The Plan

There were wounds of varied sizes and blood stains all over her. Isis looked deathly, and many of her injuries were sizzling, dripping with a silver liquid. Jody felt his heart tighten as pure wrath erupted from the pits of his soul.

[Imp: Slaughter crystal production at 400%!]

"Lunar venom! That's a mid-grade poison! That's super dangerous, it could permanently damage her potential! Don't fret, little Joe, get me over to our mom, and I can directly refine that poison!" said Xavier via telepathy, despite Sylvester's protests.

"Refine? How?" Jody was stunned.

X could refine poison?

Before Xavier could respond, the [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] flashed and flipped open to the third page.

[Guardian 2: Mighty God Sky Jackal]

'Compatibility rating: 51%.'

'Tier 1: Primary|Auxilary Spark - Catastrophic Inverse|Abstract'

'Tier 2: Primary|Auxilary Spark - Meta|Viral Conversion'

Information about these abilities was detailed in Jody's mind. Abstract was the ability to communicate with and 'see' pixies. Pixies were the most mysterious creatures in existence. They were denizens of the seventh layer of the divine ennead. Pixies have the unique ability and manipulate and invert law systems.

The powerful ones could even invert the truth!

Catastrophic Inverse was an attack that could invert any defense within the same realm as the attacker! Meta was an ability that allowed the Xavier to invert the function of laws to unlock new skills, like pixies. Jody was amazed by this. On the other hand, viral conversion refined dark substances into viral force.

"What's viral energy? And won't you have to force yourself to use a Tier 2 ability?" asked Jody to Xavier via telepathy.

"Top-tier fiend force," responded Xavier. "Trust me, I can do it!"

Two towering dark elven knights stood as imposing sentinels before his mother, their faces hidden behind impenetrable black armor. But even they paled compared to the immense, fearsome figure that emerged from the shadows - a dark elf with bulging muscles and cruel features adorned in elegant white robes that seemed to mock his monstrous appearance. And as he removed his white mask to reveal a face twisted with malice, the air crackled with an overwhelming sense of danger.

Jody thought his face looked like a pug. His skin was purple-grey, and had a blood-red, spiked mohawk.

'This must be the man the elder Mercer was cursing!'

Rotimi Black!

Jody narrowed his eyes. The Black clan were the leaders of the dark elves. How deep was this plot? What could his parents have done to attract so much hostility?

"To think that the five could take on my core force. This requires some improvisation. You two, guard her well… it seems I will have to take care of this pack of wolves myself," came the evil voice of Rotimi. "I will send reinforcements once I can relieve some of the pressure. The Five Elements are truly worthy of their reputation. That chump, Monte, must pay me extra for this mess."

At the mention of the name 'Monte,' the temperature dropped noticeably. Rotimi glanced back at Isis, licking his lips, "Do not worry, Rotimi will be sure to continue playing with you later."

Rotimi then whistled sharply, and Jody saw his mother's eyes go wide before she shrieked fiercely in pain. Silver liquid dripped down her body from her many wounds. Rotimi suddenly burst into dozens of tiny black spiders and disappeared. Jody's body was emitting heat as his rage force completely spilled over at this point.

"Josiah, please calm yourself!" Sek was tugging on the sleeve of Jody's arm, but he wasn't responding. "Master!"

She was alarmed by the heat wave from his body and began shaking him. She quickly cloaked his aura with her shadows again, but Sek couldn't be satisfied with this as they were much weaker than many of the warriors here. She didn't think her cloaking would be active towards someone who truly intended to probe.

"Sek Si, do you see that clearing over there?" asked Jody suddenly, catching Sek off guard.

"Clear…ah!" Sek gasped, and her face changed when her eyes landed on the figures in the distance, "Is that the Mistress Frozen Night?"

"Can you take us there? To her shadow?" asked Jody.

"Young master, those guards are at worst expert Origin Scientists, and at best elite Mages! Even if we go, we cannot possibly…"

"Can you take me there or not!" Jody roared in a low voice. He was clearly becoming impatient.

Seeing the intensity of the current Jody gave Sek a feeling she couldn't recognize. It wasn't quite fear, and it wasn't quite anger.

"Mn."

"Then do it. No, wait for a second," said Jody before contacting his combat souls. "X, am I strong enough to hold Fenrir yet? If we attack with all of our strength, can we take down those two?"

"Thanks to the grimoire, you should be able to swing my sword once. However, I will likely drain all of your origin force to use my catastrophic hackability just once. The mana and the rukh. After the first time, your origin will be depleted. Catastrophic Inverse can slash and hack through the defenses of anything with up to double the strength of the attack. If we use Twilight, who knows what will happen," Xavier explained directly when asked.

His voice didn't do anything to hide his excitement. He knew exactly what would happen. He was eager to have fun, as Sylvester had never let him come out to fight!

"Jody, Fenrir is a special weapon. It defies the heavens. You shouldn't use it so casually yet," Sylvester interjected, his voice no longer masking his worry. "After all, we have Skyfall! As long as they're underneath the mage rank, we can incinerate those two with no problem."

"Then can you also retreat swiftly and directly after attacking without leaving a trace behind? Can you also quickly refine the poison in my mother's body, converting it into a new boon for us? Can the mighty you also do all of this quietly without making a large commotion? Because with a sword, I can do these things easily, and with X already summoned, my mother has a greater chance of recovery! Once I attack, this car won't have much gas left! X, you're on standby!" Jody's angry voice echoed domineeringly through the host space as he slowly lost control over his temper.

This caused Sylvester to quiet down as he felt a pressure descend that was so strong he had to ignite Sky Fall to rid himself of its influence.

"Sek, here's the plan."

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Back on the tree branch, the [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] appeared in a flash of purple light.

Thirty meters away, this flash alerted three of the nearby dark elven archers who were also in the trees. The archers immediately reacted by shooting a barrage of arrows in that direction.

However, the targets seem to disappear into the shadows of the tree branches. However, before the three archers could react, the one furthest from Jody's original location began screaming as he was drowned in a sea of emerald flames. One by one, the same thing happened to all three archers.

With a flash of purple light, the [Cosmos Revolving Grimoire] reappeared inside a hollowed area of the original tree Jody and Sek were on. After killing the three unlucky archers, Jody canceled his Guardian 1 summon and summoned Guardian 2 as the information in his mind updated itself.

[Name: Josiah Goldwolf]

[Age: 8 years, 5 months.]

[Status: 97% Health, 63:19]

'Guardian 2: Mighty God Sky Jackal, Compatibility rating: 67%.'

'Summon time: 5 hours - Tier 1 abilities unlocked.'

The third page of the grimoire glows with an iridescent purple light, and a sudden burst of energy erupts from a crimson magic circle. From the pulsating magic circle emerges a striking seven-year-old boy with brown skin and pointed ears resembling a fierce canine. His entire body was covered in thick, fiery red fur, save for his bare chest and private parts. He bore massive symbols of sword god power on each arm, marking him as a formidable warrior. And towering over his small frame was a colossal golden sword, its blade radiating intense heat like molten metal, while seven ancient runes glowed on its hilt, imbuing it with untold power.

The sword continuously released scarlet steam-like energy. Even though this little wolf boy was the coolest thing he ever saw, Jody swiftly gave Xavier some of his clothes. It was a bit indecent otherwise, and Jody had very recently outgrown them anyway. Xavier put on the elegant all white robes and stored the rest away into the red gem on the guard of Fenrir.

"Okay, I'm ready! Little Joe, let's go!" said Xavier, his bright red eyes aflame with light.

Sek Si felt her whole being quake as she stared at this creature. She suddenly remembered when she had first asked to see the young master's sky wolf combat soul. She clearly recalled that her young master had replied, "Which one?" to that request. Today she finally saw it with her own eyes!

The young master didn't have just a Sky Wolf. No, he even had a notorious Sky Jackal!

This being was entirely too rare. This second combat soul was even capable of human transformation! Sek's mind was fried. She had no idea how this was possible with her limited world knowledge. If she knew that Xavier was half hero she might pass out on the spot.

"Okay, Sek, remember. When you see me attack, you must already prepare to transport my mother back to this tree hollow. Once you return for me, then we can heal her. Is your shadow avatar still in the Trillwolf Villa?" After Jody asked this, Sek simply nodded her head. Jody nodded in response. "Excellent. Let's go."

Isis slumped against the gnarled trunk of an ancient tree, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her once fierce and formidable face is drained of all color, a sickly shade of green tinging her honey-brown skin. The black armor that once protected her from all mortal weapons now lies in tatters, revealing the celestial mountain that it was meant to hide. Her arms hang limply at her sides, useless and broken, but the fire in her blue eyes refused to be extinguished.

Each breath sends pangs of agony through her body, and her wince becomes a permanent grimace as she fights to stay conscious and alive.

"In the zone, must remain...unshackled potential must freeze...guarded lust still need..." Lady Isis was muttering incoherently to herself as she struggled to maintain her consciousness.

She felt like she had just seen her son in the distance and even tried to send him a sound transmission. She also thought at the time that he made eye contact with her due to this. However, after considering it, she believed all of this was unlikely to be real. In her heart, she knew this was probably the effects of the poison. She could barely even control her force, and it took all her concentration to suppress the impact of the lunar venom.

Lunar venom was a mid-grade poison. It was deadly because it absorbed serene power to strengthen itself and corroded mana. Any great sage with serenity force in their bloodline, such as Isis, would surely suffer unimaginable pain as the poison wreaked havoc on their awakened veins.

"However, the worst part isn't even the lunar venom!" Isis thought to herself during a rare moment of clarity, "The worst is that fucking rampant rodent Rotimi's fusion soul ability, Gu Birth. Thanks to this ability the bastard's venom continuously gives birth to little tiny Gurantula spiders in my blood."

The torment was thus maximized.

In front of Isis were two knights, equipped with piked battle spears, standing straight up like hills, entirely on their guard. A slight force momentum radiated off their bodies. These warriors were not very powerful to Isis, as their formulas were only at True Saints' initial Killer Essence rank. However, a savage killing formation that was powerful enough to eliminate low-level mages without much trouble was directly in front of these guards. Rotimi laid this out in preparation for the unexpected.

Unexpectedly, in the middle of Isis' thoughts, a pair of large, piercing eyes appeared directly in front of her face, dark as the depths of night. The rest of their face was obscured, resembling a hidden ninja or dangerous assassin staring back at her. These eyes were unlike any she had ever seen; their irises were shaped like fiery phoenixes and as dark as the night sky.

Sek?

Lady Isis cocked her head to the side in confusion without making a sound. Her heart was beginning to panic. Glancing at her left side, she saw a handsome little furball with jackal ears covered in red fur. He was holding his little hand over a gash on her long thigh. Blacklight glowed on his hand, and silver vapor was rising from her wound.

For a moment, Isis thought she was somehow losing her mind.

What was all this now?

Right then, a piece of violet-colored clothing floated down and blocked her sight before gently covering her chest. Isis looked up and saw a small, slightly broad back standing before her. He was adorned with a familiar crowned headdress. Two parts of the cloth hung downwards alongside the ears on the front side of the shoulders, and on the backside, the fabric was tied together in a braid and provided with golden rings covered in fate runes. At the top of the headdress sat a golden-winged uraeus and a platinum jackal head.

However, instead of royal blue and gold stripes, the stripes were red and black. The red was crimson-like blood, and the black had mystical lights like stars in a dark sky. If this wasn't [Pharaoh's Law], then what was it? In his hands was a majestic golden claymore with a red-hot blade. Unfortunately, as soon as Isis could process all of this, her surroundings melted into the darkness, and she saw the boy getting further away.

"No... NO... Jody!! Jody, stop, no!" Isis tried to scream but couldn't.

Not only were those high-level saints likely to hurt her son, but even if he somehow managed to fight them, the killing formation would easily slaughter him. Merely, what could she do? The gu spiders inside her bloodstream were constantly draining her strength. She would probably die if she weren't vigilant!

Jody lurked in the shadows behind the two dark-elven knights. He knew the moment Sek disappeared, his aura would be revealed. He tightened his grip on Fenrir and allowed his rage to take over. Jody's eyes flashed with an utterly savage light.

This time he felt truly enraged! The Relentless Frenzy nascent concept in his matrix was buzzing intensely. His nine astralis burst to life as his muscles and veins tensed to the extreme! Slaughter force exploded from his body as he circulated the Titanic rage law and felt enlightened by his rage. He didn't just want to break, destroy, or attack.

He wanted to kill. These elves would die today!

This was his rage, the truth of rage.

"The path of slaughter, slaughter force!" His anger bubbled, and astral light circulated crazily through his twilight veins as it suddenly synced with his Bright Stars! Jody felt his origin energy resonate with Fenrir as a violent sword force erupted to life, along with a newly awakened force that poured strength into his muscles.

His astral light unexpectedly poured into Fenrir from the astralis in his hands.

"Fenrir can use Xavier's sword force without him? It can even take in my astral force? So this is a natal weapon!" Jody didn't have time to dwell on this, however. He hurriedly poured more force into the gluttonous Fenrir.

He burned 100 blade stars!

100 twilight stars!

100 death stars!

100 of the evolving rage stars!

Jody finally felt like Fenrir couldn't contain any more energy as he slashed out with all his might, "Endless Carnage, Slaughter!"

At the same time, he activated Catastrophic Inverse!

RIIIIP~

"AH…AH…Ah ARGH!"

"My force sea! My pure force, no!"

A devastating black sword light ripped directly through the two dark elf knight's suits of armor. Fenrir came crashing down on them, tearing the first one straight in half in a mess of blue blood and spraying guts. A large bloody hole appeared on the torso of the other elves. A previously hidden elf's defensive barrier cracked as a hole appeared in his chest. The bloody wave shot through their bodies, and both of them landed with a thud on the ground.

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[Imp: Enemy Slain! Loot captured!]

[Imp: You have slain the 3-star Killer Essence rank elf, Bronsung Black.]

[Imp: Loot - 5,150 death crystals, 4,250 slaughter crystals, 2,800 twilight crystals, 5000 fate crystals.]

[Imp: Esoteric knowledge of sainthood.....]

[Imp: Enemy Slain! Loot captured!]

[Imp: You have slain the 6-star Killer Essence rank...]

[Imp: Loot - 6,550 death crystals, 8,100 slaughter crystals, 3500 twilight crystals, 5000 fate crystals.]

[Imp: Esoteric knowledge of sainthood.....]

[Imp: Enemy Slain! Loot captured!]

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The magic mirror on the stealth knight's hip skated away from him in the dirt. The dark elf knight struggled to crawl to it, but he accidentally triggered the killing formation!

In a frenzied display of power, savage demonic sickles erupted from the cursed ground like giant shark fins, viciously tearing through flesh and bone. One sliced through the dark elf knight's outstretched arm, leaving a trail of blood and sinew in its wake, while another snatched his head clean off his shoulders from the opposite direction. The ground shook with the force of their attack, and the air smelled of death and destruction.

Jody was stunned as he collapsed to his knees, then rapidly crawled backward while dragging the oh-so-heavy Fenrir. He paled as he looked at the glowing curse seals arranged on the ground covered in blue blood before they slowly faded away as if they weren't there.

"What in the bloody hell was that?"

He had summoned every power he could handle to deliver that strike. But still, how fucking mighty was that? This Fenrir augmented his power dramatically! Not only that, be he seemed to reach a new threshold in his body's transformation!

"You finally activated the combat seed, albeit unconsciously," Sylvester told Jody via telepathy. "You completely elevated your rage force to slaughter force by fusing astral light as the base. Good show."

"Combat seeds? What are those?" asked Jody as he suddenly felt a soft hand wrap around his own as he melted into the darkness.

He felt his body jerk then accelerate like on a go-cart.

"Remember the when we first met in this life? I said I would give you a gift. This gift was the lineage seals of myself and my brother, I imprinted them on your force genesis early, forcing your body to enter the awakening state," Sylvester replied matter-of-factly.

"You…forced me into the awakening state? Couldn't that damage my potential!?" shouted Jody, suddenly vexed.

"Yes," responded Sylvester indifferently. "This is why I took advantage of your weakened consciousness to slowly cook you with Sky Fall, further reinforcing and refining your physique. You currently have the nascent Sky Fall Physique. Of course, to do this, I had to take control of the Main Soul."

"You can do that?"

"But of course. Who was it that gave you control in the first place?"

"This is true. Combat seed though?"

"The combat seed is the link between your force genesis and the essence of our soul flames. Through it, we may share strength with you as you grow. In exchange, you must facilitate our growth as well." Sylvester's ever cold and indifferent voice rang truth.