The Arbiter

2 weeks after Wumianzhe's Ascension to Godhood. After Annie took over the position of the City Lord, many things started to fall back into place. Due to Roland's departure, Adam was much more caring towards Elisa.

However, what was reassuring was that Elisa was exceptionally strong. She didn't wallow in sadness as they had expected. Rather, she not only worked as per normal, she showed even more smiles than she usually did, as though as she had already gotten past her previous trauma.

But, it seemed that she was only using work as an excuse to bury her sadness. She took the initiative to work overtime, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. She appeared less and less frequently in public places. Her friends also sympathetically didn't interrupt her at this point in time.

At the same time, outside Sulfur Mountain City, the hot spring that Adam had built out of a whim became a tourism spot well-known within the city.

The originally normal pool water was used by Adam as a medium to draw heat away from the Ancient Fire Elemental God. In order to suppress and weaken the Ancient Fire Elemental God, Annie took over his job and went there every night to draw heat away from the pool.

Due to the excessive heat, the pool water turned into a man-made hot spring. After the news that the Druids had inspected the water, which had a hint of sulfur smell similar to that of the mines, and affirmed that the water was beneficial to one's body, it instantly became the hottest tourism spot of Sulfur Mountain City.

However, it was a pity that good sights didn't last long. The extraction of heat that was estimated to go on for at least more than a decade suddenly came to an end. In less than a week, the water of the hot spring cooled down. After a commotion that lasted for just a few days, it reverted back into a deserted land without a single person.

Releasing Arolaweiss only when he was weakened to his limits, thus halting any plans that the Chaos Faction had regarding him. At the same time, allowing the Elemental Tide to progress as how it did in 'history' while weakening the impacts of the release of the Ancient Elemental God. This had been the plan which Roland and the rest came up with after a series of discussions.

But, at this moment, the heat suddenly vanished. This could only mean that the Ancient Fire Elemental God Arolaweiss had grown weak more rapidly than they had anticipated … or even died. The Chaos Faction could not possibly allow such a thing to happen. The one who came previously was a Count, the next one might just happen to be a Duke. It was something that made one worry about.

However, what was bizarre was that even after Adam and the rest heightened their awareness and the security around the area, even stopping the drawing of heat from the spring, the pool water mysteriously became colder and colder. Even so, the Chaos Faction didn't make any moves.

This lack of reaction made one feel like there might be a greater scheme behind it.

Annie, who was tasked to looked over this spring, would come every day to inspect the spring. Today, she had decided to follow one of the suggestions of her godfather and dig a little hole in the water to bury herself in it. Finally, through this foolish method, she found the culprit behind Arolaweiss's weakening.

At midnight, at the peak of the freezing cliff, two female warriors were crossing blows.

Similar to the countless sparring session they had, Annie, as a Warrior, was being suppressed by a Mage in a direct battle. Just as she was putting all of her mind into the physical brawl, a cold thread suddenly hooked onto her ankles.

Then, with a pull of the thread, the enemy made use of her loss of balance to throw in a few blows. Her old opponent didn't go easy on her at all. The young Annie was totally bound with several cuts by the threads on her body.

"Why? Why?? Big Sister Elisa! What have you done?!"

Yes, the one who had turned the pool water icy cold and caused the Ancient Fire Elemental God to weaken to the point of death was Elisa.

"What did I do? I only used my Marauder to rob the Ancient Fire Elemental God of his powers. Arolaweiss, who is completely suppressed by the seal, to me, who is also of the Fire Element belonging to the Chaos Faction, is a piece of delicious and nutritious fodder."

"You… Impossible! That's should be way beyond the limits of your physical body! How could an ant eat an elephant?"

"Then, I will just have to snack on him in little bits to increase the capacity of my physical body."

The mountainous winds cut at night. A cold gale blew and the dark clouds scattered slightly. The faint yellow lights of the luminescent algae shone down. It was a familiar face, yet it seemed slightly unfamiliar.

Half of her originally silky-smooth silver hair had been dyed a blood red colour by the Fire Element. The other half of her hair had the additional smell of ice. Her previously icy cold vanished without a trace. On her face which rivaled those of the seductive succubus was an even colder smile. It was the kind of brutal smile that looked forward to playing with its prey and slaughter it. The night wind blew apart her fringes, revealing the dim yellow narrowed pupils of a beast, the most distinguishing sign of a Demon.

At this moment, Elisa was no longer a Half-Demon. After letting go of herself and accepting the calling of the Abyss, she had already turned into a true Demon.

In an instant, Annie understood it all.

"Then, what about Kakajil's heart which was placed in the nation storage vault? Did you take it too?"

A demon's heart was the source of their power. Demons consumed each other to evolve. In actuality, the thing that they ate was the other's heart. In that war, Kakajil's physical body was reduced into ashes, but its heart still remained, making it the most valuable spoil of war, thus it was kept in the national vault.

"Yes. Although I stamped the Internal Affairs Bureau and the Supreme Court's seal by myself, no one actually bothered to check it and allowed me to simply walk into the vault. I spent a week to devour those 4 Demonic Hearts."

No matter how much you tried to prevent something from happening, an insider's job was always hard to guard against. Who would have expected that the most probable successor to the Supreme Court and the Internal Affairs Bureau would actually steal the thing she was supposed to guard?

Elisa's Soul Imprint was very unique. It allowed her to take away power as long as her body was able to bear it. Kakajil, who had scorched the land it walked on and had been proficient in using shooting stars and fire rain kinds of Forbidden Spells, had also been a Fire Element Demon, making him another suitable nutritious fodder for Elisa.

Cold sweat trickled down Annie's back. She also knew the ability of Elisa's Soul Imprint and the basic ability of Demons to consume each other to further their power was a perfect match with her Marauder. With these two together, even if Elisa couldn't match up with Kakajil at that moment, she wasn't far off from him.

"It seems that you finally understand? In order to sustain this state of mine without being driven off to another Dimension, it isn't really easy for me. Don't force me to use my true strength, it won't be good for anyone."

There was a hint of bitterness to Elisa's smile. She finally attained the power she had hoped for but the first person she had to use it on after obtaining it was actually one of her own friends. This was really a kind of amazing irony.

After finishing her piece, she intended to leave like that. Since she got found out, it was best for her to hasten the speed of the devouring, perhaps opening the seal tonight to complete the devouring.

"Like that, Uncle Bones will be upset!"

"Upset? He only treats me as his daughter, his younger sister. I don't want that kind of upset."

"Don't be like that, Big Sister Elisa. There must be some other way, we can work it out together."

Annie's shout from behind her made her stop. Annie thought that she was hesitating but what she was about to face was Elisa's furious questioning.

"Annie Layde! What do you know! Do you think that everyone is as fortunate as you, destined to become a powerful expert?!?! It took me nearly a century to reach my current level but you are able to stand at the same height as me despite not even being 20. If this goes on, give it another 20 years, after you fully merge with the Phoenix's Heart, I will be even less of an opponent to you. Is this the difference between our talents and hard work?!?! You're a genius that everyone takes good care of. Everyone dotes on you, the Phoenix Inheritance waits for you, the Godsword 'Blessing of the Phoenix' waits for you, the seat of the City Lord waits for you! As for me, what do I have? I only had that log-headed fool! Now, because of these darned calamities, he's about to leave me too!! I don't have anything left… nothing left. Speak, how do you intend for me to accept such a reality!!!"

"Big Sister Elisa…" Mumbling, Annie really didn't know how she could reply.

"Do you know how it feels like watching the Light of Order shining down on you, bringing about your impending doom? Do you know how it feels like to watch the person you love die again and again? I have had enough. I have had enough of this feeling of weakness and inability to do anything. I have had enough of standing behind that fool, watching him being wounded again and again. This time, I want to amass sufficient power to stand by his side, regardless where the power comes from! Regardless of whether this power is the evil in everyone's eyes!!!"

Under Annie's question, the icy cold emotionless mask finally shattered. All the emotions that she had been accumulating finally found an opening to be released. Along with her furious howls that came from deep within her heart, tears started to fall from the young lady with clenched fists, but they turned into embers from the overflowing Fire mana within her, extinguished in midair.

Seeing the tears of the other party, Annie stood up.

"Annie doesn't understand, but Annie knows that if Big Sister Elisa steps into the world of Demons, Uncle Bones will be depressed. Annie doesn't want Uncle Bones to be depressed, nor does Annie want Big Sister Elisa to leave. Annie doesn't want this kind of future. Annie just wants everyone to stay together happily, to have a future where no one has to shed tears!"

The flames of the Phoenix burnt once again. The bloodline which turned one stronger the more they underwent turned Annie into a human-shaped Phoenix. As the light of Rules lit up, a Soul Imprint of the Order Faction finally forms. At this crucial moment, Annie Layde successfully broke through into the realm of Legends!

"The Watcher!"

The flames of the Phoenix turned into an insignia of a shield and bow crossing each other with clear eyes behind them. The insignia showed the nature of the Soul Imprint, to protect and to watch over.

Following afterwards, the faint image of a Phoenix burning in an inferno showed that she was definitely not any kind of normal Legend-rank. After breaking through this bottleneck, she immediately headed directly towards the next bottleneck and attempted to advance into the realm of Saints.

Before Annie could even make sense of her new-found power after breaking into the realm of Legends, a punch headed straight towards her face. The fearsome brute strength sent the Legend-rank Warrior flying. In the next moment, countless threads followed her and bound her once more.

"Annie, let Big Sister teach you one final lesson. Without power, you can't achieve anything. A kind will without power to back it up, it's just harming you yourself and those around you!"

Along with the rising flames, the new Demon Noble Elisa showcased her power. With a furious roar, the endless Phoenix Flames were absorbed by her.

Under the heavy blows of Elisa, Annie was unable to retaliate anyhow and fainted. With the threads drawing power from her, the newborn Legend expert would probably end up asleep for a long time.

At this moment, there was no longer anyone who was able to stop Elisa from completing her evolution through devouring Arolaweiss. When the future Demon Marchioness walked out from the seal, two people were already waiting at the entrance. Annie, who was left hanging on the tree, was now lying peacefully in the embrace of a figure dressed in blue.

"Hey, Elisa."

Still the same greeting without any consideration for the atmosphere. It seemed as though the 3 of them had planned on this meeting together, Elisa and the two SemiGods weren't in the least surprised by the other party's presence.

"You two aren't going to stop me?"

"Of course, everyone has the right to choose their own future. This is your choice, so why should be stop you? We are just here to send you off. It matters not whether you are Elisa or Lisa, at the very least, we were once friends..."

Squatting there and speaking unreliable words, Adam took out a handkerchief and waved to send her off. Immediately afterwards, the handkerchief with blue lilies stitched on it was confiscated by Margaret, who was blushing bright red.

"'Without power, you can't achieve anything. A kind will without power to back it up, it's just harming you yourself and those around you!' Although it's a bit extreme, you aren't wrong. Annie should be able to accept it."

Margaret was looking at Elisa with a face that was similar to how one would be delighted by their best apprentice doing well in her career. While saying these words, she nodded her head in approval.

Since they heard all these, it meant that they had arrived long ago, just that they didn't appear earlier. Shaking her head, Elisa didn't say anything else. After all, some things were better left unsaid.

As the Demon Gate opened and Elisa was about to walk in, Margaret's voice suddenly sounded out again, only this time, the usual coldness in her voice was absent and in its place was warmth.

"No matter what happens, Sulfur Mountain City is your home. If you suffer any grievances, you're welcome back anytime."

"I will be back. Roland that fool needs me."

As the voice disappeared as the Dimension Gate closes, leaving two SemiGods staring at each other.

"Looks like Elisa has finally found something within her. From my estimates, there's an 80% chance that Roland, being soft in his heart despite having a vicious mouth, will be unable to withstand her attacks. What do we do with Annie now? What about the thing you promised her?"

This time, it was Adam's turn to look helpless.

"Initially, I intended to come up with a last minute entrust. Before my death, I would have held Roland's hand and say 'promise me that you will marry Annie, otherwise I will be unable to die in peace'. Going by Roland's personality, he would most probably agree to it on the spot. As long as he agreed to it, he would most probably carry out his promise. But, I didn't manage to die so, why don't we try it once again after Roland returns?"

Alright, it seemed that Adam's supposed preparations had actually just been this. But, should it be said, as expected of Adam? It might seem nonsensical but he was able to accurately pinpoint on the vitals. If he really had gone through with it, there was a high possibility of it actually succeeding.

Looking at his foolish face, Margaret's anger appeared all at once.

"Nonsense! Do you believe that fool Roland would really kill you with a single blade? Forget it, let's not bother anymore. Our child will find the one suited for her, let her settle it by herself."

————–

"Alright, let me revive!! Right, there's still Elisa! What happened to her?! Also, who released the seal of the Ancient Fire Elemental God?!"

There was no reply to my question once again. In the end, a piece of memory pierced through my mind, one that was left behind by Elisa.

That memory flashed through my brain and after that, I was silent for a long while.

"Is it worth it?"

"Of course, you had asked something like that before. Do you remember it?"

I suddenly recalled, that was when I had revealed the plan to Elisa. This was how she'd asked me.

["Master, to sacrifice so much, is it worth it?"

"Un, of course it's worth it. There won't be any rewards if we don't sacrifice something in return. If we don't change anything, all that awaits this world is destruction and calamity. Personally, I think that there's still a lot of things in this world worth living for."]

But, the voice of a young lady suddenly projected out at this point.

"But, don't be mistaken. I'm not doing this for the world. I'm just doing this for a log-headed fool. Remember, the world doesn't owe me a favor, but you do."

After being silent for a long time, I finally laughed.

"Fine, I owe you that. When you return, I will repay you."

"That's more like it. I shall help you look up news on Karwenz. That's all. Recently, I've been really busy. Those Demon rascals, they betray me and conduct rebellions time after time, again and again, they're even more deserving of a beating than you."

Soon after, the silver ring darkened. It was difficult for a communication device to transcend dimensions. Based on the description by the system, this ring could only be activated a maximum of 3 times every day and the total time it was activated couldn't surpass a minute. Seeing by how contact was made suddenly these two times, the word to activate this ring was probably 'Elisa'.

At this moment, I solemnly jotted down this favor I owed in my mind and turned my attention towards the System. In this instant, the System, in response to my request, had listed down all of the different types of physical body I could create.

[Normal Human's Physical Body,

Strength: 10

Dexterity: 10

Stamina: 10

Intelligence: 27

Will: 19

Charisma: 10

Race Talent: NIL

Lifespan: 60 years

Recommended Job: Any Job]

This Normal Human's Physical Body was really not worth mentioning. Other than the Intelligence and Will stats that came along with the soul, the other stats were a mere 10 points. Furthermore, it had a short lifespan. Naturally, I wouldn't choose it. However, the advantages that a Human possessed was that it could choose any job and was able to move freely on the surface.

The difference in basic stats may not seemed like a big thing at this point but as they grew, the gap in the basic stats and race talents would just grow bigger and bigger. This was the greatest disadvantage of the body.

The System also had quite the one-sided mind. It listed out more than 50 types of body but over half of them were just a white-tier physical body (No System Ranking) that I wouldn't even consider. The ones that attracted me the most were naturally the few Golden Bloodlines listed at the very bottom.

[Son of the Ancient Red Dragon, Dragon Descendant

Strength: 19

Dexterity: 12

Stamina: 28

Intelligence: 25

Will: 17

Charisma: 16

Race Talent: Dragon Form, Dragon Wings, Dragon Breath

Recommended Jobs: Mage, Warrior

Lifespan: 2000

Evaluation: Silver-pinnacle

System Notice: You can find Dragon Empress Einz Mezus to undergo the Dragon Form Ritual to gain her bloodline to turn into a true dragon. Considering your relationship with her, it isn't hard to carry out this task at all. However, you will probably have to call her mum in the future.]

Although the System Notice really made one at a loss of words, the power of the Red Dragon was not one to be underestimated. An Ancient Red Dragon was on the level of a Half-Diamond Bloodline. If they were to evolve into an Immemorial Dragon and obtain a Diamond Bloodline, their battle prowess would be even more reliable. Furthermore, after playing around as Lich for a long period of time, I had had enough of having a brittle physical body. The powerful physical body of the Dragon Tribe was indeed very attractive. But, the decrease in the Intelligence and Will stats rather than being increased, showed that this physical body had a negative impact on Intelligence.

However, considering that I would be heading towards Human civilization in the future, an obviously unorthodox species such as a Dragon Descendant wasn't very suited. I would only keep this in mind and consider it if there weren't any better choices.

[The Immortal One, Man-made Physical Body

Strength: 12

Dexterity: 12

Stamina: 15

Intelligence: 30

Will: 20

Charisma: 18

Race Talent: Immortality, Rapid Learning, Spellcasting Proficiency

Recommended Job: Mage (After that, Saint is recommended)

Evaluation: Hold

System Notice: There is no need talked about how this bloodline came about, it's definitely powerful. As it's the clone of a particular person, there might be some side effects, such as having the same outer appearance and skin colour as the original, you understand. If you call in now, we shall even send you a complimentary Margaret suit!]

Side effect? Similar skin color? I think even the face would look alike. A portion similar to her? I reckon that it would be identical, turning me into a woman. Trying to scam me? It won't be that easy! A straight pass!

[The Divine Child of the God of Law, God Descendant

Strength: 12

Dexterity: 12

Stamina: 18

Intelligence: 27

Will: 17

Charisma: 20

Race Talent: Son of Law (The speed with which the Power of Law powers up at is increased by 100% and its effectiveness is heightened by 30%)

Recommended Job: The bunch of Law Jobs which you invented yourself

Evaluation: Gold

System Notice: Stop hesitating. This is the job most suited for you. Also, I would like to ask you, how does it felt being your own son?]

Alright, ignoring the darned notice once again, I was a little tempted by this physical body. However, this body of a God Descendant was obviously sided towards the Order Faction, which meant I would have to split ways with Necromancy. This way, my [The Infallible Diffindor] would turn useless.

On this point, the weakest humans were instead the strongest. They didn't have any inclinations towards any factions, they were able to undertake any jobs and they could utilize any power.

However, thinking of humans, I recalled the previous generations of the children of Order, reminding me of the two unique presents that Ayer gifted me, so I immediately handed them over to the System.

After a long period of time, in the menu list of the System, two more physical body options appeared.

[The Bloodline of the 1st Generation Child of Order (Royalty), God Descendant

Strength: 18

Dexterity: 18

Stamina: 20

Intelligence: 27

Will: 17

Charisma: 20

Race Talent: War Angel Form

Evaluation: Diamond Bloodline

Recommended Job: Order Knight

System Notice: As expected of the ones favored by the Goddess of Order, powerful beyond any expectations. Order Knight is a basic job that System created based on this bloodline. It is able to use any Power of Order, including Law and Holy Light. It is definitely powerful. Perhaps, it might not be as powerful as the one below, but it definitely has limitless potential.]

Some things could only be seen through comparison. Without doubt, this bloodline was really overpowered. However, the Child of Order had the same weakness as the Child of Law, they weren't able to tolerate Necromancy, causing negative effects on my Soul World.

On the other hand…

[The Bloodline of the 1st Generation Child of Chaos (Royalty), Demon Descendant

Strength: 22

Dexterity: 20

Stamina: 22

Intelligence: 29

Will: 20

Charisma: 8

Race Talent: Sinful Devil God Form

Evaluation: Diamond Bloodline

Recommended Job: Chaos Witch King, Devil Knight

System Notice: Seriously overpowered basic stats together with a perfect physical body. Choose him and you will obtain endless power. Of course, if you were to accidentally reveal your Devil Bloodline, hehe, just hope that you can run fast enough.]

Other than Charisma, all of the basic stats were beyond 20. These were stats that were easily above the basic stats of Legend-rank experts. This physical body was really powerful beyond all imagination. However, it had the exact same problem as the one above, it was unable to tolerate the Powers of Order.

Thus, I really hesitated. Without a doubt, this choice was extremely important. But, no matter which one I chose, there would be regrets left behind.

"If only I could combine both of them together into one…"

How could there be such a wonderful thing in the world? Just by thinking about it, one would know that it was impossible. Thus, I shook my head but suddenly, the System rang out.

"It's possible, but Fate Points will have to be paid for the physical bodies for both of the bloodlines."

"What? If it's doable, why didn't you say so earlier? Why didn't you list it out?"

"You didn't ask me."

"Fine, stop the crap, quickly list it out."

[Bloodline of The Arbiter

Strength: 19

Dexterity: 19

Stamina: 19

Intelligence: 29

Will: 19

Charisma: 19

Race Talent: War Angel Form, Sinful Devil God Form

Evaluation: Double Diamond Bloodline

Recommended Jobs: Order Knight/Chaos Witch King

System Notice: The bloodline of the Arbiter which lies on the border of both Order and Chaos doesn't belong to any of the Factions and is also able to coexist with any of the Factions. The Bloodlines which come from the same source but yet are different created this miracle-like physical body. Perhaps, it can't be said to be the strongest, but it definitely holds the greatest potential.]

Looking at this, I was delighted. However, I hesitated and asked a question which showed my lack of contentment.

"Since we are able to mix, then can we add a bit of Dragon Blood, Phoenix Blood and such to strengthen the toughness of the physical body? I could gather blood fro-"

However, the System's reply was a bucket of cold water.

"Do you think that a mixed-breed dog will be more valuable than a pure-breed dog? This's the cloning of genetics to create a physical body, not creating a medicine. Excessive bloodlines will only cause the physical body to break apart. You will be fortunate if you just turn into a monster. This physical body was only possible as both bloodlines originated from the same source but under a Creator God level God Powers, turned into two opposite kinds of lifeforms, that's why it was possible for them to merge together as one. This was a rare exception. However, you can try to collect 7 different colors of Dragon Blood and make a wish, see if it can become a rainbow-colored Dragon Bloodline. I shall help you make a Mary Sue1's 7-colored long hair!!!"

Since that's the case, then there's nothing more to talk about. This would be it. However, going by my understanding of the System's willingness to scam me, it would be weird if there was nothing wrong with the body. There was no mistake by being wary.

"What kind of deficiencies does this physical body hves, just tell it to me straight."

"This body, in order to maintain equality, has to train in both Order and Chaos Power simultaneously, thus requiring one to invest a large amount of time and effort."

"Double basic jobs? Order Knight/Chaos Witch King? This seems like a good thing. Or rather, are there any other fatal flaws?"

Opening the introduction page to the System's Job Introduction, I found out that Order Knight was just like the combination of both Holy Knight and Justice Knight while Chaos Witch King was the combination of Necromancer and Elemental Mage. These were all routes I had traveled on before and thus, they were paths that suited me the best.

This double job wasn't separate. On the screen, the four skill trees intersected with each other, forming each other. The skills and abilities that I had learnt before were indicated by a gray mark on the skill tree. For example, [Ice Aeon] which was on the top of the Ice Magic skill tree and [The Infallible Diffindor] which required all 4 classes to be at least of Legend-rank. At the point where the Necromancy skill tree and Ice Magic skill tree intersect, there were even combination techniques like [Summon Ice Lich].

"The growth rate of special classes is 1.5 times the difficulty of normal classes. However, going by the two times difficulty of a double special class and considering the slow physical body growth rate of a Double Diamond Bloodline, all in all, it is at least 3 times the difficulty of a normal human's growth."

Hearing this, I only felt joy. Wasn't it just a 3 times experience penalty, what did I have to be scared about growing slightly slower? After all, I was able to use Fate Points in order to forcefully raise my experience bar.

Right now, more and more problems would keep coming our way one after the other. Even if I didn't have enough points at the moment, I could just do a few more Epic Missions to earn them. I was not afraid of growing slowly, I was just afraid that it won't turn out strong enough in the end.

"Alright, this will be it!!"

The physical body which had a sales price of a hulking 200000 Fate Points, after using the discount voucher, turned into 100000 Fate Points. Even so, the points that I had earned with so much great difficulty only had 20000 remaining. It was difficult to earn money, but easy to squander it all in an instant.

Following the descent of light on my body, the familiar touch of a physical body brought comfort to me. I, Roland Mist, was finally revived. Finally, I was a man once again. I finally had my little partner. I could finally openly whistle towards beautiful ladies!

As usual, my happiness wasn't long-lived…

Very quickly, when I looked at my reflection by the dark river, a scream of agony was released once again.

"System! You actually scammed me again! One of these days, I will strike you!"

"You didn't ask about it. Hehe, the motto of our service is that your dissatisfaction is our satisfaction, your unhappiness is our happiness, the one we are scamming is you! Thank you for your patronage, we shall be looking forward to your return. Oh, and don't forget to leave positive reviews!"