Chapter 11

Darkness, Utter darkness. This is what Radhan perceived as soon as he opened his eyes, but can anyone perceive anything when sitting inside of nothingness? One might think that there's peace and calmness if they fell into an empty void, no thoughts, no tomorrow, simply nothing, but, no… when the extraordinary happens it's quite often contradictory to what we wish for deep in our hearts.

' Where am I ? ' Radhan thought to himself. 

' I've just finished the second trial, but what happened after? Why can't I remember ' Radhan frowned as he tried to stir his profound energy, but nothing. There wasn't a single strand of profound energy in his veins.

He started feeling irritated and brought the might of his soul, the void shook at the might of his powers, but it was useless. The more he pressed with his soul, the more the void grew to contain his powers. After an unknown amount of time, Radhan sat helplessly, He tried everything he could think of but he was met with futility.

One cannot know the time when there are no celestial bodies in the sky and Radhan had lost count after counting for two days straight. He didn't know how much had passed, but he soon forgot about his predicament as his mind brought images of his past life, and he stood there as an observer, he watched his childhood, his fights with Ranni, his father back as he donned his armor, and his mother mad-mumbling as she hugged that Amber egg.

' Father… Mother.. ' He shook his head trying to shake those images off, however, his control over his thought process had weakened over the unknown amount of time spent in this emptiness.

' I can't lose control ' Trying his best to resist, images from his new life surfaced his Father and sister, the faint image of his mother, Frozen Cloud Asgar…

' This isn't real, this must be an illusion ' He realized as agitation began building behind his eyes. 

' This is enough ' No one replied, and Radhan finally lost his temper as his eyes emitted far-reaching violet light.

' I SAID, ENOUGH!!! ' Radhan shouted deep within his mind, letting out every ounce of power his soul had.

Crack…Crack..

Suddenly reality began to crack before his eyes, the cracks extended slowly while emitting a faint white light, and before long the whole void was filled with them. As if the space reached its maximum endurance. He pushed one more time, then Reality crashed behind a blinding white light.

Radhan's hearing was the first to return as he heard faint distant shouting.

 ' There are people besides me I must've escaped that illusion ' 

As soon as he finished with this thought his vision returned and he fell silent.

'' Alexander Careful!! ''

BOOM!! Two giant swords tore the earth apart, the shock traveled hundreds of meters throwing everything in the air including a giant jar.

'' Damn it Blaidd go distract him from the left '' A tall scrawny swordsman shouted atop his lungs.

' it is him… the swordsman I saw in the past before I reincarnated…'

' it seems that even if my mind doesn't remember what happened that day, my soul does… Witness.. Even if I can't recall the world does, the torn bodies do, my poor Leonard does, and finally, My soul too…and now it's my turn to see for myself… '

The swordsman flashed as he evaded every strike The mad general sent his way. His comrade the wolf-man swung his giant sword and slashed his back.

ROAR!! 

He roared atop his lungs in pain, then jumped toward the sky and disappeared.

Radhan experienced every moment that was happening in silence, he had no control over something that had already happened. When the Mad general began his descent he saw many small figures scrambling to run away, and soon he reached the ground. And hell broke loose.

BOOM!! 

The earth was torn asunder, the wailing plains shook as dust covered the sky.

'' Cough, Cough, go Tarnished we can't continue anymore ''

The swordsman suddenly appeared before the mad general eyes who was still feeling disoriented from his impact, and slashed at his chest drawing blood. 

The mad general quickly swung his giant swords in retaliation, slamming the swordsman into the ground, He followed it with an overhead strike intending to end him but the swordsman swiftly rolled back.

They went about it for hours clashing with no one gaining an edge, the tarnished looked bloody and so was the general.

At one point they were standing apart from each other, the general having lost his blade stood only with one blade in hand.

'' It's time to end this… It's an honor to have fought you.. But you need to rest… your glory won't be forgotten, Great General... I hope you find peace wherever you go after this '' and the repose he met with was a deafening roar.

The swordsman held his sword tightly while coating it with his remaining magic, he lowered his stance and disappeared, appearing right before the general's heart, and thrust with his sword piercing deep inside as a beam of light penetrated through the general's heart and went through his back toward the cliff in the distance punching a giant hole through them.

The Mad general stopped moving and the swordsman jumped back several meters, he almost toppled atop his mount but he held on as he looked at the stars and roared at them for one last time.

ROAR!!!

Then he fell, the swordsman lifted his head and looked at the stars in silence as they resumed their movements after so many years, he approached the fallen general intending to extract The Great Rune, however, before he could touch him the great rune flashed with blinding light then shot a beam of light towards the sky, joining the stars and flying to an unknown distance. A falling star deviated from its course and struck the land between in a flash of illuminance.

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Radhan's senses returned, the first thing he felt was the burning sensation deep within his soul, as if something that was always a part of him awakened.

' What could've happened ' Radhan felt worried about this development.

He delved deep inside and appeared within his soul. His soul sea had the appearance of an endless starry sky with numerous constellations shining brightly through Dark-violet haze, he looked ahead and the scene before his eyes made him pause in wonder. A tall golden tree endlessly stretching among the stars shone with a soothing golden light, engraved deep on the surface of the tree was a giant crest in the form of a circle with a line slashing across its corner.

Radhan stopped his movements as realization dawned on him.

' The Erdtree… My Great rune… I thought that I had lost it…'

' The mysteries surrounding my reincarnation must be related to it… '

He lifted his head observing every inch of the tree in contemplation, a second later he thought of something and his face changed, he flashed, appearing next to the Erdtree, he put his hand on the massive trunk and spread his senses checking every corner of the tree and his soul, after a while he breathed a sigh of relief.

' Fortunately, it's not the same, The Erdtree that I know is a parasitic being that feeds on The Land Between… this is just my soul manifesting images in remembrance… but strangely I can feel a great power within it, Did this result by the fusion of The Great Rune and the tree? ' Radhan had no answers, only questions, and bewilderment..

' Nonetheless, it's a great boon to me… ' He imposed his will on the tree and a second later it started shaking as massive giant branches started stretching endlessly and suction force emitted from each of the branches, He controlled the branches to do his bidding and they did as he intended.

' Hahaha… Indeed it's a great fortune, now i can fully exert my soul powers ' Radhan laughed in satisfaction, feeling the power contained within each branch.

' Now time to head out, the guy outside is getting impatient' He stopped laughing and disappeared in the next second.

When he opened his eyes, The Rage God was sitting across from him, Amazement was written on his face, he appeared to be a little bit pale and more illusionary. He opened his mouth and said

'' You've almost destroyed the trial space… if it wasn't for me holding the place together, everything would've disappeared ''

Radhan had no idea about what happened and offered no words of explanation. He looked deeply at the man and then said with a serious expression.

'' What was that? Why did you send me to that place? ''

The Rage God smirked a little in response as he said '' That was your third and final trial, it was a test of character and soul, i simply had you face your inner demons, if you succeeded you'll inherit my complete powers, and if you failed and got lost deep within, I would have found a good place to bury you, and maybe place a flower on your grave every few years so that I don't feel burnt of the years. ''

He edged his upper body a little and flashed a ferocious grin 

'' And you didn't disappoint me one bit. O Great general, Hahaha ''

Radhan at the mention of his old nickname paused for a second then he started burning with rage as huge pressure flared around him 

'' YOU DARE TO READ MY MEMORIES!!! ''

The Rage God's expression turned serious as he flared his soul power in resistance, barely holding the encroaching pressure as he shouted

'' CALM DOWN YOUNG ONE!!! DO YOU THINK A TRUE GOD LEGACY COULD BE PASSED DOWN LIGHTLY? WITHOUT TESTING THE CHARACTER OF THE INHERITOR… IT'S SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE GODS TO DO SO, AND EVEN MORE FOR ME. ''

Then his voice lowered '' besides, I died long ago… when I knew that my end was coming, I sacrificed my soul and powers, sealing them so that one day I could leave a seed of hope for the future just like Ni Xuan did… ''

Radhan tried his best to contain his rage, after a few moments of stalemate he exhaled and said slowly 

'' What do you mean by hope for the future? ''

'' When the time comes, you'll know '' The man shook his head and stood up.

'' The time has come for me to fulfill my mission '' He brought his hands forward, and in the next second a drop of golden liquid appeared in his right hand, on his left hand a swirling mist orb appeared.

'' This is a drop of blood, containing the condescend power of my bloodline, together with this swirl of my last primordial energy, it'll help you deconstruct your body and give birth to The Grea Body Of Rage, the potential of a peak True God… although your body is strong and had inherited the profound veins of a humane god... it'll be painful, very painful that you'll wish you were dead, are you ready for this? ''

'' Yes '' Radhan replied without hesitation.

'' Good, now let's begin '' 

He sent the two orbs floating toward Radhan's body, the moment they touched his skin they disappeared, Radhan's body shuddered as he felt the enormous power starting to wreak havoc within his body.

The Rage God moved fast and sat behind him, he put his hands on his back and said with a stern voice 

'' Concentrate, spread the power through your body to every vein, muscle, and blood, leave nothing untouched''

Radhan gritted his teeth and did as he was told, the energy was vicious. The two orbs traveled through his body destroying everything in their path. His skin started cracking as golden light and blood seeped out.

'' CONTAIN IT DON'T LET IT GO TO WASTE '' The rage god shouted atop his lungs as exerted his control too, to help him with the process.

Radhan unleashed his soul power, The Great Rune within his soul flashed with mysterious power assisting him in taking control.

He endured as best as he could and after Grueling hours of intense pain, Radhan finished the task, but his body was reduced to an empty husk.

The Rage God admired his tenacity, as he said '' Now let's begin, the reconstruction ''

He exerted his control over the two orbs, and brought them close to each other, then began the process of the fusion between the primordial energy and the Rage God Blood.

Radhan inspected what was happening with his senses. He felt a soothing warm sensation over his body from the energy emitted by the fusion, it quickly spread over every inch of his body, but in the next moment that warm feeling was replaced with intense burning pain and he began to shudder.

'' Endure! We are almost finished '' The Rage God looked pale, fusing the two orbs consumed a lot of his energy. He continued holding on for a while. and smiled when felt what was happening inside the young one's body.

Radhan body began releasing a soothing golden light, the destroyed profound veins started regenerating at an alarming rate, and when the process finished they looked tens of times wider and tougher than before, the same process followed his meridians. His blood and bones took a long time to finish and once they did they shone with a golden hue.

Finally, after ten hours of concentration, The Rage God took off his arms, and sighed in relief.

'' Finally after countless eons… The Divine Body of Great Rage is born ''

He put his finger on Radhan's head and said '' i'll impart to you, my body cultivation technique, Great Way Of The Buddha, with my comprehension along it.. with your soul you'll comprehend it in no time… circle it with the remaining energy inside your body ''

A complex chant and images suddenly appeared within Radhan's mind, The Rage God's comprehension of the technique followed the chant and engraved itself within, Radhan immersed himself in trying to comprehend the technique and slowly understood the first six stages as he once had the body of hulking eight meters tall demigod. After a few hours, a silver pagoda materialized above his head.

The Rage God smiled when he saw the small pagoda then closed his eyes muttering to himself 

'' I've never dreamt, that I'd find a perfect inheritor… with him I'm sure many things will change in the future ''

Time slowly passed and the pagoda above his head kept changing colors from pale silver to fully silver, to light gold then finally settling on a pure golden color.

Radhan opened his eyes and felt a long time had passed. He looked at the man in front of him and asked 

'' How much time has passed since I began practicing the technique? ''

'' A month and a half '' 

Radhan looked surprised at how much time passed but in the end, he nodded and asked.

'' Do I now count as having fully inherited your legacy? ''

The Rage God smiled and said '' not quite yet, there's one last thing I haven't given to you yet… it'll push you beyond what you once were Great General… ''

He raised his arm and pure soul power condensed above his palms.

'' This is my God soul, absorb it slowly and make it yours ''

He pushed it forward, once it touched Radhan it appeared within his soul sea.

The Erdtree sensing the soul power immediately stretched it branches and brought it closer to itself. Radhan observed all of this but didn't react, The Erdtree was a part of his soul after all, and her consuming it was the same as him doing it.

The Rage God's body started to become illusionary as he said '' One last piece of advice, Your mastery of the gravity law is just the beginning, Gravity, Space, and Void, are all linked together, and having mastered Gravity laws means you've already mastered certain aspect of space… explore it more.. ''

He stood up with his voice growing fainter by the minute '' Now, I have completed passing down my legacy, it's time for this remnant soul to rest ''

Radhan also stood and looked with a complicated expression at him, the man gifted him with a new path and made his journey smoother and he couldn't be more thankful. He never bowed to anyone beside his father, but the man's favour was so enormous that words alone won't suffice to express his gratitude.

He bowed and said '' Thank you for what you have done for me, I'll never forget your favor and will forever honor your name and legacy ''

The Rage God smiled '' Good… now go, no need to keep the company of the dead, a long journey awaits you ''

He raised his hand and Radhan was gone, he observed his fading body and wondered out loud 

'' What have i unleashed on the world? … He's a complete monster who started his cultivation journey at the doorsteps of the True God Realm.. Hahaha! The Rage God's name won't be forgotten ''

His words filled the trial space for the last time. Then he was gone.

Radhan appeared several kilometers outside of the valley where he entered, after knowing where he was, he looked back at the valley as he felt the Gravity field disappear. He stood silent for a second and muttered 

'' Thank You. ''

He felt the power within his body and couldn't help but marvel at how strong his body had become, and the particularity of his new constitution. He felt nothing but endless power coursing through him, and many secrets for him to discover later.

Having finished his inspection, he raised his hand and tore a crack in space then dumped all of his spatial ring belongings inside, and kept the sound transmission jade in his hand.

' Let's see if anyone reached out to me '

Once he checked the jade he found several messages waiting, from his sister and Frozen Cloud Asgard, He checked his sister first as her voice suddenly appeared in his head 

'' Yuanba come and meet me in Floating Cloud City, I have something to talk to you about.. '' 

Radhan looked puzzled at his sister's tone of voice, then opened the last message left by Frozen Cloud Asgar

'' Young Master Xia, your sister has departed for Floating Cloud City, she didn't want me to inform you until you met her. But I think you should know… Your sister went to get married, you should go meet her in your hometown. The Palace Mistress's words made Radhan pause completely as he didn't understand what was going on.

'' Married? Qingyue is going to Marry '' Radhan's eyes widened in shock, he had no idea who the groom was and why his sister suddenly decided to marry. He started to become angry, 

' Why didn't father ever talk to me about this? '

''Bastard, I'll Flay you alive '' 

The ground shook along his anger, as he jumped, leaving several explosions in his wake, and disappeared from the sky.