Chapter 116: The God-Father of Mankind
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"Uncle, are you in there?" I asked gently at the alien creature who lacked any facial expression for me to read from.
To all of our relief, he nodded slowly. "Ah yes," he sounded different, "I think so."
People around us were giving us weird looks, probably based on the immense light show that just happened. But of course, they couldn't see Ichigo's inhuman form, as the barrier stopped it.
I raised a hand toward the sky and erected an Instant Dungeon. I hadn't done it before since it wouldn't have brought Uncle inside the barrier anyway, him being a normal person and all.
The moment there were zero civilians in the area who may get hurt, all of us rushed in to check on him. He looked a little unsure, scared that he might accidentally hurt someone, but I reassured him with a nod.
After making sure that the change was only in his body and his mind hadn't been corrupted like a monster, we heaved a sigh. He was the same Uncle Ichigo.
"Let me see," I put a hand on his head and said. "Your list of abilities."
"Materialize: Reverse Soul Reflection," I commanded his existence, and a white box prompted in front of his eyes.
===
Ability Type: Psyker Bloodline Ability
Grade: Red | Energy
Name: Prism Guard
Details: Prism Guard is a transformation-type ability that allows the user to absorb, manipulate, and redirect various forms of energy through their crystalline form. Such as mana, nuclear, solar, and others. This ability not only includes the absorption of energy from external attacks, making them ineffective, but also the redirection of this energy in a variety of forms, such as powerful blasts, protective barriers, or even healing waves. The user can convert harmful radiation, electricity, or even solar energy into usable power, enhancing their own capabilities or discharging it as a counterattack.
At the same time, the user is extremely durable and capable body-wise. The body of a Prism Guard user is akin to a living crystal, granting them enhanced durability against physical and energy attacks and the ability to regenerate from damage by recrystallizing their form. This crystalline nature also allows for the emission of light and UV radiation, useful for illumination or combat purposes. Furthermore, the user can achieve flight by manipulating energy fields around them, offering superior mobility.
### Limitations:
Energy Dependency: The effectiveness of Prism Guard relies on the presence of external energy sources. In low-energy environments, the user's abilities are significantly weakened.
Overload Risk: Absorbing too much energy without proper redirection or utilization can lead to an overload, which might incapacitate the user temporarily or cause harm to their crystalline structure.
Vulnerability to Specific Frequencies: Despite their enhanced durability, users are vulnerable to specific sound or vibrational frequencies that can disrupt their crystalline coherence, causing disorientation or damage.
===
"See, it's so powerful," I couldn't restrain a grin. This was awesome.
Crystalsapiens were a silicon-based alien race from my 7th life. The Imperium of Man was in a good relationship with them, they weren't enemies. And I must admit our luck that they weren't, because they're extremely powerful by birth.
They are living conductors, that's why they can control energy in all of its form and nature. And they can do all that without even needing to cast magic, if somewhere were to teach them magic then they'd have been even more powerful.
Like Ichigo if I get down to teaching him spells. He'll be out of this world powerful.
"It's a great power," even Ruby agreed.
"Can't top mine though," Ai said with an easy smirk. Well, there couldn't really be a competition against Wardrobe.
"It's good and all, but," but Aunty Miyako didn't sound very delighted. I didn't miss how she looked between his legs, where a particular tool was missing before she looked back up at his face. "Is he stuck like this? Can he not change back?"
"I'm not sure," I hummed. "Uncle, do you feel like you can transform back?"
"Hmm," Uncle thought over it. "I think I can," that's a relief. "But I don't know how to. Like I know there is a switch, but I'm unsure where it is."
If that's the case, I can help. "Alright, try not to resist this," I placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into his single eye.
"Return," I commanded the world and the world responded by tightening around him.
It was hard not to resist that, so Uncle failed, and he resisted. But my will was a lot stronger than his ever could be, so even with the resistance the world did the job for him. His body glowed in a rainbow of colors, and within it, his body returned to normal. The colors vanished and he stood naked in front of us.
"You're welcome," I said, parting him on the back. I deserved thanks since I had timely placed a patch of cloud around him to save him from embarrassment.
Aunty Miyako heaved a sigh of relief and the others too looked happy that Ichigo wasn't stuck in that form irreversibly.
I was happy too. Even in his current form, he wasn't powerless. My [Jade Perception] could see that his bones had crystallized and therefore he should have about 30% of his full power even without transforming.
He wasn't helpless without transforming.
This tea party went far more smoothly than I had hoped for.
* * *
"Hey, Onii-chan~ I need a potion too!"
Ruby kept blabbering until nightfall. We were on the rooftop of the hotel, under the starry sky that blanketed us.
I sat at the very edge of the roof, with her beside me, arms around my neck.
"I told you the risks," I had told her about them already. When I first told her that I'll brew two potions for Aunty and Uncle, she got really pissed, so I had no choice but to take time out of my day to explain to her the reasons why it's better not to drink it for us.
Uncle was just lucky. In a less fortunate universe, he might have been stuck in that crystal form unable to transform back. Or worse, become a ball of radiation.
"Then give me something else," she said, her eyelids fluttering at me cutely.
She really didn't want to fall behind Ai. It was true that Ai's power level was stupidly high with Wardrobe; she matched a 1600-year-old devil with ease last time. Ruby herself couldn't achieve such a feat, despite having been training for the last eleven years.
I sighed, "There is something, but it's not as fast as a potion." I told her. "Oh, and it'll be really, really painful." I looked into her eyes and she stared back.
"What is it called?"
"Path of the Celestial Radiance," I said. It was a similar but different path to my old Path of the Hollow King.
I've mentioned it the first time I chose my path in this life. The Celestial Radiance Path was a pure Qi, light-based path.
"Path of the Celestial Radiance: A path running on the brilliant nine-colored Qi, a variation of pure Qi but with more destructive prowess. It can earn similar results to the legendary Hollow King path, though the mana-negation part is less focused, in exchange for stronger attack powers in general. Upon reaching the [Gold] rank, your eyes will be transformed into the Nine-Colored Eyes."
I narrated the path's details to her, and her eyes glinted in greed. The Nine Colored Eyes might suit her Kagemimic well. To be honest, it's not a bad thing to give her this. I do want her to be strong.
"So what's so painful??" She asked and I smiled.
"We have to create a new energy pool in your body, in your abdomen. The Mana Circles around your heart wouldn't work, as this Path runs on Qi." I explained, "It's extremely painful to implement a different type of energy pool in a body that already runs on one."
"...." She could imagine. It's not as if she had never felt pain from mana, so she had that sixth sense of pain to draw imaginary fear from. She gulped. "And how much stronger will I be with it?"
"Hmm," I wondered. "Like, a few times stronger? Paths are really interesting as well as powerful. I use a Path, you know?"
"I want it then!" She decided instantly. If I had it, she wanted to have it too.
How cute.
I stood up, "How about tomorrow?" I said to her as she frowned.
"Why not today?"
"Well, the night is growing. I have to go back to the room. I promised something to Mom," I said and she frowned.
"So you're calling her mom again?" She asked with a social. "What promise?"
"I'm going to tell her stories about my other life," I said. "The one I showed you a few glimpses of. As the Emperor."
"...."
"Wanna hear?"
Perhaps because the memory of the last movie had ended on a cliff, or maybe just because she wanted to get on my good side for today since I'd promised to give her a new power tomorrow, Ruby agreed.
Ruby followed me as we went back to the hotel room, about to narrate a story.
…..
"New bed?" I asked as I stepped into the room with Ruby beside me.
"Hm? Oh, yes," Ai patted the bed she was sitting on. It was larger than last night. "Since we are five people, I thought a big bed was necessary."
Including myself, there were Asia, Ruby, Ai, and Blue in the room. The four of us slept in the old bed yesterday, other than Ai, but today it was going to be all of us.
I've decided to keep Blue here since I've pulled her away from the other cubs, who had the biography of the Emperor, so since I was telling that story anyway, she should be here and enjoy it. As for Asia… I was a bit unsure at first.
Asia was an outsider in my eyes, even if Ai was beginning to see her as family. However, since I planned to turn her into a Battle Nun under the Emperor Faction in the sect, she should know about him.
Though yes, her presence meant I'd have to narrate the story like a story, and not a previous one that I've lived. I didn't want just about everyone and their mother to know that I was a reincarnator.
"Alright then," I jumped in the middle of the bed and waited.
Ruby quickly jumped with me, taking my left side. Ai smiled at that and slipped to my right side. Ruby glared at Ai but when I knocked her on the forehead, she looked away with a groan. Asia moved beside Ai and Blue laid behind Ruby.
"Alright," I snapped a finger as the lights turned off. The massive glass walls on the side showed the starry sky and the sea that reflected it. "So, where do I start?"
* * *
[Third Person Point of View]
The Emperor was born in a place dubbed Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) on Earth, around 8,000 BC. He was not birthed naturally, he does not have a father or mother, he was created by the collective souls of ancient human shamans who committed mass suicide to fuse their psychic energies into a single, reincarnating entity. That was how the father of man came to be.
This was done as a response to the growing threat of Chaos in the Warp, a parallel dimension influenced by the emotions and souls of sentient beings.
He lived through thousands of years of human development, influencing humanity's civilizations and guiding them from behind the scenes. Throughout history, he assumed many guises and names, playing the roles of mythological heroes, great leaders, and scholars.
Recalling back from the beginning again, the Earth of Aqua's 7th life's universe was home to powerful psykers known as shamans. These shamans were extremely wise and spiritually attuned beings who could reincarnate after death, allowing them to guide humanity's early development continuously.
However, as humanity grew and the Warp became more turbulent, partly due to the increasing malign influence of the Chaos Gods, the shamans found that their souls were being consumed by daemons upon death, preventing their reincarnation.
To counter this existential threat, the shamans decided on a drastic solution. They committed mass suicide in a ritual that pooled their psychic energies and souls into a single, new being. This collective reincarnation was the birth of the Emperor, a being of immense psychic power intended to be humanity's protector and guide.
The Emperor was born with a purpose, it was to shield humanity from the dangers of the Warp and to guide its destiny. From his earliest moments, he was fully aware and possessed of a formidable intellect and psychic ability, far surpassing any individual human.
Of course, the real reason behind that was that he was a modern human who had died and reincarnated 5 more times before coming to this world. So he was smarter.
Naturally, he wasn't called the "Emperor" from birth. When he was created, he was given the name of… Adam, the First Man. There were Homosapiens before him, but they lacked some features that would make them appear like modern humans. It was thanks to Adam's guidance that mankind gained intelligence and developed, such as why he's called the "First" as he's the first of modern humans.
Adam broke many beliefs those old, unintelligent humans bore. Especially toward the Gods they worshiped. He believed that those Gods were false, they didn't exist, just like in his original world, in his first life. So he guided the humans away from praying to the Gods who were false, which in turn angered the Gods who actually were real.
The Chaos Gods and Daemons tried to end humanity many times, but how could they ever succeed in front of Eternal Sorcery and the power of the White Tiger? Although the Warp was a danger to humanity, they had nothing to worry about with the Emperor by their side.
As for the question, "What is a Warp?", it is a parallel dimension of psychic energy, reflecting the wills and emotions of higher, sentient beings. Home to the Chaos Gods and daemons, it's a realm where physical laws don't apply, enabling faster-than-light travel and psychic powers beyond the boundaries of physics.
However, it's filled with peril, as exposure can lead to corruption by Chaos, attracting malevolent entities, or causing physical and mental mutations. The Warp's volatility underpins the universe's nature, influencing the constant state of conflict.
One could say it's the Will of the Universe itself.
However, protected by Adam, the future Emperor of Mankind, the Will, fate, destiny, whatever you call it, failed to harm humanity no matter how many misfortunes spiraled toward them.
As a shield, a protector from the shadows, the Emperor lived through thousands of years of human development. Throughout history, he was seen in many forms and heard in many names, as he played the roles of mythological heroes, great leaders, and scholars.
In fact, some say the legendary Gilgamesh from 2700 BC is also him… and spoiler alert, the rumor is true.
…..
Aqua breezed through the rest of history till the 18th millennia of his life, so about the Year 10,000 of the modern calendar. Within those 18 thousand years, he mostly remained in the shadows, helping humanity. Civilizations fell, nuclear wars reset history again and again, and he just helped everything subtly.
Around the 7,000th year in the calendar, the Age of Terra began; where the name of "Earth" was changed to "Terra". The planet was a post-apocalyptic mess, and for once the Emperor was making more moves than usual to help the world.
Following it, the era called the Rise of Psychic Abilities occurred, when humanity finally focused on the supernatural side of the universe rather than the small, technological one that was their focus so far. As the most powerful Psyker in existence, Adam guided humanity from the shadows at this early age.
By the Year 10,000, Humanity had entered the galactic scale, occupying Mars and other planets for habitation. Following it, the Dark Age of Technology began.
Exactly during that age, in the 20th millennium of his life, the Emperor was kidnapped and then cloned. It was the greatest incident of his life, by far.
A secret organization named Cabal, whose operatives were drawn from more than a thousand different intelligent xenos races. The Cabal claimed to have battled the forces of the Primordial Annihilator, aka Chaos, for a time longer than the existence of Mankind as a thinking species.
Although the Emperor fought against the Chaos Gods too, the Cabal didn't trust him at all. So they made her, a living weapon created to replace the Emperor,
The clone wasn't a complete success, but it was enough that it counted. No, the only thing that didn't succeed was the gender. So was it truly a failure?
[Eve] – was the name they gave to the woman just for the irony of it. The same Eve, who'd later come to be known as the Empress of Humanity.
The woman who'll become the greatest joy of the Emperor's life in the coming days.
* * *
Aqua stopped at that, as he was unwilling to delve into the details of his Empress tonight. It was far past midnight already, so the girls needed to sleep.
For once, he decided to sleep too.
Because of that, he missed when one of the four girls rose in the bed, crawling on top of him to smile down at his sleeping face. Bright, golden eyes spiraled like suns as she looked at him in happiness beyond belief.
"How glad I am seeing you opening up to people now," she said as she leaned down to kiss him on the lips. "Oh, my Emperor."
The night sky twinkled with stars, as the Empress of Man bet the lips of her partner. By the time the sun returned in the east, there was no sign of anything ever happening.
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