The tense atmosphere from a moment ago was instantly lifted when Arimane burst out laughing at the arrival of the new group. "Now, this is what I call a fun surprise!"
"Soledad," Locura frowned at his comrade. "You did not isolate this layer?"
"I did," she snapped with an offended tone. "Do you think I would fail at such a simple thing?"
"…the anomaly," Miedo spoke up from under his hood for the first time, his voice low and strangely echoey. His words brought attention to Lanata who was smiling cheerily.
"Rakna, are they enemies?" The sheep girl skipped over to the werewolf's side, her voice innocent as ever. She looked at the Espectros and a soft chime sounded as a bit of the Heavenly Ram's blade was revealed, sparkling pink and silver. "Should I kill them?" She asked innocuously and Rakna shivered unconsciously.
Arimane raised an eyebrow in fascination while the Espectros grimaced. Lanata glowered at them with wide-open eyes; hauntingly round as if they had been plastered on her face. Her warm green eyes lost their shine and her pupils sharpened into horizontal lines, widening by the second.
"…it's okay. You don't need to fight them," Rakna eventually blurted out and the pressure everyone didn't know was there instantly disappeared.
The large sword sheathed again as a happy grin returned to the sheep girl's expression. "Okay!"
"See? Crazy…" Kaelith shook her head from a few steps away.
"Devourer of mine!" Higure then immediately tackled Rakna, jumping to his shoulder and hanging there with a grin. "You're very handsome in this form; I approve," the lioness nodded several times as she proceeded to make herself comfortable by directly sitting atop his shoulder.
The werewolf blankly looked at her from the corner of his eyes, "I'm thrilled to hear that…"
Higure chuckled and Arimane watched it all in amusement. Someone noticed that and swiftly went forward, bowing at the dragon. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eternal Night," Kara smilingly greeted with a suspicious amount of courtesy. "I stand before you as one of your nephew's wome—"
"Shut up, you shameless mother!" Kaelith smacked the back of her head.
"Ow, Kae!" The older vixen pouted, holding her head as if in pain. "I was simply paying my respects to my future family…"
"That's exactly the problem! From which position were you saying it?! Also, I'm the first! I should be the one doing that!" Kaelith complained.
Everyone around listened on with empty faces and the Phantasms were utterly nonplussed.
Arimane focused back on Rakna and the werewolf speedily looked away, avoiding eye contact and blatantly refusing to elaborate on anything.
"As entertaining as this is…" Azheim stepped forward with a small smile. "I believe there are more pressing matters requiring our attention," he quietly struck the ground with his cane and squinted at the Phantasms. "I have to say, this is quite a lackluster encounter. I have always been curious to meet those behind the System… but how mundane this all seems," he huffed.
Locura glanced at him but otherwise didn't speak nor move. His only responsibility at the moment was to intervene in case the Kind Demon went through Ascension. Once the dragon was weakened enough, they will be required to kill him… and most likely will be grudgingly 'allowed' to do so.
"Don't bother," Arimane addressed Azheim. "Not only do they not care, but their involvement in the practical creation of this place is close to zero. They're pitiful ones," he gazed at the trio below him. "Pouring everything they have into one thing in hopes of a miracle."
"…"
"Look; they're not even trying to refute me," the dragon snickered and grunted when one of his horns began to release dark energy. "Tch, can't chat," he clicked his tongue. "This vessel needs to be killed," he added and scoffed at the Phantasms. "That's the plan, right?"
"…yes," Locura replied flatly. "No matter how much power you have, in the end, it would be in your favor to go quietly for the safety of your nephew, no?"
Arimane harrumphed and simply stared at Rakna. "Oi, kid. Do it," he uttered and the werewolf rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that face. Do you think I'm going to let these bastards kill me like some livestock? I'd prefer blowing all of you up than disgrace myself like that."
"How noble of you, old man…" Rakna replied sarcastically and rolled his shoulders. "Horny cat, get down. And all of you, shield yourself just in case," he instructed and Higure dropped off him with a giggle. She returned to everyone and Merlina wordlessly decided to stand at the front.
Rakna looked at his hands and clenched them a few times. He then checked the sky and confirmed that only four moons remained while the Neverwinter Star was starting to get out of view.
"This will be my last attack, so make sure to die from it," the werewolf deadpanned and his uncle only laughed in response. Rakna closed his eyes and purple flames were rekindled all around him. Lunar energy and star energy descended from the sky and were enveloped by soul power as they took the form of a faceless silhouette wielding a hammer.
"[Obsidian Star Manifestation,]" Rakna whispered and the high-leveled Hosts and Locals behind him widened their eyes in shock. "[External Release.]"
Following his chant, the Obsidian Star in the sky twisted in shape, crackling menacingly, and began to shrink until it became nothing more than a sharp mass blazing with purple fire.
The werewolf flicked one finger down and the compacted star flew to him in the blink of an eye. It was intercepted midflight by the empty hand of the faceless blacksmith.
"[Forger of The Stars,]" Rakna intoned and the apparition above his head brought down the mass of obsidian onto a newly created anvil before striking it with the hammer. A strident sound echoed in the spatial layer and a shockwave ruffled the clothes and hair of everyone present.
"[Holy Is Your Name. Destiny Is Your Wielder. The Grail Is Your Trophy.]"
A few hammer strikes followed and the material was forged into a new shape. It was still made of obsidian and flames, without color or definition, but its appearance was clear. It was a titanic lance adorned with wings and a crucifix that linked the shaft to a blade that resembled a hundred thorns twisted around each other.
"Cetus," Rakna spoke up and the dragon whale beside him nodded.
"As you wish, Lord Monarch," the Star Entity accepted the unspoken command and conjured a wave of Tears of Gaia. The golden and white water flowed into the unfinished weapon right before the hammer struck down one last time to complete the forging process.
"[Let The Stars Shape Your Blade. Let The Essence of Life Flow into You.]"
The lance released a burst of holy and impious aura, scattering the blacksmith into the air and then finally taking upon its proper appearance. A halo of white crucifixes shone into existence around it and began to spin around the shaft in a circle.
The spearhead was fully crimson with a golden tint at the tip of each thorn. The body of the weapon was mostly ebony, pulsing with purple lines, and luxuriously engraved with runes and decorations of both white and blue colors.
Arimane smirked. "I see. So, you're targeting both my Divinity and Domain."
"[You Tasted the Blood of Christ,]" Rakna whispered and the lance floated toward him, hovering to his right. The werewolf then extended his hand, not to touch his spell, but to catch the scythe that barreled through the air to his left. With shimmering eyes, he wielded Sonata with both arms and swung it with all his strength.
"[Longinus,]" he softly called the name of the lance right as the scythe's blade plunged into it with barely any resistance. "Eat it, Sonata," he muttered and his Soul Weapon shone strongly, tendrils of Eion forming out of it as if it was cloth being undone. They avidly devoured Longinus by piercing it hundreds of times, deconstructing its foundation, and absorbing it.
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❮ ◈ ❯
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Rhapsodic Sonata has consumed 'Longinus' and evolved!
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---
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Rarity Has Been Upgraded To 'Exotic'.
Attack & Magic Power Has Been Augmented.
New Form Unlocked; Sacrament Lance.
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---
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- New Perk Added; Thorns of Longinus (All Forms/Conditional)
Damage to Celestials will passively increase by 100% in all forms and when using the Sacrament Lance form, this perk exhibits an active effect. When activated and thrown by the wielder, it will fly and seek out a target harboring Divinity.
The Anti-God properties of the Lance will fully concentrate at the tip of the thorns and destroy all manner of Divinity that it comes in contact with, infecting the victim and continuously eroding their power as much as possible.
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Cost: 10 000 MP.
Cooldown: 3 Days.
Note: This is a perk that can normally only be used by someone who wields two opposite types of Good and Evil energies. But Rhapsodic Sonata itself possesses the characteristics necessary to activate it with nothing more than the provided mana cost.
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- New Perk Added; Road of The Martyr (All Forms)
When triggered, a halo of both Dark & Light Crucifixes will form around Sonata and spin in an ordinated manner. From then on, wherever the weapon is pointed at, a merciless wave of Holy and Impious energy will erupt from the Crucifix Halo like a cannon.
This ability rejects all that is divine, good, and evil at the same time. The power will be scaled to the user's Magic Attack but will also contain the exceptional characteristic of disintegrating both physical matter and spiritual energies.
Road of The Martyr is a Perk intended to pave the path to a target, whoever or whatever it may be, and present them at the mercy of the wielder.
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Cost: 5 000 MP.
Cooldown: 24 Hours.
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---
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- New Perk Added; Core Transmutation.
Sonata is now capable of switching core elements.
Elemental Modes Unlocked: Obsidian, Everfrost, Neverwinter, and Tears of Gaia.
The default has been set to be Obsidian. Each mode will embody the disposition of the chosen element and bring about different strengths and weaknesses.
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---
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The Perk, Tainted Holiness, has been strengthened into Wicked Sanctity. Damage to Evil-Aligned and Good-Aligned Creatures will increase by 200%. Furthermore, every injury dealt to either type will induce a decrease in statistics.
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---
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The Perk, Lifeblood Rage, has been strengthened. The maximum amount of stockpiled Blood Units has increased from 30 000 to 40 000.
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---
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The Perk, Symphony of Magic, has been strengthened. Effects have slightly been enhanced.
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The newly reformed lance in Rakna's hand had a much more streamlined design and the thorns of the blade were coiled tighter, while the crown of crucifixes was nowhere to be seen, and instead, a black ribbon was tied around the shaft.
"…if it wasn't a Soul Weapon, I would sell the whole Pavilion to get that thing," Kryas suddenly commented after he cast an analysis skill on Sonata.
"I understand completely," Kaelith agreed easily.
Azheim sweatdropped. "Please don't ever entertain the idea of selling the Pavilion… the mess it'd make across the entire System would give me a headache…"
"[Core – Tears of Gaia,]" their talk was interrupted by Rakna who switched the current black and purple color scheme of Sonata into the one they had seen being assimilated just a moment ago. It had an azure aura around it that resembled flowing water.
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Rhapsodic Sonata has switched cores to Tears of Gaia!
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You will receive 25% less damage from lightning, fire, or darkness-based attacks! When confronted with Nox Aeterna, this will further increase by another 25%.
Your Soul Weapon will now carry light and water elemental damage and will provide purifying and exorcising powers. Additionally, if required, the user can have any spell cast through Sonata converted into a Tears of Gaia spell.
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Arimane grinned when the werewolf began to raise his weapon in a throwing motion. "So, you're using Sonata on me, huh? To be killed by my own creation… how exciting," he joked lightly and the Phantasms distanced themselves, skeptical of what that weapon could do.
"I'm sure it is," Rakna quipped sardonically and his arm contracted. "[Thorns of…]" He whispered and both Astraea and Nyx immediately felt compelled to run as far away as possible. But Merlina's presence seemed to protect them from Sonata's aura.
"[Longinus!]" The werewolf opened his eyes wide and snarled. His feet dug into the crystal ground and the lance was hurled, charted by a shockwave. And while fast, the weapon didn't seem to enter the territory of imperceptible. Which was enough time for Rakna to utter one more key phrase.
"[Skulk Life Down.]"
There was no fanfare and loud noise. Once the perk was activated, Sonata disappeared entirely. In the split of a second that couldn't be explained, the lance struck. A hole opened up in the dragon's chest and the weapon quietly planted itself in the ground behind as if it had always been there.
Arimane spat out a handful of blood and looked down at his torso, where the attack had radically erased one of his dual hearts. Some of his silverish blood flowed from the wound while lightning sparks tried to counteract purple and golden energy spreading from it, but failed.
"That's… kind of overpowered," the Kind Demon blurted out with a contrary grin; lines of anti-god energy spreading over and under his scales like a brand-new network of veins.
"What kind of bullshit are you saying?" Rakna grunted and nonchalantly opened his hand, the lance ejecting itself from the ground and flying over everyone's head into his grip. "You could have killed me ages ago, and you call this overpowered when you turned off your defenses and regeneration?"
"Hey, don't say it like that," Arimane huffed as if he was offended. "This thing is actually fighting my regeneration quite a bit. You see, my blood is a homebrew of sorts," he grinned. "One of the two hearts you just blew off my chest was a transplanted one. I 'stole' it from a guy that belonged to a blessed race. World Sages; you might have heard of them."
Rakna scowled and nodded at the question.
"Well, I used it to make my own version of True Elixir," the dragon proudly revealed. "Just one drop of my blood could make a half-dead man return to full health."
"…how overpowered," the werewolf threw back.
At the same time, he eyed the sky right and his Soul Marble finally shattered, promptly ending his berserk state and reverting him to a five-tailed state. The Remnants Souls fused to him faded along with it and since he was used to it by now, he quietly went through the process of reverse growth while maintaining his werewolf form.
"Hahahaha! I guess I can't deny that," Arimane continued with a laugh, unbothered. "But point in case; you actually managed to overpower it by a decent margin. Even if this Elixir isn't as powerful as the real one, it's still an achievement, you know?"
"I suppose…" Rakna honestly didn't really care much about it but the System didn't appear to share his opinion.
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You have partially countered the healing effects of a mythical medicine!
You have gained a new title; Immortality Breaker! Wounds dealt by the user will resist all forms of accelerated healing depending on the difference in levels.
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"…but thanks," the werewolf deadpanned, somewhat addressing both his uncle and the System.
Arimane cackled loudly. "You're welcome," he uttered and glanced downward when the 'infection' started encroaching his neck. "Well, before I go, I should at least give you some treats," he said, and ignoring his puzzled nephew, he turned his attention to the group in the distance.
He skimmed over Merlina, praising her inwardly for the invisible materialization of her aura that was currently protecting everyone there. 'Certainly, worthy of being called a knight,' he commented as the hexagrams in his eyes peered through her status.
Obviously, the System windows were child's play for him to crack through. He quickly switched his attention back to Rakna's close companions and his lips curled up. 'Allan and Flavia are doing quite well… an Ichubyr? That's rare. And a Chaos Witch, with a soul interwoven with her… scary,' he chuckled.
His next focus was Nyx and he hummed thoughtfully. 'Interesting… she awoke Aeter in the purest form possible. I didn't really implant my power in her though, so she must have naturally assimilated the affinity while being exposed to my First White Art for so long. She's doing well with it…'
'And…' Arimane narrowed his eyes as the illusionary image of a pair of draconic eyes stared at him from some unseen place. Some kind of sound was also being transmitted to him.
'Aah, yes, yes. I know, Queen Tiamat. But for now, I can't help you,' he replied silently and the sound paused. 'Even if it was my real self, I would have needed help. So, continue helping the kids, and I'll fulfill your request the best I can.'
There was only silence in response, but Nyx abruptly shivered and surveyed her surroundings in confusion. The dragon snorted. 'I'll take that as acknowledgment.'
'Let's see…' He looked at some of the others. 'Kaelith… nothing much to say; she's a talented girl. And Kara, is it? No wonder she likes the kid. She has quite a gentle and sensitive heart despite her attitude. Evelyn; a Phantom, huh? That is an interesting case of Blackening. Higure… undead cycling back to the living? That's also rare. And the lamia is called Marie… Hm, she has potential.'
Evaluating each person, he eventually got to Ceresta and furrowed his eyebrows. 'Now that's a truly miraculous case. Formulation Magic too. She can go far; very far. And then there's him…' The dragon's eyes turned a bit sullen when they landed on Hans.
'Honestly…' He shook his head. 'What the hell is one of the Enders of The Lost Era doing all the way here?' He huffed and looked at Cura, and the sword on his back. 'That one too. The shark is a peculiar guy all on his own, but King Gulon is another relic of the Lost Era…'
'Well, they certainly don't need my help,' Arimane determined and finally took a look at all four pets of the group. 'Tyran, Natsu, Akronis… and Pronos. That kid didn't use his Soul Beast against me? How stubborn can he be?' He sighed. 'Regardless, all of them are monsters on the rise.'
'As for those two, I can't do anything,' he looked at the two last members; Astraea and Lanata. 'The sheep girl is already a menace and even if I tried, I couldn't do much. And that Star Entity… oh, well, if the kid wants to add her to his harem, he'll figure out a way to turn her into a living being.'
"…I have a hunch you just thought of something infuriating, old man," Rakna raised his voice.
"Hahaha, nonsense," the dragon laughed and ended his train of thought there. "Well, that's enough scouting on my part. I got a good picture of what to do," he said enigmatically and slowly directed his palm at the group.
On cue, a massive magic circle whirled into existence and the Espectros tensed. They couldn't feel anything dangerous from it but who knew if the Kind Demon had suddenly changed his mind?
"[Third Forbidden Art,]" Arimane chanted and mischievously enjoyed the nervous expressions he got in response to the ominous name. "[Essentia Dominus.]"
It was a power that defined the World; a Law that must be followed. And the dragon was currently bending it to his will. Nyx recognized it easily as it began to affect them all. She looked at her hands in surprise as a warm silver and black light bounced on and off her skin like a probe.
That phenomenon spread to Allan, Marie, Higure, Flavia, Evelyn, Ceresta, and ended with the four Pets and Soul Beasts. It was gone as fast as it came and left behind a flustered group.
"Say…" Allan raised his voice in disbelief and pointed at what was probably a System window. "Is it normal that my level suddenly went up to above 400…?"
"It seems so…" Marie answered with an equally amazed expression.
"Mwahaha! My prodigious self has grown even stronger!" Akronis cheered boisterously, puffing up his chest and dodging an annoyed jab from his master.
"What the…?" Higure stared at her hands in disbelief. "Not only did I level up, but I also recovered skills and… hah, I'm not an undead anymore," she shook her head. "This is crazy."
Flavia and Evelyn seemed to be both staring at their status with widened eyes as well while Ceresta seemed excited about something, as much as her muted expressions could show at least. Pronos and Tyran were quiet about it, but Natsu's lazy stance on his contractor's shoulder visibly changed.
"…really?" Rakna deadpanned to his uncle after checking everyone's levels and status with Crystal Sight. They hadn't just gained levels; some of their skills had been enhanced, their traits updated or improved, or directly granted hidden potentials.
Arimane chuckled and lowered his hand. "What? I just threw some bones to the poor kids. At this rate, you would just leave them in the dust otherwise," he grinned. "I empowered them just enough so it wouldn't negatively affect their innate growth, so be happy. The others are too strong or 'unique' to receive it."
"…what about me?" The werewolf retorted reproachfully.
"Oi, oi, kid, shamelessness has its limits," the dragon cackled. "But don't worry, I have a better kind of gift for you," he declared and grasped the right side of his torso. He grunted and dug his claws into the scales and flesh.
Rakna raised an eyebrow while Merlina and everyone behind her had troubled reactions due to the sounds produced. Soon enough, Arimane pulled out what he had been aiming for and held up a large black and red colored heart pulsing in his hand with silver blood dripping from it.
"Catch," the dragon uttered and casually tossed the muscle.
The werewolf caught it with one hand, clutching the disproportionate heart. He inspected it while sparks of black lightning popped in and out of it. Rakna looked back at his uncle and laid down the greatest argument of all time; silence.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…what are you waiting for? Eat it."
"Crazy old man…"
"I don't want to hear that from you, Mister 'I have a skill that's all about eating my own heart and blowing up'. You're gonna tell me that's something a sane person would have?"
"…"
"…just fucking eat it already."