System Upgrade, Apuch's Fate

"Noo…Nooo!"

Apuch screeched and shrilled, but that was not enough to overpower Aleron's will that was overpowering his will.

Things didn't go according to his plan at all, and instead of disturbing Aleron, Apuch himself was disturbed by his own undoing. 

'Noo!!'

Apuch screamed as the bright brilliance of Aleron ate up all of his darkness.

Aleron roared and gave his everything, lightning up the mindscape with a dreamy golden brilliance resulting from his sharpened willpower that fueled his soul force.

Apuch's expression finally changed from madness and ferocious to horrified as he felt his end nigh.

If he lost and let that brilliance consume him, he would die! Forever, and ever! His psyche would vanish!

'I…I don't want to dieeee!!'

He didn't want to die.

And so…he gave up.

Aleron felt all restrictions on him vanishing and got back control of his own body, while his senses also returned to normal from being trapped in the mindscape.

His eyes abruptly shot open as he saw the familiar ceiling of the royal bedchamber.

As if he had stored air within him for long, he exhaled strongly before sitting up on the bed.

"Master!" 

Aleron turned to the left and saw Enorin was already wrapping her arms around his back before feeling a warm and reassured hug.

"My lord…"

Aleron looked at his left side and saw two slightly transparent black cocoons with Darzax and Riki in them.

"Nothing, my lord," Darzax smiled with gladness in his eyes. "I knew you would win and return."

"Easy peasy for the boss," Riki tried his best to grin, but it looked comical due to his messed up face.

Enorin looked at Aleron with teary eyes and nodded while smiling as she uttered with her lips wiggling, "Welcome back."

Aleron's smile couldn't be any broader and his eyes moved to tears as he could he felt just how much he meant to them.

"I am back."

…

Aleron used Magilore and created the best healing skills possible for Angel like Enorin and Undead like Darzax and Riki.

Due to Magilore's potency and how Aleron had an unlimited amount of it, he put the trio in different healing bubbles.

Arriving at the balcony's edge, his hand rested on the wooden fence as he looked at the lively necropolis, beastfolk village, and the two moons of this secret realm's sky while his smile remained constant.

"Everything is good, everyone is fine."

"And I am alive and well."

Aleron laughed. 

It was a laugh of triumph!

He won against a powerful foe and saved the day!

[System Upgrade is available.]

"You're in a hurry, eh?" Aleron cheekily grinned and looked at the system panel.

[Ultimate Gacha System]

-Level: 1

-Gacha Points: 100,520.

'Hehe…' Aleron gleefully giggled at the number of Gacha Points.

'System upgrade!'

[10,000 Gacha Points have been used to upgrade the system.]

Aleron felt an otherworldy feeling enveloping him as if his own existence was being elevated.

But it only lasted for a brief moment.

[Ultimate Gacha System has been upgraded to level 2.]

[ 3 x Banners slots have been added.]

[A new function has been unlocked—Banner Adjustment: You can remove a banner pool and replace it if your banner slots are filled up.]

[ The feature <Banner Pond> has been unlocked in the Gacha Room. ]

[ Two Banner Prints that can turn into banner pools are available to invoke. (1) Arsenal of Elemental Armaments. (2) Exotic Demons of Netherworlds. ]

'Woah!' Aleron's eyes sparkled.

Suddenly, Aleron saw a cute transparent blue slime with golden pulsing patterns in his mind.

[Master, I am Gachapi. Nice to meet you.]

The slime sounded polite and formal, but it had no facial features like eyes or mouth. It only had patterns that pulsed as it spoke in its cute voice.

Aleron was surprised. 'Gachapi…so you are the system?'

[Gachapi: Yes, master. Do you want me to invoke both banner prints?]

Aleron smiled and nodded.

'Invoke both of them.'

Aleron got the notifications immediately.

[A new banner pool has been created: Arsenal of Elemental Armaments.]

[A new banner pool has been created: Exotic Demons of Netherworlds.]

[Gachapi: Master, what do you want me to do to the rat that is hiding in your sea of consciousness?]

Apuch, who was hidden and left only a bit of his psyche soul after losing against Aleron, was horrified.

'How did he find me?! I fucking hid well and I am on the verge of dying!'

Aleron sneered. He had already sensed its presence but was ignoring it to see if it was going to do anything. Essentially, it was trapped in him now and he also felt that it would be easy to kill Apuch completely by using Magilore and Soul Force in tandem.

It was true that Akuma had great resistance to Magic, but Magilore was a different story! This was also why he, Darzax, and Enorin tried to kill Apuch by booting Enorin's attack with his Magilore, though they failed, and he possessed Aleron upon sensing Magilore in him.

However, now that they were no longer locked in the battle of wills and Apuch was on the verge of dying, Aleron could easily end Apuch's life by combining his soul force with Magilore.

Apuch sensed Aleron's attention on him via his consciousness and visibly let out a trembling wavelength filled with fear.

"D-Don't kill me, please."

Apuch pleaded.

In front of death, Apuch didn't keep any pride or reservation. Survival was his top priority, so he begged without holding back.

However, Apuch only felt frigid coldness assaulting him in response to his begging.

"You don't think twice when it comes to spreading suffering, so don't think that I'll release you by granting you death."

For Aleron, Death was a flexible freedom. To those whose lives were suffering with no end, it was a good freedom.

To those who were spreading suffering to others, it was a wasted freedom. 

Aleron didn't want to give this Akuma its freedom. He didn't deserve it!

"You will live, Apuch."

Aleron icily looked at the tiny black-violet wisp with two tiny eyes and a mouth with gray fangs, looking feeble and cowardly.

"From now on, your existence must continue to spread prosperity instead of suffering for as long as you live."

Aleron coldly snorted and added, "Stay in this corner and taste some of the pain you've been inflicting on others while I think of some ways to use you."

Aleron used Magilore and created a torturous spell of Fire-attribute and lightning-attribute with the intention to inflict pain, but low damage.

He added a minimal healing effect in it to keep it alive and offset the low damage of the torture spell.

"Arghhhh!!"

'If I can get him under my complete control, that would be best.'

Aleron focused back on the banners afterward and reverted to his jolly mood after putting Apuch in the back of his mind.

"Alright, Gachapi. Let's summon right away," Aleron rubbed his palms and eagerly used up the free ticket of Arsenal of Elemental Armaments.

[As this is your first summon of this banner. You will summon an item from the highest category of this banner pool.]

Looking at the exotic weapons, armor, and various items in the whirling pool, Aleron was excited. 'A powerful item incoming.'

After a few seconds, one of the items spewed out of the whirling pool—A dark purple bow glistering with dreamy silver and black patterns.

[Congratulations, you have summoned a Primeval-rank Weapon — Echostorm Starwink Bow.]