Chapter 23 : break through.
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Void had been watching the entire scene calmly. From the beast tide to the war, the betrayal of the orcs, and finally, the impending doom of his new slave, everything had been quite interesting to him.
"Alas… won't they move? This is the perfect time for them to attack her," Void mused, a slight smile forming on his face. His gaze shifted towards a tall mountain in the distance. There, two hooded figures observed everything below with cold detachment.
Just as Ariya's sword was about to cleave Linkir in two, one of the hooded figures appeared and kicked Ariya away. She flew hundreds of kilometers, crashing through trees until she slammed into a distant mountain. The shock was evident on the faces of the orcs and Linkir. One moment she was about to die, and the next, the golden woman was gone, followed by a loud, cracking sound. The two hooded figures quickly followed Ariya into the distance.
Void had known from the start that this beast tide wasn't ordinary. While he had been in the forest, the peak-level Rank 0 monsters had remained quiet, showing no signs of aggression—until they suddenly launched an attack. It seemed unreasonable at first, but upon reaching the battlefield, Void understood. It was because of those two figures—and Linkir's transformation confirmed his suspicions.
A massive force was moving fast, led by a giant soul: 100,000 Rank 0 beings, at least at the mage level. Void, thanks to his perception, had barely kept up with the golden soul speed which has left the remaining far behind. It was clear they initiated the beast tide because of her, and Void decided to observe how it all played out.
When Ariya was about to strike Linkir, that was the perfect moment for them to attack, as her guard would be at its lowest.
"System, show me their stats," Void ordered.
*(Ding)*
*{Host: ??? | Race: Half-Human | Rank: 1 – Low Level}*
*{Strength: Low | Stamina: Low | Speed: Low}*
*{Host: ??? | Race: Half-Human | Rank: 1 – Low Level}*
*{Strength: Low | Stamina: Low | Speed: Low}*
"Oh?" Void chuckled. "They should be able to take down the golden lady since their stats are the same."
*{Host: Ariya | Race: Human | Rank: 1 – Low Level}*
*{Strength: Low | Stamina: Low | Speed: Low}*
*{Blessing: Daughter of Destiny}*
Everything looked good until Void saw that last part. "Oh, what the hell?" Void cursed in frustration. "It's over. They have no chance," he sighed, recalling how overpowered destiny beings like Superman were. He had hoped she was just a low-level Rank 1, but her blessing changed everything.
Linkir stood frozen, her back lonely. The orcs remained silent, having just disowned her moments ago, so there was nothing they could say.
"Well, let's see how this unfolds," Void remarked with a faint smile, though it faded quickly.
*(Host, I advise you to kill all the Monsters. By doing so, you could reach low-level Rank 1 or even middle-level.)*
Void's eyes widened. "How? I thought you said the souls I'd gain from killing them wouldn't make a difference."
*(Host, that was in a low-level world. This is a middle-level world, and all these monsters are at Rank 0. Their sheer numbers will make the difference.)*
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Void asked with a frown.
*(Host, you didn't ask.)*
"Oh…" Void muttered, a bit embarrassed.
Watching the fight between the two half-humans and the Daughter of Destiny made Void itch with excitement. He jumped lightly and landed behind Linkir.
"Kill them," Void commanded as he passed her by. A shiver ran down Linkir's spine, but she knew she had no choice.
"System, I'm supposed to get some souls from Linkir's kills since I'm her master, right?" Void inquired as he made his way toward the still-forming monster army.
*(Yes, Host.)*
"How much?"
*(70%.)*
"Excellent." Void grinned and started running. Reaching his top speed within seconds, he leaped into the air, and his sword materialized from the system. He swung it down onto the monster army, while behind him, Linkir turned to attack her own race.
From above, two figures could be seen wreaking havoc—one carving a massive ravine through the ground, and the other tearing through the orc army. In the distance, three figures clashed, each strike powerful enough to destroy a planet or low-level world. Ariya and the two hooded figures were now millions of kilometers away, and their battlefield kept expanding. Traveling at the speed of light was insane, but the bodies of Rank 1 beings were incredibly strong. However, not all Rank 1 beings could withstand such speed, only those from higher-tier worlds.
"Oh crap, I forgot this sword weighs millions of tons," Void muttered with a sheepish grin before storing the massive weapon back into the system. "Besides, a 1.75-meter-tall person carrying an 8-meter-long sword doesn't exactly look… elegant." He clicked his tongue in amusement as he watched the monsters fleeing from his attack.
He couldn't count the number of monsters he'd just obliterated with a single strike, but there were still endless waves rushing forward.
"Can't let all those souls get away," Void grinned and resumed his pursuit.
### At Ariya's Battle Ground
Ariya felt immense pressure while fighting the two hooded figures. She managed to hold her ground only because of her equipment.
"How did the rebels know I was coming? The beast tide... What's going on?" Ariya thought silently.
"If they knew I was coming, then there must be a traitor in the church—or worse." Her eyes widened in horror as she blocked an attack with her sword.
"It's about time to end this," one of the hooded figures said with a slight laugh.
"Not good..." Ariya muttered, moving backward, but it was too late. A claw slashed her back, breaking her armor in two.
Ariya groaned in pain but didn't dare relax, knowing that letting her guard down would mean death.
The two hooded figures removed their cloaks. One was an eagle-like humanoid, while the other was a brute-like half-monster, his body filled with muscles, with only faint traces of humanity remaining.
Ariya frowned but made no plans to defend—she attacked.
"Futile struggle," the eagle-like figure sneered before charging forward.
Meanwhile, Void looked at the army he had slaughtered, grinning from ear to ear. The thrill of the battle was exhilarating, and he enjoyed every moment.
He turned around to check on his slave but was shocked to find she had disappeared.
"Did she run away?" Void asked with a slight smile. Just as he was about to observe Ariya's battle, the teleportation circle lit up, and Linkir arrived, covered in blood.
"They're all... killed, master," Linkir reported quietly.
"The old and the young too?" Void asked. If she had spared them, it wouldn't have surprised him. Perhaps it would be her final act of mercy toward her race, though Void would still have killed them anyway.
"All of them," Linkir replied, looking up at Void with eyes that sent a chill down his spine. This slave was something else, but Void only chuckled.
"Let's watch the battle," Void said, picking up Linkir and vanishing. They reappeared on a tall mountain, observing the distant battlefield. The land shook as loud sounds erupted from the clash, causing the ground to sink in places.
"Kick... Come on, you can finish her... No, no... Fuck! What's this... You're dumb!" Void muttered, watching the battle like a child cheering on his favorite heroes on TV.
"System, it's because of plot armor and luck, right?" Void asked in frustration, seeing many moments when Ariya should've died, but she somehow dodged each attack.
(Yes, Host.)
"Does luck work on me?" Void asked curiously.
(No, Host. You are a demon. Luck can't affect you. Besides, when you are strong enough, luck becomes... a useless thing to you.)
Void raised his eyebrows in surprise at the system's response but nodded. It worked in his favor, so he couldn't complain.
"Well, just wait for them to be seriously injured, and then kill them. I'll definitely break through to mid-level Rank 1." Void grinned and waited silently.
Just as Ariya seemed on the verge of collapse, a pulse of power surged from her.
...Boom...
Ariya successfully broke through to the supreme level of low-level Rank 1.
"What the fuck?! What bullshit! I'm not happy!" Void shouted angrily, wanting to punch something. He was only at quasi-low-level Rank 1, while Ariya had jumped to the supreme level. The gap was immense. (Quasi-low-level Rank 1 means Void has one stat at early-level Rank 1 and two stats at low-level Rank 1. He hasn't fully broken through. Meanwhile, Ariya has one stat at mid-level Rank 1, while her other two stats remain at low level.)
Void watched helplessly as Ariya killed the two half-humans with just two strikes. He couldn't do anything. Frustrated, Void considered leaving to draw runes and build the portal to the Abyss, but then something unexpected happened. Although Ariya had broken through, she was mentally exhausted and fainted.
"Ah! System, luck is by my side!" Void cheered, running toward Ariya's fallen body.
(No, Host. Luck doesn't affect you.)
Void sneered but kept moving. Linkir watched silently as her master vanished. She didn't plan to run away again. She was now an aeron, and only Void would accept her. Her own church had nearly killed her.
Void reached Ariya and clenched his fist, transforming into his demonic form. The temperature spiked, and magma bubbled up as Void smashed his fist downward, but just before he could land the blow, a thin barrier appeared, blocking his attack.
"What's this, System?" Void asked, pulling back his demon arm.
(A protection field created by a demigod.)
"Well, shit. Luck," Void groaned, turning around. He didn't bother wasting time. Now that he had enough souls to reach mid-level Rank 1, there was no point in trying to kill a supreme-level Rank 1 existence again.
Void appeared beside Linkir, startling her. This was the first time she had seen Void's true form, but their bond made it clear that he was still her master.
"Master," Linkir quickly stood and bowed.
Void grinned, checking the system.
(+50,000 souls)
(To reach low-level Rank 1 requires 1,000 souls.)
Void added the souls, and as soon as he reached low-level Rank 1, his blessing activated, pushing him to quasi-mid-level Rank 1.
(To reach mid-level Rank 1 requires 40,000 souls.)
Void added the required souls and now became a quasi-high-level Rank 1 demon.
Linkir watched as her master grew to 25 meters in height, his aura so powerful that, if not for his control, she would've been reduced to a blood mist.
"Now, let's open the portal and make this world... interesting," Void said with a smile, jumping down. Linkir followed. They both landed and walked slowly toward the destroyed orc village, where a sea of blood had already formed.
Meanwhile, in space, two marbles finally met. One shone like the sun, while the other was dark, like a rock compared to the brilliance of the sun-like universe.
One marble was the size of a universe, while the other was only the size of a galaxy.
"And so it begins," the God of Light said, opening his eyes while sitting on his throne.
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