Chapter 93: Phoenix Fragment X100!
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Back in a familiar place, Lorien sat on the boss's chair, kicked his legs up onto the table, and leaned back with his hands behind his head.
"Ah…"
There it was—that familiar feeling.
He had only rested for two days, but it felt like he had almost forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. Glancing at the plaque on the door, he reminded himself: oh, psychiatrist. That still needed to be handled properly. After all, that was his main business. Saving the world? That was just a side gig.
But speaking of which, Lorien hadn't checked his punch card rewards in a long time. He hadn't even looked at them during the last five days off, let alone the two days of rest.
Lorien turned his gaze to little Hela, who was engrossed in playing PS5 nearby. He then relaxed back into the chair and thought to himself, "Time to check the punch card. Let's see the previous rewards too."
[Obtained: Brave New World Complete Comics x1!]
[Obtained: Secret Teachings Complete Comics x1!]
[Acquired Critical Strike: Phoenix Force Fragment x100!]
[Obtained: Black Death Sword x2!]
[Obtained: Cybertron Planet Template x1!]
"Interesting."
As he reviewed the rewards, Lorien's interest was piqued. The first two… well, they could be set aside for now. The last three, however, were the truly intriguing ones.
First up was the Phoenix Force fragments—100 critical strikes in a single punch! It seemed like this was thanks to the [Spider Knight] and [Witch Knight] titles. After all, Lorien had never hit a critical before. But with these titles, he finally did.
He glanced over at little Hela, still absorbed in her game, and couldn't help but wonder, "Does she have a title?"
If she did, what would it be? Death Knight? No, that's a skin name. Goddess Knight? That sounds better. But he let the thought go for now.
Clearing his mind of distractions, Lorien decided to deal with the Phoenix Force fragments first. The priority was to cleanse them, allowing the remaining phoenix will within the fragments to dissipate. This way, Lorien wouldn't be affected and could use the Phoenix Force directly and completely.
"Purification."
[Ding~ Purification complete!]
With the purification done, Lorien chose to absorb the 100 Phoenix Force fragments.
"Absorb."
In an instant, the fragments entered Lorien's body. Outwardly, there was no visible change, but his eyes suddenly reflected the image of a miniature phoenix!
In Lorien's spiritual world, the moment he absorbed the Phoenix Force, countless mirror worlds appeared before his eyes, each one unique and interconnected. He quickly traversed these worlds, witnessing countless universes—too many to count.
After a while, Lorien closed his eyes and then suddenly opened them.
"Clang~~~!!!"
The Phoenix Force erupted in Lorien's spirit, shattering and collapsing the countless mirror worlds around him! His spirit instantly returned to reality.
In the office, Lorien suddenly opened his eyes, the miniature phoenix vanishing from his gaze as if nothing had happened. But Lorien knew what he had just witnessed in his spiritual world—an ethereal representation of the multiverse.
Although it wasn't real, Lorien could control it! He had felt it just moments ago—he could reshape those mirrors at will, shatter them, create new ones—anything was possible.
And this meant one thing: Lorien had officially stepped into the multiverse level!
"So, this is the power of the multiverse level?"
Lorien took a moment to sense it. It turns out that combat power at the multiverse level operates largely on a level of rules—meaning, as long as he willed it, he could do whatever he desired. At this level, so much could be affected with full power, but many chose to hold back, using this ability only when necessary.
"Not bad."
Lorien nodded in satisfaction. After reaching the multiverse level, his Phoenix Force was stronger than the typical multiverse-level being—thanks to the unique nature of the Phoenix Force.
Feeling pleased, Lorien couldn't resist wanting a cup of milk tea.
"Little Hela, bring me some milk tea."
"I'm playing a game, get it yourself—"
"Hmm?"
Lorien's nasal tone interrupted Hela's response, sending a shiver through her soul. The next moment…
"Here you go~"
Without even pausing her game, Hela placed a cup of iced milk tea in front of Lorien.
"Good, now go back to your game."
"Alright, I'm going~"
Watching little Hela turn back to her game, Lorien was quite satisfied. How could this be considered child labor? He was merely "asking" for a favor—and didn't she help?
Next, Lorien checked out the second-to-last reward.
"Black Death Sword."
Still in the same position—legs on the table, leaning back in the chair—Lorien held a cup of milk tea in one hand and the newly drawn Black Death Sword in the other. The sword was rhombus-shaped, jet-black, and as inky as the void.
Holding it in his hand, Lorien could feel the immense power of the Black Death Sword. It even had the ability to boost the wielder's power—though, for Lorien, it might be a thousandth or a ten-thousandth. He wasn't sure.
The sword was rumored to be capable of killing gods and could also influence the user's mind. It reminded him of the Darkin weapons from League of Legends' Runeterra.
As Lorien held it, a crazed voice began echoing in his ears.
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill!!!"
This voice should have been in his spiritual world, instantly affecting the wielder. But Lorien's strength was far too high, so it only resounded outside his ears. Still, the noise was annoying.
So…
"Purification."
With a soft command, the Black Death Sword's negative effects vanished.
"Sip~"
Lorien took a sip of milk tea, admiring the sword's appearance. It was handsome, almost perfect in form.
At that moment, little Hela, who was playing her game, suddenly trembled. A deathly terror emanated from behind her—a feeling both frightening and familiar to Hela, the goddess of death. She turned around slowly and saw Lorien playing with the sword.
"!!!"
Hela's eyes lit up when she saw the weapon. She could feel its immense power, and it felt incredibly compatible with her—as if it was made just for her!
"Shua~"
In a flash, Hela appeared beside Lorien, tugging on his pants with eager hands.
"What kind of sword is this, Lorien~~~?"
Lorien smiled.
"The Black Death Sword."
"Wow~~~" Hela didn't care whether she had heard of it or not. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she asked, "What is the Black Death Sword?"
Lorien ran his hand along the blade, explaining with great interest.
"The Black Death Sword, full name: All-Black the Necrosword."
"Its true form is the first symbiote created by Knull, the God of Symbiotes. It can grow stronger by devouring gods and even replicate itself."
"But that's the All-Black Necrosword—this one is just an ordinary Black Death Sword."
"It was the weapon of Gorr the God Butcher, used to kill gods."
"But here's the irony."
"Gorr's power was granted and controlled by the Black Death Sword."
"And without it, Gorr was nothing."