Setting off again.

"Now consider this you're last lesson Syri!" a white haired man with a blueish bamboo hat spoke vivaciously despite the fact that his body had cracks on it. The cracks seemed to widen every now and then, only to quickly close up soon after.

"As a hero, at some point you'll probably be faced with some insane bullshit that will ultimately require you to use a hero's super cliche move. The heroic sacrifice!" He continued to speak in front of a frozen woman. He knew she could still hear him, he had made sure of it when he froze her.

"Now, when you have no choice but to do it. You gotta make sure you go out in the most baddass way possible." he winked at the ice block. "Consider this a prime example of a hero's sacrifice, heartwrenching and completely baddass!" he exclaimed as one of his arms fell off, only for his regeneration to kick in and forcibly grew it back.

The man stopped for a moment with a wry smile as he looked at his new arm that began to crumble again. "Look, fact is this is no way to live and I just don't feel like desperately clinging to a life of constant agony." he explained as he gestured to his body that wouldn't die. He couldn't even enjoy going to the brothel anymore due to his body trying to break itself apart all the time.

"Sorry for my selfishness." he sincerely apologized.

"You got a bright future ahead of you kid, just don't forget to remember your baddass teacher. Also try to find love and crap, or at least get some dick or pussy depending on your orientation. You gotta find a way to relax, even just masturbating would work!" He started going off on a tangent until he noticed the ice beginning to crack. Despite his power to nullify all abilities of anything he freezes, the chosen hero was just that overpowered of a character.

"Live well Syri Falna. It was a fun ride." he gave a final smile as his ice wings took him to the air. It would be the last time she saw him.

The Ice finally shattered as her hand reached out to the sky. Then she woke up from her dream. Syri blinked for a moment as she slowly brought her hand down.

"Idiot." she voiced out loud.

In the far off distance, Shiro seemed to sneeze as he wondered if he could catch a cold or not.

∞

"Mystic Cave of Awakening?"

Shiro and Quinn requested a meeting with the King to ask if they could spend a long period of time in their rooms for their awakenings. The King suggested an interesting alternative instead.

"Indeed, it opens up once every three years. Each time it opens up, there will be only 50 spots available but the benefits are enormous. Attempting to go through your first awakening there will be guarenteed to succeed." It is said that the natural energy within the caves are so abundant and concentrated that even if one were to make a grave mistake in the creation of their Magic Core, it wouldn't break apart or explode. Which means that one can focus on raising the quality of their cores.

[Quinn: I've also heard of it before, there has never been a case of failing to awaken for those who are able to get a spot.]

"You said 50 spots, does that mean we'll be competing with others?" Shiro raised a brow at that little tidbit.

"Yes, each Continent only has one of these caves each. With the many people who are stuck at 99, you can expect thousands to show up. Fortunately only people under level 100 can enter the miniature world to compete for spots." he nodded

"Of course I have great confidence that you two can succeed. If you decide to go, I'd like to request that you take my son with you. He's been neglecting this for quite some time since I fell ill." he spoke sadly as Jack had been trying hard to be involved with governing the Burger Kingdom during the year that his father was in bed.

Shiro considered it for a moment, he felt confident in himself. Despite the fact that he would be competing against thousands of others for a spot, they were all under 100. This entire time he had been fighting against people above his level, he felt like he could curbstomp anyone around his level. If worst came to worst, he technically had enough energy to barely release bankai now.

"Alright sure, I think we can get all three of us a spot." Shiro spoke with assurance as the Burger King smiled.

"Then you have my gratitude. I suggest you move soon, the cave is opening in a month. I'll call my son so he can prepare."

∞

Shiro POV

"This is the best thing!"

By the gods, there are vehicles in this world! Like actual cars! Apparently the castle had a basement filled with vehicles, apparently they were all created in some place called Helios. They looked expensive but with a Kingdom that thrives on being an expensive tourist attraction, it's not surprising that the King could afford all this.

"My father is something of a collector. He specially ordered each model that looked the most interesting to him." Jack explained as I ran my hand on a sleek looking futuristic bike.

"Well it's nice of your old man to let us use one of these to get there." I commented as I thought he would arrange some kind of carriage or airship to get there.

"It's a bit of a long way to get to the caves from here. My father actually considered making me walk for experience, but he also wanted to make sure we got there on time."

"I thought it was only a month away." I said as I remembered the King saying something like that.

[Quinn: Need to also account for possible setbacks on our journey.]

"Friend Quinn is correct, anything could happen. Whether it be bandits, monsters or natural calamities." I gotta say, this guy is more wise than he first appeared to be.

My steps came to a stop as my eyes were drawn to something that made me pleasantly surprised. I stepped up to the vehicle and moved my hand across it's metal exterior as I grinned.

"Oi Jack, by any chance do you got shades?" I asked with anticipation.

"I believe there are some in the storage room upstairs. Why?" he asked as I slowly turned to my two friends.

"Because everyone wears shades when riding the Humvee." My tone was of complete seriousness.

∞

"WOOOOOOO!!!" Shiro exclaimed as he seemed to fly out the gate with his newly attained Humvee. His shades reflected the sunlight as Jack held on for dear life with his own pair of shades. As for Quinn, Shiro taped shades to the slit of his helmet despite his protests.

Watching from the castle, the Burger King watched as his son and friends drove off into the sunset. He sighed as he hoped his boy would be safe in the trials ahead. He spoke without shifting his attention. "Be honest with me, was I too rash in my decision? do you think they can succeed?" he asked out loud.

"I believe they will definitely succeed." Sotenn commented from the side as he also watched the trio leave.

"You have that much confidence in those two?" the King raised a brow at his tone. Sotenn nodded with assurance of his assessment.

"Quinn Erebus, she's a Royal Banshee Demon. While she isn't capable of using her full abilities at the moment, that armor she has on is on the level of psuedo-legendary." He remembered trying to break through that armor, none of his attacks left much of a scratch. Of course it isn't unbeatable, the armor wouldn't be enough to protect one from being restrained or high enough levels of heat or cold.

"It's odd that she was allowed to roam from her home." The King commented as Royal Banshees would normally only be allowed to leave home after the first awakening. Royal Banshees were incapable of controlling the power of their voice, which forces them to control their speech until they can awaken. Not everyone can understand sign language.

"What about the other one?"

"Toshiro Aversis... to be frank. He's a monster, he's at least on the level of Apostle Candidates. I would have thought he was one until I checked his history."Sotenn spoke with complete seriousness.

"There isn't a god behind him?" he asked as Sotenn shook his head.

"No, the levels don't match. His speed, power and techniques are far above what someone of his level should be capable of. I don't believe he's even a mage, he uses a different kind of energy for his spells."

"He used spiritual energy." The King commented as he was more experienced. He remembered seeing Shiro practice kido in his time here. He had experienced spiritual energy fluctuations before.

"That makes it even more unbelievable. But that isn't what makes me believe that they will definitely succeed. Even with all his other abilities, he was only on the level of Apostle Candidate." Sotenn spoke with assurance of that. What were Apostle Candidates? They were nurtured by a god to be their champion in the bloody war to select the next Apostle.

"And what was it that made you have such confidence?" The King asked as he turned to his commander.

Sotenn shuddered when he thought back. When he helped Shiro open his first eye. "When he opened his first eye, I felt like I was standing in front of an Empyrean." he remembered the feeling of icy death weighing down on his soul. That wasn't the pressure a single eye should have. It was in a few words, completely soul crushing. While the mind's eye would suppress the mind, will and soul. The suppression would generally be evenly released. But he felt Shiro's placed much more emphasis on the soul. Generally only people on the Empyrean level would be capable of spiritual power.

"Then I can be assured Jack will be safe." John Kuraif smiled in relief as he stepped back into the castle.