Chapter 869 Step By Step
Aravelle gave a stern look at Leon, who interrupted him but let go of the transgression.
"Leon's right. At least partially. You can no longer die at the hands of anything that comes from the mortal realm.
"Your legend, the essence of your power and your being, lives on, and you can come back from the dead, given enough time passes, and you aren't forgotten before you reform. You are no longer mortal.
"Although you don't have enough clout for now to use that, which is why you have to make a name for yourself. Which is also part of the next step in life. A step that Leon, here, skipped entirely.
"Fortunately for him, he caught up on that after becoming Mythical grade."
Leon suddenly understood why he felt like he was becoming stronger during the ten years that the Abnormals were absent. It wasn't because of training.
He was cementing his legend. Cementing his immortality and power.
"However, as I said, that is only partially true. Anything from the divine can and will still kill you. And make no mistake. The gods who don't want to see a new being ascend all have followers with the power to defeat you and the tools to erase you."
This put a damper on Selena's rising mood instantly. She thought she was becoming powerful enough to live forever.
But it seemed it wasn't quite a reality yet. At least, not until she was endorsed by a god.
"Let's get back to the path, shall we?" Aravelle said, looking at the shifting moods.
Leon was introspecting, seemingly having found a clue to his next step in life, while Selena was imagining how long it would be before someone showed up before her to stop her from advancing.
As for Astaroth, well, he was still in a daze, realizing the doozy he had done.
His kingdom was already in a pickle, with everything happening: the demon outbreak in the Elven forest, the infiltrators from god knows where, the target painted on their back since Knights of the Sun won the Inter-Alliance Military Exercise.
And now, he had painted another one over that one.
He had embarked on a path rife with danger for himself and everyone around him and dragged Selena along. This was the worst outcome he could think of.
"Ahem!"
Hearing Aravelle clear his throat loudly, the three of them snapped out of their stray thoughts.
"Where was I? Ah, yes. Cementing your power. This requires the legendary being to go around and get their name out there. The more their name is known, the more their legend solidifies, and the closer they get to immortality.
"Once a certain point is reached, the power solidifies, and they become immortal. Of course, as I said earlier, relics from the gods can still kill them. One such relic is in Astaroth's possession, too.
"Although it wouldn't work against a god, that weapon could very easily cleave a Legendary being's immortality from them. But I digress."
Astaroth's eyes went wide, realizing what Aravelle had said.
"Wait!" he exclaimed.
Aravelle sighed at the interruption again.
"My weapon can kill immortals? At least the ones still in the mortal realm?"
Aravelle looked at him with a discouraged look.
"Yes. At least, the ones at the legendary grade. Mythical grade beings are an entirely different beast, and even if your weapon has the potential, its wielder; you are still much too weak. At best, you would make their regeneration time longer. But I'm not finished talking."
Astaroth jubilated at the thought. But he shook his head and apologized for interrupting.
"As I was saying, such a weapon can still slay immortals, given the one wielding them is strong enough. But then comes the next step. The one Leon skipped. Expanding their domain."
Leon frowned at the words.
"Domain? What do you mean?"
Aravelle looked at him and smiled.
"There are two ways to become Mythical grade. The first, the easiest one, is to have cemented your legend and be recognized by a god. The Legendary being then gains a domain that follows the one of the god they have tethered to or sworn allegiance to.
"This is what gave you yours. I assume you haven't quite discovered the extent of it, given you played around much with your powers and haven't discussed it with your goddess, Lady Anulo."
Leon's gaze sharpened, realizing Aravelle knew much more than he let on.
"Relax. I don't care which god you follow, as long as it's not Gaius. But you should get to know your domain. It is the key to becoming stronger at your stage. That, and getting acknowledged by the world itself."
Leon instantly got confused.
"Acknowledged by the world? What does that even mean?"
Aravelle chuckled.
"Exactly what I said. The how remains a mystery, even for us, the Progenitors of Magic. It's different for all beings. But it is what brings you closer to the next step. And the last step is to gain followers.
"This is where I and the other Progenitors of Magic stopped our ascension. We didn't want to become gods, since we had our fair share of things to protect in the mortal realm. We made it clear to the gods and the world, which is why we are still alive.
"We renounced our chance at godhood, gaining only the Semi-Divine grade, to stay here and protect the world. But we can never go back on that promise. In light of the current circumstances, this might have been the wrong choice back then.
"But the past is the past, and we live with our choices. But that is irrelevant to you three. Especially Astaroth. You must not concern yourself with this for now. Your path forward is still a long one."
Astaroth locked eyes with Aravelle, trying to see if he was hiding something more from him. But the old man's sharp gaze was impenetrable.
He was thousands of years old, and Astaroth doubted he could ever pierce into his mind.
'Let's just hope he has a solution to our current problem. Because, if not, I'm a walking, ticking time bomb. And everyone around me is at risk…'
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