Chapter 999 Greater Cursed Body
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the starry night sky.
Despite having been pulled back into reality, his mind was still in the same condition and he was hardly in control. He scanned his eyes around the place and found a couple of figures, watching him with curious eyes.
At this moment, Rex could feel immense exhaustion, gripping his body tight.
"C- Calidora...?" He uttered in a hushed tone.
Standing on the side was Calidora and Nezera who were waiting for him to finish.
Noticing the gasping breaths, sweat, and trembling pupils, Calidora almost instantly realized that there was something wrong with him. As she heard her name being called, she decided to approach him but Nezera grabbed her arm.
Looking at her daughter sternly, she said, "Don't get close to him, I have a bad feeling"
Just as she said that something happened.
Rex growled in anguish before his entire body started to steam with cursed energy, carving intricate glowing lines across his body. His cursed source poised within his body started to emanate a radiant glow.
It forces him to prostrate on the ground with his entire muscles flexed.
Splash!
Under the pressure from his cursed source, his skin started to break and splurted out blood.
At the sight of this, Calidora didn't sit still.
Breaking free from Nezera's grip, she disregarded her own mother's warning and went to Rex's side, a frown etched clearly on her face. She knelt down and checked Rex's cursed source and found a surprising realization.
"It's the Eternal Curse, it's rejecting him, but why?" Calidora uttered in sheer confusion.
Something like this shouldn't be happening.
During her time of breaking through this bottleneck, she found that the Eternal Curse was not as hostile to the host as other curses that she knew of. Even though it was hard and mentally draining to bypass this bottleneck, when she did, the Eternal Curse accepted her without a hitch.
Rex being rejected by the Eternal Curse is very shocking because of that.
However, it was then she thought of something.
Observing Rex who was pressing his forehead to the ground with veins bulging across his body, she harbored suspicions. "Considering him, I wouldn't be surprised if he confronted the Eternal Curse directly instead of following the conventional path, thereby incurring its wrath and causing him to be rejected"
Biting her lower lip, she channeled her own cursed energy of the ninth epiphany.
Calidora suppressed Rex's rampaging cursed energy, attempting to help him regain control.
Meanwhile, Rex could feel his cursed source thumping maliciously inside of him.
It was akin to a beating heart, pulsating the cursed malice into his very own blood, trying to devour him from the inside out. Had the System still been active, he would have been surely drowned in warning notifications, stating that his cursed source was about to shatter.
Additionally, his vision was also impaired by the Eternal Curse's power.
He could see illusions of the cursed creature attacking him, causing him to flinch every time.
Rex was in the throes of excruciating pain, his eyes were a tableau of agony, the veins within them bursting, turning the white part of his eyes vivid red. Even though it looked worrisome, the reality was far from it.
Amidst this extreme ordeal, the corners of Rex's lips curled into a defiant smirk.
Even in this state, he was unyielding.
You're slowing down, bastard. At this rate, you're not going to be able to break my mind.
In the recesses of his mind, he derided the futile attempts of the Eternal Curse to shatter his mind. Rex's inner strength proved too formidable to succumb entirely to the pain, and with each passing moment, his advantage in this mental struggle only strengthened.
A game of tug of war between them transpired without anyone knowing.
Rex would need to keep his mind from breaking apart while the Eternal Curse would need to shatter it before he has gotten used to the pain again, and from the looks of things, Rex is the one winning this silent game.
<Hexbane Mindshield has been upgraded to level 2!>
With the appearance of the notification, Rex's eyes flashed before he pushed himself up.
Now, the time is up, and the Eternal Curse loses in this struggle.
Rex swiftly reined in the rampaging cursed energy, drawing it back into his body. With calm precision, he solidified his cursed source, meticulously mending the cracks resulting from his earlier error that almost shattered his cursed source.
It was then, a grunt escaped him, heralding a subtle shockwave that erupted from within.
A trail of cursed energy courses through every nook of his body.
For a moment there, his body was glowing bronze from the inside before returning to normal.
Only then that the situation instantly de-escalate, and he could breathe easily.
Manipulating her cursed energy to disappear, Calidora looked at him from the side and shook her head in disbelief, "Harmony is the essence of Witches, you must create harmony with the curse inside of you to grow strong as a Witch, and you certainly didn't take that route, didn't you?"
"It's faster to fight it, so that's what I'm going with" Rex replied, slightly panting.
He then lay on the ground, trying to catch his breath.
Based on Calidora's revelation, it became apparent that to access the greater cursed body linked with the Eternal Curse, he must engage in some sort of game with the personification of the Eternal Curse itself.
He would only need to avoid it to establish a connection with the cursed beacon.
If he did, then he would be the winner.
Rex, on the other hand, went the extra mile to fight against it to protect the thread.
Obviously, he wasn't supposed to do that.
From the Eternal Curse's perspective, it's probably considered cheating. So it was definitely furious at him for taking that extra mile and causing this to happen. But then again, the utter blackness and senselessness are too much advantage for the Eternal Curse.
Rex would eventually win if he heeded the rules, but it would take too much time.
He doesn't have time, so he creates a shortcut for himself.
Calidora stood up again with her eyes still glued to Rex, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes which she didn't want to be seen. 'I can't believe it, he used all of his cursed energy reservoir to the very last drop. I thought his mind would need to rest first before continuing, but he went straight until the very end'
'Such willpower. Compared to the Executor... He's definitely winning' She smirked in approval.
Oblivious to what she was thinking, Rex focused on recovering.
To think that even with my ninth-rank realm physique, I couldn't beat the Eternal Curse which has its power limited to the fifth epiphany easily, cursed realm is really weird. Or maybe, that cursed creature is the one that's weird.
Even though he succeeds, he acknowledges the Eternal Curse's power.
Had he found himself in the eighth-rank realm or even the early ninth-rank realm, prevailing against the Eternal Curse back there would have been impossible, even with the aid of his adrenaline which gives him a momentary boost of power.
Cursed power, distinct from the normal realm of strength, operates in its own spectrum.
Soon, Rex sat up and felt his new body.
<You have achieved the Greater Cursed Body>
<Cursed energy control and power output have been increased dramatically!>
Upon seeing the notifications, Rex puts on a wry smile.
At the very least, whenever I gained a power of my own, the System is still there to notify.
Taking a feel of his new body, the foremost sensation was the pronounced density now emanating from his cursed source. Furthermore, he discovered an enhanced mastery over his cursed energy, encountering minimal resistance from his Werewolf physiology.
Reaching the greater cursed body made his cursed energy adapt to his body.
Allowing for maximum efficiency.
Nodding his head, he wanted to ask Calidora what the next step was but found another individual was with them in the courtyard, and it was not Mavenna. Rex squinted his eyes while he sized Nezera up and down.
She seemed to be a strong Vampire, and her face was also familiar to him.
"Who are you?" Rex asked shortly.
Realizing that he was addressing her, Nezera took a step forward, delicately pinching and lifting the edge of her dress gracefully—a regal gesture. With customary poise, she then introduced herself, "I am Nezera, the former Queen of Vampires and the mother of Calidora"
"Solomon's wife?" Rex raised his brows in question.
Nezera nodded in response, affirming that his assumption was correct.
I have a way higher standing than her, but since she's Calidora's mother... Fine.
Even though he was too exhausted for courtesy, he decided to bow slightly in respect and introduced himself back, albeit she probably already knew who he was. "Nice to meet with you, Queen Nezera. I am Rex Silverstar, the Alpha of the Silverstar Pack"
"Calling me simply Nezera is enough, Lord Rex" Nezera replied with a polite smile.
Putting the pleasantries out of the way, Rex looked at her in question.
Under the weight of Rex's inquisitive gaze, Nezera pressed on, realizing his curiosity, "I have come to retrieve the Blood Devourer from Calidora. However, I hadn't anticipated you to be here. It's evident that both of you are busy, so I won't linger. Yet, there's a minor predicament I hope you might assist me with"
"Can you pardon and give back Viscardi? He's impolite, but he's an important individual"
After pausing for a second, Nezera eventually asked.
Rex frowned when he heard this.
He remembered that there was a Vampire who was now trapped inside the Banished Realm, and the Countess specifically said to him that this Vampire attacked him while he was in the process of meditation, which was very dangerous.
It was a matter that couldn't be taken lightly.
For the current Rex, what the Vampire did was akin to looking at him with killing intent.
Had the System is still active, there would be a killing intent quest.
Even though in the end, he was not injured, the fact still remains that if the Countess hadn't stepped in, he would have had his cursed source shattered. It would then destroy his entire plan against the Executor.
Something like that is not easily pardoned.
She wants me to pardon him despite his assault attempt while I'm meditating? A random attack when I didn't even do anything wrong to him? Not a chance.
Looking at Nezera sternly, Rex shook his head, "No, I can't do that"
Just as Rex was poised to elaborate the grounds for his refusal, Calidora quickly intervened, "I understand that his rash actions might anger you, Rex, but just this once, could you please consider letting him go? If not for his sake, then at least for mine"
Upon hearing this, Rex was at a loss for words.
He didn't think that Calidora would actually stand up for Viscardi.
Albeit reluctant, he would need to be on Calidora's good side for now and comply with her demands, "Okay, I'm only doing this because you asked me to. Don't think that I pardoned what he tried to do to me"
Rex flicks his fingers, summoning a heavily suppressing dark portal before him.
Coming out of it was Viscardi in a disheveled appearance.
Nezera was surprised to see him in this kind of state, the royal air around him vanished and was replaced with an air of insanity and desperation. At the first stroke of realizing that he was out of the Banished Realm, he quickly crawled back to Nezera.
It was a pitiful sight, he was acting as if he was not trained in royal etiquette in his life.
On the other hand, Nezera looked at Rex blankly.
She was not surprised because he could summon a literal portal to another dimension, a godly dimension that emit a horrendous strain to the mind, but she was surprised because he actually let Viscardi go.
At that moment, she turned her gaze to Calidora with an explicable gaze.
'Is my mind playing tricks on me or has Calidora... My daughter has truly been able to compel the Rex Silverstar to do something he resists?'
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