[Salvos] 675. Riftwalk (Patreon)

675. Riftwalk

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Salvos (S̶̛̼̗̅ecė̶̺̜͕ly’s S̶̛̼̗̅ė̶̺̜͕ntǐ̶̬nĕ̷̪ͅͅl̵̨̦̗͗̔̃) (The Devil’s Daughter)

Species: [Primeval Demon of Pride]

Secondary Species: [Lesser God]

Subspecies: [Angelic Devil Princess] - Lvl. 168

Class: [C-̴̨̯͍̜̘̼̣̯͚̘̹̪̘͙͌̾͆̚͝rr-̴̨̯͍̜̘̼̣̯͚̘̹̪̘͙͌̾͆̚͝pt-̴̨̯͍̜̘̼̣̯͚̘̹̪̘͙͌̾͆̚͝d Appr-̴̨̯͍̜̘̼̣̯͚̘̹̪̘͙͌̾͆̚͝nt-̴̨̯͍̜̘̼̣̯͚̘̹̪̘͙͌̾͆̚͝c-̴̨̯͍̜̘̼̣̯͚̘̹̪̘͙͌̾͆̚͝] - Lvl. 153

General Skills:

[Advanced Mana Manipulation] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Corruption Mastery] - Lvl. 1

[Identification] - Lvl. 6

[Racial Skill: True Divinity] - Lvl. 1 (Maxed)

[Racial Skill: Universal Language Comprehension] - Lvl. 2

[Rest] - Lvl. 5

[Wisdom of the Old Gods] - Lvl. 5

[Title Skill: Corruption Camouflage] - Lvl. 1

[Title Skill: General Status Effect Resistance] - Lvl. 1

[Title Skill: Invoke Wrath] - Lvl. 1

[Title Skill: Protection of the Corruption] - Lvl. 1

[Title Skill: The Devil’s Grace] - Lvl. 1

[Racial Skill: Divine Essence of the Angelic Devil Princess] - Lvl. 1 (Maxed)

Stats:

[Available Stat Points: 0]

[Vitality]: 330 (+50) (+10)

[Strength]: 325 (+50) (+10)

[Endurance]: 330 (+50) (+10) (+3)

[Wisdom]: 490 (+50) (+10) (+50)

[Agility]: 530 (+50) (+10) (+5)

Skills:

[Available Skill Points: 0]

[Angel’s Wings] - Lvl. 15

[Barrage of Cinders] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Divine Demon’s Mark] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Divine Haste] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Intimidation] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Faux Limbs] - Lvl. 25 (Maxed)

[Divine Nebular Construct] - Lvl. 25 (Maxed)

[Divine Strike] - Lvl. 13

[Divine Radiant Slash] - Lvl. 15 (Maxed)

[Sacred Hellfire] - Lvl. 18

[Salvo of Vanity] - Lvl. 25 (Maxed)

[The Call of Armageddon] - Lvl. 15

[The Holy Flames] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Passive - Angelic Premonition] - Lvl. 15

[Passive - Weapon Mastery] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Available Grand Skill Points: 0]

[Claw of Corruption] - Lvl. 2

[My Flame Shall Burn Until Eternity Ends] - Lvl. 3 (Maxed)

[Unused Skill Slot] x2

Secondary Skills:

[Available Secondary Skill Points: 12]

[Corrupted Draconic Fury] - Lvl. 1

[Cluster Time Dilation] - Lvl. 1

[Greater Teleportation] - Lvl. 20 (Maxed)

[Manifestation of the Old Gods] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Prison Of Isolation] - Lvl. 17

[Riftwalk] - Lvl. 1

[Truth Divination] - Lvl. 10 (Maxed)

[Worldbreak] - Lvl. 1

[Passive - Corrupted Dragon Scales] - Lvl. 1

[Passive - Corrupted Regeneration] - Lvl.1

[Passive - Master of Material Manipulation] - Lvl. 15 (Maxed)

[The World of My Mind] - Lvl. 1

[Unused Skill Slot] x1

Was it the best decision I had ever made? Probably not.

But it was the right decision for me.

It was a Class that I had created myself. Even if it wasn’t going to be unique to me— even if others could obtain this very same Class— I was responsible for its existence.

It never would have been created if not for me.

So I happily chose it. Even if I had been limited in choosing my other Classes, I probably wouldn’t have chosen them.

In the first place, the Stat boost from becoming a so-called [Corrupted Apprentice] was far more than any other Stat boost I had ever received. I highly doubted that the other Class options I had been given offered anything like that.

And while there was the detraction of being corrupted or whatever, I didn’t really care about that. After all, I already had a so-called corrupted Title, alongside a plethora of corrupted Skills, whether it be Grand Skills or General Skills.

So long as I maintained my divinity, I knew that the corruption wouldn’t ever take complete control over me, and I wouldn’t become a corrupted being.

…probably.

But even if I believed I would be fine, that didn’t mean that I didn’t expect there to be any consequences to my actions. Just like how using [Claw Of Corruption] helped spread the corruption in the Netherworld, it seemed that using any of my brand new Secondary Skills had their repercussions too.

I watched as the Corrupted Shardspaces floated before fading away, having been incinerated by [The Holy Flames]. They had been created because of me— because of my [Riftwalk].

It was the very first of my new Skills which I wanted to test. I wondered what it did, because it sounded like it was exactly what I wanted… maybe 50 levels ago.

And I was correct. It let me slip through the planes with ease. Even more easily than with teleportation, or any other Skill I had. But it was also different. Because not only was I capable of just crossing through the layers of space with it, it actually opened up a portal that remained open without any upkeep on my end.

That was probably why… it also created those Corrupted Shardspaces.

Because I was quite literally drilling a hole through the fabric of space with the corruption.

Still, the Corrupted Shardspaces weren’t that strong. I would say that anyone who was around Level 100 could easily deal with them. And there were only three of them. Perhaps there would be more if I opened a larger portal. But I was mostly going to stick to creating smaller portals for now.

Especially considering the potential fallout.

I glanced up towards the corruption staining the sky. Even if there were only a few Corrupted Shardspaces, there were even more aftereffects. And while I could cleanse the corruption with my divinity, it wasn’t easy, and it didn’t get rid of all the damage that was caused.

I flew up and burned away the rest of the visible corruption. But my [Corruption Mastery] told me there was some leftover corruption gathered there. I just couldn’t do anything about it at all.

I shook my head and looked towards the portal that was flashing right before me.

“Is this really all my [Riftwalk] can do?”

I wondered aloud. Intuitively, I knew there was more to it. But I didn’t have time to test it any further as I heard a voice calling at me from below.

Looking down, I saw Haec waving his arms at me as he called my name.

“—vos!”

I could hardly hear him from where I was in the sky, so I descended down next to him. And when I landed, the entirety of the Third Legion shifted back. They gaped at me in shock and fear. But Haec didn’t seem afraid in the slightest.

Even with the difference that was made to my body.

But he was still confused by what just happened.

“Salvos… what was that?”

He asked as he looked towards where the Corrupted Shardspaces had been. I scratched the back of my head.

“That’s, um—”

I wasn’t sure how to even begin to explain it. But Haec knew about the end of the world. He knew about the corruption. It was something that he had heard about when my dad paid me a visit, before going to meet with Belphegor.

So I didn’t need to explain everything to him from the very beginning. However, I did have to explain to him how I was able to create corruption and whatnot. And while he had seen me do it before, he didn’t see this.

“That’s the corruption.”

I finally admitted. And Haec paused. He narrowed his eyes at me as Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemula approached us from the side.

The former Heir of the Netherworld tried to process what I meant.

“The corruption? I don’t understand…”

“Wait, isn’t the corruption that thing that’s causing the end of the world?”

Aemula piped up as she came to a halt next to me. I gave a small nod in reply.

“Um, yep?”

I responded apprehensively. Aemula blinked a few times, and Taburas frowned. But Bertrugil placed a hand on his chin.

“I see. And so that’s how it gets created?”

He speculated as he looked towards my portal.

“By opening a hole in space?”

And while I was grateful that he gave me an opportunity to lie my way out of this, I decided that it was time for me to come clean and explain myself. Especially if many of my new Skills were going to hinge on using the corruption in battle.

“That wasn’t exactly it…”

I said as I scratched my cheek. Haec eyed me suspiciously.

“What do you mean by that, Salvos?”

And I could tell he had an inkling of an idea as to what I meant. I just sighed as my shoulders sagged.

“I mean, you already saw it, didn’t you?”

I said in a defeated voice. And Haec’s eyes flickered, remembering what happened no more than an hour ago. Still, I explained.

“When I was fighting Hartia— I used the corruption to trap him in a pocket prison. So that he couldn’t break free.”

Haec’s eyes went wide when he heard that.

“So that means…”

And Taburas took a step forward, pointing at me accusingly.

“You’re corrupted? You’re helping bring about the end of the world?”

“I mean, kind of?”

I replied honestly, before sweeping my gaze around the gathered Demons around me.

“But so is everyone else, right? I mean, with your summoning collars and teleporting through space…”

I shrank back as Bertrugil and Taburas gave me a dubious look. It was as if they were judging me. Although Haec and Aemula didn’t seem to feel the same way. Aemula just wore a confused expression as per normal, while Haec rubbed his chin in thought.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Third Legion listening from the side were at a complete loss as to what was going on.

I slumped my shoulders and spoke in a small voice.

“The only difference is that I, um, do cause a bit more of an impact on exacerbating the end of the world by myself.”

Bertrugil and Taburas frowned. But I continued as I brought a hand up to defend myself.

“However— I also have done a lot more to slow the end of the world than anyone else here! So I mean, is it really that bad that I have some corruption Skills?”

I tried to argue. Taburas looked like she was fed up with me, and Bertrugil didn’t seem to care enough about it to argue with me. However, Haec raised his head and finally spoke up.

“Salvos.”

“Um, yes?”

I shrank back slightly. And he shook his head, almost disappointed.

“I am not mad at you for having these corruption-based Skills. I do not care that you are further causing the end of the world. And this is because of the exact reasons you stated: that you have helped cleansed the corruption from the Nexeus, and we are all partly responsible to a degree too.”

He faced me seriously as he continued.

“And I hadn’t even known about this problem until recently, so I do not quite care about it as much as I do the plight of our people. However—”

I listened to him, and he finished.

“I do wish you were more transparent with me. That you had told me about this sooner. After all, I am your companion, am I not?”

Haec tilted his head at me. I shuffled my feet uncomfortably. From my peripheral vision, I saw Taburas raising her head curiously at that.

And I bowed my head apologetically.

“Right, sorry Haec.”

Haec took in a deep breath and nodded.

“It’s fine. But now that you’re done, we can move on to freeing the rest of the legions, right?”

He glanced back towards the Third Legion who all looked raring to go fight back against the Demon King. And I pursed my lips.

“Oh, but I’m not done yet. There’s still something I need to do.”

“You do?”

Haec raised a brow at me.

And I nodded as I heard a voice echoing in my head.

[Titles Available]

“Yep. I do.”

Author's Notes:

What thonk?

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