Chapter 165: 2nd Emperor's Dying Message
--- Chapter 162 ---
[Rewards: 1x Random Item of All Grades, Beast King's Core, A drop of Fairy Tree's dew, Endless Black Ocean Art(S)]
[Do you want to pull the random item?]
[Yes/No]
"No, not yet. This quest's reward is too valuable to be opened here."
"Such a waste." Huo Yuhao decided to keep the reward unopened.
Moving his gaze to other rewards, Huo Yuhao checked their descriptions one by one.
[Name: Beast King's Core]
[Type: Consumable/Material]
[Grade: SS+]
[Description: The condensed blood of Beast King, possessing fierce moonlight element and beastly aura. Consuming the Beast King's Core allows one to obtain the power of the moon and beast. Adds "Moon's Blessing." to the item when used to create something and enhance the efficiency by 250%]
[Name: Fairy Tree's Drop]
[Type: Consumable/Ingredient]
[Grade: SSS+]
[Description: A single dew drop from Fairy Tree, the oldest known tree in the Eternal Faerie Universe. It holds the life energy of seven thousand stars, capable to recovers any wounds and bringing death to life]
[Upon consuming the Fairy Tree's Drop, it will protect one's soul, bless one's body, and transcend one's spirit to a higher stage]
[Heavily Recommended to process Fairy Tree's Drop with Alchemy first to enhance the effect even further]
[Name: Endless Black Ocean Art]
[Type: Energy Cultivation/Enhancer Art]
[Grade: S]
[Description: Innate Energy Cultivation Art that draws ambiguous yet pure energy from one's soul. The stronger one's soul, the stronger that person could draw and use. Endless Black Ocean Art is extremely dangerous and needs to be trained in caution because cultivating it could injure the user's soul beyond repair]
[Upon mastering the technique 1st layer, the user of Endless Black Ocean Art could injure the enemy's soul with all attacks infused with Soul Energy]
[Do you want to learn Endless Black Ocean Art?]
[Yes/No]
Huo Yuhao stared at the system panel blankly and breathed in, pressing the yes button with his finger. The content of Endless Black Ocean Art blew his mind in amazement, causing him to smile weakly.
"Soul is the origin of everything."
"Soul is the basis of everything."
"Everything shall return to Soul Land, enemy or not."
"Soul Land, Endless Black Ocean that led everything to the source of the universe." Huo Yuhao closed his eyes and felt something growing in his chest, heating rapidly.
[Gathering of Ten Thousand Waves created harmony with Endless Black Ocean Art]
[New Triat: Endless Soul Waves automatically created]
[Protecting the Core Soul with Endless Waves]
[All Soul-Related Damage received will be reduced by 90%]
[Nullify Soul Manipulation against the host]
[Gathering of Ten Thousand Waves has reached level 6]
[Endless Black Ocean Art has reached 3rd Layer]
[In addition, The number of shadows you could store has increased to 10.000]
"..." Huo Yuhao was speechless.
"What a bountiful harvest I have..."
"Well, better be lucky than none at all."
"I'll save the Beast King's Core for later. This body couldn't handle too many upgrades at one time."
Huo Yuhao yawned and opened his eyes slowly, seeing the sunrise appear from the garden. He was bathed in the warm rays and breathed using Universal Breathing Technique to stabilize his energy.
Three energies are swirling within him now.
Inner Energy.
Spiritual(Mental) Energy.
Soul Energy.
"Open status."
[Name: Theomars von Valstrax(Huo Yuhao)]
[Age: 19 years old]
[Race: Ancient Ink Devil(Peak/80%)]
[Cultivation: 9th Class Devil Warrior(Peak/Recultivated)]
[Battle Power: Tenth Class(Peak)]
[Passive Skill: Ancient Devil Regeneration(A), Poison Immunity(S), Devil Force: Forced Plundering(S), Tracing(A), Art Mastery(A), Perfect Body(S), Perfect Control(S), Weapon Mastery(A+), Cold-Blooded(SS), Ogre King's Devil Flame(SS), Steel-Like Body(SS)]
[Active Skill: Darkness Manipulation, Death Manipulation, All-Transforming Ink(D+), Eternal Shadow(6.969+), Devil Trigger(SS), Devil's Taboo(SSS/Sealed)]
[Plundered Devil Force: Illusionary Manifestation(2 Uses left)]
[Technique: Gathering of Ten Thousand Waves, Extreme Lightning Mirage, Haki(+), White Room's Martial Arts, Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, Endless Black Ocean Art]
[Slave: Alexandra(Permanent), Mercy(Permanent), Clara(Permanent), Harmonia(Permanent), Triana(Permanent)]
[Description: Transmigrated Person, Black Pearl Castle's Lord, Titania's Heir, Valstrax's Greatest Child]
"Show my kill counts, Evo." Huo Yuhao said while meditating.
[Objective: 2.074.269.013/100.000.000.001]
"2%, huh?"
"I was hoping the number went up drastically after decimating those monster nests."
"Well, I can't complain."
"The monster race is simply reproducing too much."
"Horny motherfuckers..." Huo Yuhao sighed and stopped regulating his Greater Inner Energy. "At this moment, Sister Daydream would call out my hypocrisy."
"Haa... I missed them already."
Slapping himself on the face, Huo Yuhao was motivated to finish this joke of a quest quickly. He was "somewhat." swayed by Theomars' feelings and hatred toward his sisters for a while, but everything is okay now.
"Mercy." He called the 2nd sister.
"Yes, master~?" Mercy appeared with a smile on her face. Now Huo Yuhao looked at her a little bit closer. Mercedes does look like Florence Nightingale.
Huo Yuhao shook his head and replied, "Call everyone here except Alexandra. Let her rest."
Mercedes nodded and rang a bell, causing three shadows to approach the garden at light speed. A few seconds later, The other loyal slaves of Huo Yuhao arrived at the flower area and lined up beside Mercedes.
'These are...' Huo Yuhao was stunned for a moment. Now even Clara, Harmonia, and Triana look like characters he has known in his previous life.
Clara is awkwardly similar to Miyako Shikimori.
And even the twins Harmonia and Triana look like Shiranui Flare.
Having this revelation, Huo Yuhao frowned because Theomars' memory made him not question these similarities. He sighed as the hatred of the abused young man blinded his perception.
"Anyway... I'm calling you here to issue something. Titania Bolos will soon experience a full-blown attack from the monster race."
Mercy tilted her head and raised her hand. She asked permission to ask the question, which Huo Yuhao approved immediately.
"What do you mean, master?"
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth and explained, "This is just my raw guess, but all the monster waves and nests spreading across the continent is nothing but Reconnaissance. If I have to assume the worst, the monster race wants to gauge our strength."
"And bring down the Black Pearl Castle."
"Black Pearl Castle..." The ladies from Admante Family mumbled to themselves.
"Black Pearl Castle isn't just a mere castle. It has many secrets I hadn't uncovered, causing it to get swarmed with monster waves constantly. You didn't know about this, but I have killed over a billion monsters in the past sixteen months." Huo Yuhao said with a sneer.
"Yes, sixteen months of constant life and death battle."
Silence ensued in the flower field.
Even the constantly-in-heat Clara blinked her eyes surprisingly when hearing her master's story. "Then... What should we do, master?" She asked with her somewhat calm demeanor.
"Gather all strong people and start planning for the counterattack." Huo Yuhao replied casually. "I don't know how much time we have left, but make it quick."
"Let's start from the Karuta Empire first. The current Empress and Narmos's Family Head still have their uses."
Mercy's expression changed slightly, but Huo Yuhao noticed it.
"What's wrong?" Huo Yuhao questioned with a frown.
"About the Empress and Narmos's Family Head... They are actually at the front gate." Mercy answered hesitantly. "After your fight with Alexandra, they kept asking for any information related to you."
"Of course, in a peaceful manner. 10th Class Devil Warrior is not a joking matter, after all."
"My liege." Rosa's head peeked out from Huo Yuhao's shadow. "When you were fighting with Alexandra, my sister requested a meeting with you."
"You can reject."
"No, let them in." Huo Yuhao responded while contacting the clone in Black Pearl Castle.
"Very well, I'll inform them." Mercy and Rosa said simultaneously, making the first slave and shadow female frown at each other.
...
...
Huo Yuhao sat in the garden and stared at Lily de Kemos and Aiden Narmos. He opened his mouth and said, "Let's not beat the bush around and go straight to the point."
He picked up the Karuta Empire's 2nd Emperor's lost badge on the rock table and made the two leaders' eyes widen in surprise. He injected his inner energy and triggered the replay function.
A dying figure of a man appeared before them. His entire body is glowing with dim golden light.
"Great Grandfather..." Lily was speechless.
"How??"
Even Aiden Narmos couldn't believe his eyes for a moment because the 2nd Emperor of the Karuta Empire disappeared without notice years ago. He didn't leave anything, but his descendants kept the Karuta Empire running well.
"To people of the future... My name is Croal de Kemos, the 2nd Emperor of the Karuta Empire. This badge recorded my dying message and will for anyone who finds it to share this information with my descendant."
"I was ambushed by the monster race when trying to find their root."
"The monster race has opened the space crack on the Grand Marshal Mountain. It's small, but they can make it bigger and bigger each day."
"I don't have much time left... No, We don't have much time left."
"I-I... Blerg! I have located the monster race's main army and weaknesses" The man coughed a mouthful of blood. "Deep inside the crack, there are over a hundred 11th-Class Monsters. Yes, you heard that correctly."
"They possessed the strength of an Ancient Monster on their sides."
"Our only way for us to win is the noble blood."
"The heir of Valstrax. The owner of Ancient Ink Devil Bloodline."
"The legendary noble blood should be able to seal the crack."
"Please... Please find the noble blood, or I'm afraid Titania Bolos wouldn't exist anymore..."
"If I can be selfish... Please tell my wife my apology and the news I can't return with the anniversary gift. We recently just got married and have a child, haha. I hope she isn't mad at me in the Overworld(Kroman's Heaven)."
"I love you, Jennifer..." The message ended with a weak smile on Kroal de Kemos's pale face.
Lily de Kemos cried a little and held herself from making a scene. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and remembered the sadness of her late Great Grandmother, hoping for her husband's return.
Meanwhile, Aiden Normas solemnly stared at the badge.
"Noble Blood." He mumbled with a frustrated groan. "Where the hell are we supposed to find that person?"
"Even though the Admante Family is known for being Ink Devils, Ancient Ink Devils are a different matter. Its existence stood above all of us."
"We should search-!" He was about to propose a plan, but something suddenly dropped on the table.
"You don't have to." Huo Yuhao activated the All-Transforming Ink, making ink drip from his finger.
"..." Lily de Kemos.
"..." Aiden Narmos.
Huo Yuhao smiled and continued, "What a fucking coincidence, isn't it?"
Rosa chuckled when seeing her sister's expression and looked at Huo Yuhao with brighter eyes. 'As expected of my eternal master.' The shadow woman thought to herself.
"Noble Blood... Ancient Ink Devil." Lily stared at Huo Yuhao in disbelief.
"No wonder he could defeat Alexandra." Aiden Narmos commented.
Brushing their dumbfounded expressions, Huo Yuhao explained the possible aggressive attack from the monster race and told the two leaders to contact other empires before it was too late.
He also told Lily and Aiden to fortify Grodunberg's defense as quickly as possible. He couldn't stay here for too long.
"Follow my plans if you want to survive."
"Monsters aren't smart, but they aren't idiots either."
"Always cautious and be alerted about your surroundings." Huo Yuhao walked away, leaving the two leaders in deep contemplation.
"W-Wait... What about my sister?" Lily suddenly shouted, which halted Huo Yuhao's steps.
Huo Yuhao sighed and grabbed Terresa's corpse from the inventory, laying it down gently on the ground. Lily couldn't handle her emotion anymore and ran for the lifeless body.
"Terresa!" She cried while hugging Terresa's body.
"She died after fighting a monster out of her league. When I arrived at the location, she had already passed away." Huo Yuhao commented calmly.
Lily sobbed and recalled the incident a few days ago, "What about that woman who protected me with her barrier... Who is she?"
"Rosa, talk to her." Huo Yuhao ordered the shadow, who had been waiting for her summons.
"Okay, master~!" Rosa dragged Lily into the shadows and disappeared from the garden.
Aiden's eyes widened as he asked, "Oh, noble one... Do you know about my son's situation? Gale joined the journey with Crown Princess 16 months ago, and I've never heard anything about him since."
"He passed away. Monster Race used his body as a catalyst to create more monsters. He was beyond help, but you can find his trace in Hormes Mountain." Huo Yuhao answered while walking away.
Aiden clenched his hand and whispered sadly, "I see..."
"Thank you for telling me."
"It's nothing special. As Gale's father, you had the right to know this." Huo Yuhao vanished from the garden.
"Mom probably has the same worries as him." He reappeared on the top of the clock tower inside the Admante Family Residence. Looking afar to the horizon, he laughed in defeat and continued, "Damn, I miss her food."
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