Chapter 79: Two Tier Seven Auras (2) - Melvin’s Evolution
[You have achieved Battle Aura (Tier 7)]
[Your Battle Prowess has increased by +2.]
[You have unlocked a Battle Aura Domain.]
[Battle Aura Domain - A domain attainable at the seventh tier of Aura comprehension.
With this domain, users are able to create an area with set buffs or debuffs within a set radius of their Divine Sense. For example, a Battle Aura Domain can make it so that all attacks land true or render an opponent’s defenses completely useless.]
-----
Akasha looked at the status with a calm, satisfied smile, the kind that didn’t flare with excitement or pride but settled quietly across his features like a man who had simply completed another step on a very long road.
After two hours on the River of Battles, he figured that was plenty.
He didn’t bother to linger or take a moment to enjoy the achievement. Instead, his eyes shifted toward Rauk.
The Guardian stood frozen on the riverbank, his massive frame locked in place, his expression carved into pure shock.
The man didn’t move or even breathe for a moment, as though his mind was still trying to reconcile what he had just witnessed.
And... Akasha didn’t give him time.
"Well, now it’s time to grab the Scythe Aura before I get things started," he murmured, voice low, almost casual, more for himself than anyone else.
His figure blurred, fading into the conceptual mist until he became just another indistinct silhouette walking the endless river.
Rauk remained rooted in place, unease settling into his chest like a stone dropped into deep water.
"...Just what has the Era of Khaos brought into Pantheos this time..." he muttered, voice barely audible.
----
[A/N: I’ll be honest here; I’m not going to show the scene of the Scythe River this time... not in detail. After all, rivers all follow the same concept...]
In the next moment, Akasha appeared on another river.
This one was similar in appearance — a vast, flowing expanse of glowing energy — but far quieter.
And... at first glance he noticed that there were significantly fewer people walking along its banks compared to the Rivers of Battle he had just left behind.
Akasha observed the sparse crowd for a moment before speaking aloud to himself.
"Hmm... so the amount of people must depend on how many users walk that path. That explains why there are so many beings on the Rivers of Battle..."
As he spoke, a woman stood quietly in the shadows on a distant cliff that loomed over the river, her gaze fixed on him. She was the Guardian of this path, exuding an air of calm detachment.
Unlike Rauk, she had no intention of drawing closer; instead, she lingered for a few moments more, watching in silence before turning away and vanishing back into the drifting mist.
And Akasha wasn’t entirely focused on who was looking at him at the moment.
With his mind set entirely on reaching the seventh tier as quickly as he could, he broke into a full sprint.
Now completely accustomed to the overwhelming pressure of the rivers, his form became a blur as he surged forward at remarkable speed, the rush of wind from the path whipping around him while he pressed on, venturing ever deeper into Pantheos.
This river was similar in nature to the Rivers of Battle he had left behind — vast, endless, and filled with pressure that tested one’s will.
Rather than engaging in direct combat, each new tier challenged him to eliminate specific targets within unique, tailor-made trials.
Yet, the instant he slipped into Dream Land, the difficulty of these missions plummeted.
His scythe flowed through the air as if it were an extension of his very shadow—swift, silent, and utterly merciless.
Every strike was precise and efficient, the assassinations completed before the targets even had a chance to realize their fate.
And with that.... time blurred as he progressed tier by tier, his movements growing sharper and more instinctive with every kill.
Until eventually, a new prompt appeared before him.
[You have achieved Tier Scythe Aura (Tier 7)]
[You have unlocked Scythe Affinity]
[Scythe Affinity - This affinity allows the user and the scythe to become one. Each strike is passively infused with conceptual power, allowing attacks to sever not just the physical body, but also momentum, thoughts, and even fragments of an opponent’s existence itself.]
----
Seeing the notification, Akasha allowed a faint smile to form on his lips.
"Not bad," he murmured to himself, and with everything finally settled, he let his mind drift and willingly surrendered himself back to the embrace of dreamland.
---
HUMMMMMMM!!!!!!
The moment he appeared; a powerful surge of energy rippled through the realm.
In the distance, Melvin was breaking out of a massive, glowing cocoon of ice and snow. The cocoon cracked violently before exploding outward in a burst of frost and divine power.
When the light faded, Melvin descended onto the snowy biome of the newly formed land.
He no longer looked like the same boy from before.
His presence had changed — colder, sharper, and far more dangerous.
His eyes, once filled with confusion and uncertainty, now carried a cold, deadly calm. The aura around him was no longer that of a desperate child, but of a being who had fully embraced his path.
And in that moment, the God of Eternal Winters was born, while at the same time, Akasha himself received additional status prompts.
-----
[Congratulations, you have successfully broken another established rule of Pantheos.]
[You have unlocked a new function of Dream Land.]
[Dreamer’s Sea of Stars - Each time you alter a person’s destiny and grant them a new star, you gain access to the star’s power. The star becomes disconnected from Pantheos’ Sea of Stars and joins your own.]
----
’Truly....’ Akasha thought inwardly quickly reading the status. While this was indeed something he knew would come since his mind had been fused with Yume.
However, seeing that he was once again being congratulated for breaking established rules... it left a weird feeling.
’I don’t know if this is a sarcastic congratulations or not...’
With that thought he placed the new additions to the back of his mind at the moment as he needed to stay on course.
He then stepped into view with a small smile on his lips.
However, before he could utter a single word, Melvin sank to one knee, his head bowed low in a gesture of deep respect.
"Lord Dream," Melvin said, his voice steady and resolute. "I accept you as my master. From this day forward, I vow to stand with Dreamer’s Peak... until the day I die."
Akasha looked at him for a moment before letting out a light chuckle.
"Pfft, Dude, there’s no need for all that." While Akasha indeed cared about respect, he was not some old hermit that truly cared about formalities.
As long as one understood their roles... then he could care less about anything else.
Melvin’s eyes widened slightly—not in offense, but in surprise.
"I... I guess I still need some understanding of you, Lord Dream," he muttered, still taken aback by the way Akasha carried himself.
Though he clearly possessed great power—even the ability to alter destiny—he always bore a casual ease that made him seem almost normal.
Melvin rose slowly; his cold gaze meeting Akasha’s with newfound clarity.
Akasha placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, speaking with the same relaxed tone.
"Alright. Now that you’ve stepped into the God King rank... we’ve got a few more things to settle before I let you go out on your own."
And with that, both of them left Dream Land, reappearing atop the peak of Akasha’s mountain.
[Melvin’s Favorability - 71/100]
Comments