This was a unique opportunity that opened up for them. They practically had two options: attempt the unknown and become people of great power, or try to make it on their own and gamble with their luck.
Everyone there was naturally distrustful, having learned that nothing in this world comes free and that compassion always has a motive. However, the soul vibrations Kayden was emitting made the idea seem very appealing.
"I accept." "I accept." "I accept."
A decade later, Kayden’s three disciples were unrecognizable in terms of both strength and appearance. Before, they had a wild and depressive aura, but now they exuded calm and powerful energy.
Kayden had invested heavily in each of them, helping them develop unique fighting techniques and paths. He also purchased elixirs to extend their lifespans.
The treatment to remove their past lives had been a complete success. Kayden watched as their power grew at an abnormally fast pace.
In the beginning, Konan could suppress the three of them just by using his aura. But after a decade, he had to fight seriously, or he would lose. Kayden began the procedure on Konan every three years, while for the other three, it was done annually. As a result, they blossomed.
Their mentalities became similar, which brought the four of them closer quickly, despite Kayden repeatedly telling Konan that they would die eventually. Some things were beyond Kayden’s control.
Fortunately, the procedure proved to be the best decision Kayden could have made. By subconsciously adding pieces of his memory into his disciples, their mentalities remained strong, with minimal personality changes.
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The personality shifts were minor because, in truth, they were adopting something akin to Kayden’s. The issue was that Kayden’s personality didn’t exist—he was like a blank slate that would never be filled.
After removing 10% of their past lives, Kayden slowed the rate of extraction, spacing the process out to every two years. At that point, the recovery time became longer, but the power that came with it was immense.
Two decades later, Kayden watched as the two women advanced in rank. Before, they had been third-realm mages with four rays—nothing impressive by general standards, but considering their life stories, it was incredible.
Now, they were fourth-realm mages with six rays, following well-paved paths and mastering high-level techniques. They were practically at the top of the world and only needed more time to go beyond.
Konan could no longer defeat the three on his own. He found himself in a difficult position where he would lose due to exhaustion. And when I say exhaustion, I mean it—after days of fighting, he couldn’t even muster the strength to lift a single muscle.
Kayden introduced additional soul modifications to help Konan cope with pain, making the boy spend most of his time meditating on himself.
Thousands of medicines were used to help him develop focus and connect more deeply with his inner self. Kayden accelerated the process millions of times through his modifications to Konan’s soul.
Slowly, Kayden removed useless memories that only hindered Konan’s access to his subconscious. He performed the same procedure on the other three disciples.
The problem arose when Hanna began to break down after a few years. Kayden had reached the mark of 19% of past lives removed, but her personality started showing serious inconsistencies. Episodes of bipolarity and intense anger became common.
Her strength grew explosively, but that was it. She no longer had a mind capable of controlling 100% of her power. At many moments, she would make mistakes in her movements or techniques simply due to a lack of inner peace.
Konan felt a deep sorrow in his heart because he knew this would happen. Kayden had told him, and now it was clear that it was true—these three were destined to die.
This realization could have caused a breakdown in the disciple, but Kayden had thoroughly shaped Konan’s mentality. Konan was sad for a few days but eventually accepted the reality.
Another decade later, Hanna finally reached her absolute limit. Kayden had removed 24% of her past lives and implanted a significant portion of his memories into her. The once cheerful personality had turned into something closed-off and angry.
She could no longer maintain her composure in many situations. Not only that, but her mood was completely unstable, and her personality changed daily. Kayden knew that if this continued, she would be dead in just a few more sessions.
The strength she had gained made her the equivalent of a seven-ray mage when combined with the techniques Kayden had taught her, which was utterly absurd. She was able to fight on equal footing with Konan and often overpower him.
Hanna had become a true monster, requiring all three of the others to take her on together. Kayden had stopped the sessions on the other two a few years ago to focus more on studying her case.
Even though the strength of the other three grew rapidly, it wasn’t enough to match Hanna’s power. When her mind was clearer, she became a real beast, fighting with two daggers.
Her movements were clean and flawless, her speed terrifying, and her spiritual senses, which had been modified, left her with no blind spots. She was practically a combat machine.
"Hanna, you are free to leave. You’ve failed as a disciple. Your mind is broken and unstable," Kayden dismissed her from the circle with a few words.
The first reaction from everyone was absolute shock, and then they turned to Hanna, waiting for her reaction. What happened next was like an avalanche. Her face turned red with rage, and...
POOFT!
Her body fell to the ground, split in two. She was about to cast a spell against Kayden but was brutally killed by a single strike that emerged directly from Kayden’s skin into her body.
No one said anything while Kayden burned the body to ashes, they had never taken Kayden’s words seriously until that moment, he just killed her as if she were an animal, he didn’t even blink at killing someone who spent decades with them.
Author’s note: I forgot the bonus chapter, I’ll try to bring it tomorrow, sorry