth Gate, crossing through the Portal into the Sanctum.

Instead of taking his time to observe his surroundings further, Micheal’s eyes latched onto one of the open sarcophaguses. His legs blurred as he leapt forward, activating his Temporal Bubble Ability to move as fast as possible.

In a split second, Micheal rested his right hand on the corpse of a Toren.

As he did so, he called up a small blue screen, the special reward he earned on the First Layer.

.

—-Champion’s Gift—-

You have become a hero of ages, a Champion for your race. As a conqueror, you will destroy your enemies while reaping the benefits.

You may gain the Attribute of any race whose essence you absorb. (Limited to one use)

.

As soon as he rested his hand on the Toren corpse, Micheal sensed, innately, how to activate his ‘Champion’s Gift.’ He did so immediately, without a trace of hesitation in his mind.

In the movies, critical moments like this were prime material for moments to go wrong.

‘Reality isn’t a movie, but it never hurts to plan for the worst.’ He thought, moving quickly. 

The world seemed to freeze around Micheal for a split second, his vision turning gray… until a moment later, where it unfroze, reality returning to normal so quickly he would have questioned his senses if not for his perfect memory.

As the world unfroze, Micheal looked at two new blue screens that had just appeared, floating in the air in front of him.

.

—-Champion’s Gift – In-Progress —-

Essence Absorbed: Essence of a Deity

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—-Champion’s Gift – Completed —-

Attribute Obtained: Birthright of the Divine – The Titles System

.

A surreal feeling swept over Micheal as he stared at the screens. As he read them over, he realized that something had changed inside of him, something related to his Soul.

A couple of seconds passed as he stood still, his focus drawn inward, sensing the changes to his Soul.

‘I feel slightly different… like I can call something up?’ Micheal’s eyes lit up.

“Micheal?” Serena’s voice echoed in the air as she waved at Micheal, standing outside the Fifth Gate.

“Ah, my bad. Hold on.” Micheal shook his head, snapping back to the present.

“Let me-”

Lightshorn appeared in Micheal’s right hand as he cut his words off, his body twisting to the right as he flared his Ki.

A split second later, an enormous explosion of stone, dust, and old rock showered the room as a large figure smashed through the wall, landing a dozen meters north of Micheal.

‘What the hell… the movies were right.’ Micheal thought, holding Lightshorn out in front of him. His eyes narrowed as he coated the sword with Master Class Sword Energy, trying to pierce through the veil of dust that shrouded the figure that had just arrived.

‘Is it some type of defensive Golem?’ Micheal immediately activated his Eyes of the Deep Ability, creating a Divine Scan.

Micheal’s question was answered as the dust cleared and the large figure spoke.

“You damned rats are everywhere.”

The Divine Scan finished...

And Micheal’s heart froze.

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— - Divine Scan— -

Race: Toren

Title: The Herald of Ruin

Traits: (unassigned)

STR:   A-    (Growth Rate: Legendary or lower)

END:  B+   (Growth Rate: Legendary or lower)

REG:   B     (Growth Rate: Mythical or lower)

SOUL:  S-    (Growth Rate: Mythical or higher)

MANA:  A-    (Growth Rate: Mythical or lower)

Path Notes: A Toren with the Soul of a Dark Wraith that walks a cluttered Path. Traces of the Path of Lightning, the Path of the Fist, the Path of the Sword, the Path of the Spear, the Path of the Staff, the Path of the Dagger, the Path of the Axe, and the Path of the Mace are present.

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It was at that moment, in the second timeline, that Micheal came face to face with the First Lord, Orion Thunderfist.

A Titled Deity.

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