Immense Power! - Sounga, Compass, and Divine Providence
After some time, Kai and his two Items eyed the empty table once more.
Unlike before, the atmosphere had gained an ominous vibe. Even the Dementors had stopped running after the Lethifold, hovering like two wraiths in one place. Lilith's endless flutters had also died as if the very wind had vanished from the face of the earth.
Kai nodded to himself, and flicked his hand, taking another Item out of the Inventory.
And the world got drowned in purple!
"Hahaha!" a laugh, brimming with stupendous evil, boomed into the library. "Time to kill!"
What awaited the evil dragon, though, were three beings eying him with hard faces and greedy gazes.
It was the sentient sword, Sounga, the top-level Uncommon-grade Named Item!
During its transformation from Artifact to Item, Kai had fused his will into it, forcing it to become a katana with a purple blade, with a small jewel embedded into the pommel of its hilt.
It was this jewel that was letting out the evil purple glow.
And it was this jewel that represented the evil dragon spirit living in the sword.
Kai reached out and grabbed the katana's hilt, an evil feeling coursing through his very veins. Sounga was longer than Murasame, he could tell. And, though Murasame was One-Cut-Killer, Kai couldn't help but admire the very existence of Sounga, the killing sword from hell.
As Kai marveled at the sword, his fingers caressing it, running up and down the blade, Sounga was already getting impatient.
The small, round jewel at the pommel glowed with a purple light, and the evil dragon roared, "Oi, brat! This Dragon was taking a nap! A nap! If there's nothing to kill, don't take me out!"
Sounga's roar entered from Kai's ear and left from another. He ignored everything, forgot everything, and only one thing remained in his eyes.
The presence of a dull, gray light.
The more Kai looked at Sounga's Stats, the more his throat went dry, the tips of his fingers throbbed, and a smile flashed across his lips, becoming a demonic grin.
'This is no sword,' Kai thought, exulting in Sounga's Stats. 'This is… Power!'
[
Item: Sounga - The Sword of Calamity (Named Sword)
Grade: Uncommon (Upgradable to Rare)
Specification: Sounga is a Demonic Blade. It contains the spirit of an ancient evil dragon from Hell, giving the Item living characteristics.
Sounga can call out the spirits of the dead, reanimating them as mindless corpses.
Requirement:
1. At least one sword-related Ability
2. Demonic Will
3. The murderous aura of the Contestant must be thicker than Sounga's
4. Intelligence >25
5. Breath >25
Attributes:
1. Measurement: 110 cm
2. Material: Unknown
3. Base Damage: 80 HP
Skill: Demonic Power (0/1,000,000)
Skill's Effect:
1. Sounga is a sentient Sword. It can direct the Contestant to carry out its Will
2. Every act of fulfilling Sounga's wishes will grant a certain number of Demonic Power points
3. Once the Demonic Power reaches a million, Sounga will have a 10% chance of upgrading to the Rare Grade
Skill: Reanimation
— A combination of MP and SP will be consumed for all Reanimations
— The consumed MP and SP points will become the Corpse's MP and SP Stats
— Until all MP, SP, and HP run out, the Reanimated Corpses will keep regenerating
— Every corpse will have a generalized Base Damage
— Such corpses will have their original Abilities, not Skills, if any
— To use Items, the corpses must fulfill their requirements
Skill's Effect:
1. Reanimated Corpse lvl 1: (25 MP, 25 SP)
— 25 MP
— 25 SP
— 100 HP
— Base Damage: 20 HP
2. Reanimated Corpse lvl 2: (50 MP, 50 SP)
— 50 MP
— 50 SP
— 200 HP
— Base Damage 30 HP
3. Reanimated Corpse lvl 3: (100 MP, 100 SP)
— 100 MP
— 100 SP
— 300 HP
— Base Damage 45 HP
Note: The Reanimated Corpses can't exceed their original strength. With non-Contestants, equivalent strength will be considered.
Skill: Dragon Twister
— Dragon Twister is divided into 3 levels, creating an evil tornado with AOE damage
Skill's Effect:
1. 1 Dragon:
— 150 MP
— Base Damage 100 HP
— AOE 200 meters
2. 2 Dragons:
— 250 MP
— Base Damage 150 HP
— AOE 300 meters
3. 3 Dragons:
— 400 MP
— Base Damage 250 HP
— AOE 500 meters
Quality: 99%
WARNING: If the Contestant were to lack the willpower to subdue the sword, Sounga could take over the Contestant's consciousness
]
That he couldn't use it without raising his Intelligence and Breath didn't even surface in Kai's mind. Not now, when every pore on his body was beaming with a sense of having Power.
"Upgradable to Rare," Kai reflected, his eyes glued to the words. "Reanimation… Dragon Twister… Magnificent!"
"Haha!" Sounga laughed, the purple light glowing brighter. "That I am! Now that this Dragon is already out, would you like to gain some Demonic Power points, brat?"
"What a blowhard!" Rintaro spat under his breath.
Kai's eyes shone at the mention of the Demonic Power points. This Skill didn't require him to meet the Requirements, it seemed. Hmm, he mused, recalling the specification. It's because of Sounga being a sentient sword, perhaps?
"Speak," Kai commanded.
"This Dragon never understood the meaning of cripples' existence in this world," Sounga chuckled, the purple light brimming with tangible malice. "Let me drink the blood of 10 cripples. This Dragon wants to lift some unnecessary weight off this earth."
[
Sounga's Quest: Kill 10 cripples using the sword
Reward: 100 Demonic Power
]
Both Petyr and Rintaro frowned at the words. Even Kai, the Blood Demon, had his brows pressed together.
Not that killing cripples, innocent or not, went against Kai's principles, especially when there was ample benefit involved in it. The point was, when would he get the time to find 10 cripples and kill them?
'I will deal with Sounga's "quests" after meeting the Item's Requirements,' Kai thought, deciding. 'Till then, it's better to let it nap as much as it wants. Haha!'
"Easy, right?" Sounga commented, his voice beastly. "This Dragon has more…"
The evil dragon's words got cut off as Kai threw it back into the Inventory.
And now came the time to bring out the last Item; the prime reason for Kai's visit to the Pirates of the Caribbean Random World.
Not giving Petyr and Rintaro any breather, Kai flicked his hand, and an ancient compass appeared on the table.
There was nothing extraordinary about it. It possessed no charm of the Hat. Nor had it roared out, filling the very air with evil power.
No. It was simple. Yes, simple, if "simple" meant the most absurd existence of all.
The chill of the cold fog found Kai, and excitement, mixed with iciness, made him shudder from head to toe.
There was one more thing mixed in them, however. Excitement, fog's iciness, and…
Compass' Stats!
[
Item: The Compass of Desire (Named Item)
Grade: Uncommon
Specification: An unusual navigational instrument most notably used by Captain Jack Sparrow, which he bartered from the voodoo mystic Tia Dalma and later inherited from his captain on the Wicked Wench.
Its domed cover is made from pure lapis lazuli. The inside lid is detailed with a map of the heavens, the central shadow vane makes the compass work as a sundial, and the compass disk itself is sliced from a walrus's tusk.
Requirement:
1. Luck >50
2. At least 1 Timeline's Divine Providence
3. Absolute loyalty toward the Compass
Attributes:
1. The Compass' Will is connected with the user's Will
2. Reach: 1 Celestial Body (regardless of size)
3. The Compass is semi-sapient, and it is quite temperamental
Skill: Rose of the Winds
Skill's Effect:
1. Mana Consumption: 350 MP
2. Direct the owner to whatever he/she wants most at the moment
3. Even if the desire might be fatal to the owner himself, the Skill works as intended
4. 1 Charge of the Skill will last for 3 hours
Skill: If you don't know what you want, then how should I know?
Skill's Effect:
1. Mana Consumption: 200 MP
2. With the owner's incapability of projecting a specific desire, the Compass losses efficacy
3. Point to whatever it thinks the owner wants the most at the moment
4. Does not consider the desire's potential threat or usefulness
Skill: Despicable Conspirator
Skill's Effect:
1. The Compass will always conspire to direct all users' desires in favor of the original owner
2. The Compass will always conspire to go back to the original owner
Quality: 100%
Note: For those who know how to use it, the Compass is the Key to Everything
WARNING: Upon betrayal, release the owner's greatest fear
]
A silence fell over all as the three men eyed the Compass' stats.
The very first striking thing was none other than the requirement of over 50 points in Luck. It was so absurd that it bordered on being called impossible.
One must not forget that Luck was a Passive Attribute, and unlike Defense, it didn't depend on any Active Attribute, either.
Kai could comprehend the meaning of 50 points in Charisma, for Item-M's Charisma already stood at 48. Her breathtaking beauty was the prime reason behind her attracting the Temple of Hastur's gaze, to begin with. It was even said that not even the main storyline's major female Characters could match her charismatic personality and beauty, making her the most sought-after Party Member one could hope for.
If Kai didn't have a Glitch, he probably would have cherished Item-M's otherworldly Charisma even more.
Even then, it was just Charisma, allowing a Contestant to interact more beneficially and easily with the in-world Characters.
Luck was more hideous, to say the least.
50 points in Luck was such a mind-boggling thing that even Item-M, the fallen 13th-floor priestess, had never heard of it. At least not without piling up the effects of many rare Items, Titles, and Skills.
Yet Kai wasn't worried about it. Because it wouldn't be him who was going to use it.
"Divine Providence…" Petyr worded, pointing at the second requirement.
Kai's eyes fell upon these words again. "Item-M mentioned it to me," he mumbled, recalling the info. "In layman's terms, you can take it as Timeline's favor. But it goes deeper than that in the truest sense. Almost all major Characters of a particular Random World enjoy their Timeline's Divine Providence. It is believed that what is Worth for Contestants, Divine Providence is the same for the in-world Characters.
"Not only that, but depending upon a Character's experiences during a particular period, Divine Providence increases or decreases, causing stunning changes in the timeline. If Divine Providence decreases, then the fate of that Character becomes bleak. However, if it increases, then the Timeline bestows great fortune upon that particular Character. This fortune, more often than not, presents itself as abnormal successive coincidences."
Petyr narrowed his eyes before immediately relaxing them. "I guess my future self in the Game of Thrones Random World must have lost the Divine Providence for him to die so," he jested, smiling slyly. "The Divine Providence of your real Self also seems to fluctuate, Rintaro."
Kai ruminated over Petyr's words. "That is not entirely the case," he added, picking up the Compass. "There are Timelines where you are the King of Westeros, Petyr. In some timelines, Rintaro isn't even a scientist. I think… Divine Providences are more the effects of in-world Characters' choices, not so much the experiences."
Rintaro was still lost in the study of Compass' Stats.
"What is it?" Kai asked, noticing the insane scientist's frown.
"I was thinking…" Rintaro whispered, making both Petyr and Kai narrow their eyes. "… what would happen if we were to give this Compass to a Deep One?"
Kai's eyes almost instantly widened. Even Petyr looked shaken upon hearing those words.
They both looked at each other, drew a sharp breath, and buried the scenarios bubbling up in their minds.
After the last meeting with DEATH, and especially after getting Death's Scion Title, Kai had decided to never discuss the matter of Deep One, and anything related to THEM, so casually.
But two words kept resurfacing in Kai's heart.
Despicable Conspirator!
Kai put the Compass back into the Inventory. "Disappear," he commanded, a grave look appearing on his face. "It's time to settle the last business."
Petyr bowed before returning to the Book as always. Rintaro was still lost in his thoughts. So Kai had to kick him again.
After a few moments of silence, Kai said, "Cersei."
Cersei walked out, wearing a loose white t-shirt and blue denim, her long, golden hair tumbling down to her waist. On her forehead, the marquise-shaped black diamond glowed dark, shadows howling within it like voiceless wolves.
"Is it the time?" the young lady asked, her green eyes gaining a blackish hue.
Kai replied with a flick of his hands.
A black crystal appeared in the library within the suitcase, bobbing up and down, hovering between Kai and Cersei.
It was indeed the time.
Time to assimilate Shadow Lord's Inheritance!