At almost the same time, Yuko and Zerina's Crown was conjured. Although the process of creating their five Augmented Skills took longer than expected, upgrading it to a Halo Skill became a smooth process.
It was unlike mine where the Orbs involved themselves to thoroughly enhance it.
As to what kind of Skills they created, that will have to wait for later when we test it.
Compared to my pure white Crown, Yuko's crown took on a golden color while Zerina's crown is ash grey. The Halos-turned-Jewels were also somewhat alike with one another, unlike my Jewels who took on different colors.
Once their Crowns settled on their heads, their Pillars started to be formed around them.
Minutes later, Zerina completed her complete synchronization first due to being a stage lower than Yuko. Nonetheless, her Energy Intensity somewhat changed. If it was of Calm nature before assimilating Physique-type Source Energy, it transformed into Cold.
With the addition of her Crown and Jewel Skills, Zerina now has an added diversity to what she can do.
Since the Portal was already closed, as long as I keep my eye out for any unexpected turn, I will let them deal with that descendant. Raiden can just watch as well… He's more suited to unify the scattered Barbarians who hadn't succumbed to becoming a Corrupted yet.
After a while, Yuko's last Pillar managed to conjure and along with it, a notification about the increase in her base stats which led to some added bonus on her exclusive skill Hero's Companion.
Due to the bonus stats from their new Physique Pathway, their UPL went up a bit. Yuko finally entered Rank 2 Transcendent and Zerina inched closer to it.
At the World of Elements, Yumiko was probably a single-digit away from crossing over the 300 UPL mark since hers and Yuko's UPL were close to each other.
In any case, if they completed their Mortal Pathway, it's not impossible for the Heroes to reach Rank 2 Transcendent since they also get bonus stats from the World they were summoned into.
For the other girls, I guess they needed to reach Fleur's level to reach that benchmark. Ah. Maybe a stage lower due to the additional stats they also felt when I jumped up a whole realm.
Once they finished, the two had different expressions on their faces, Zerina had a slight smile on her face as she tried activating her Jewel Skills alongside her Runes.
Her Runes firmly complemented her Jewel Skills enhancing their effects. As for her Crown Skill, it's an offensive one, combining all of her Jewel Skills. I haven't seen the Ultimate Skill she got from her System yet. Apparently, it's a defensive one that made use of all her known Runes.
Yuko had a calm and collected demeanor as she also tried her Jewel Skills. One of her Jewel Skills allowed her to materialize up to two Clones of hers snatched from her future. If she's running, her Clone will appear from where she would be a few seconds in the future. It has her whole power. However, it also only lasts for a few seconds. Three seconds at the most.
When she tried it on me, two clones of hers suddenly appeared at my two sides, clinging tightly to my arms.
As it turns out, the way it appeared was selected on numerous possibilities of the future. Yuko could control that to a certain extent but once they're conjured, it will move on its own mimicking the real one's thought pattern.
In the end, before the two clones disappeared they all sneaked a kiss on me. And a few seconds after they disappeared, the real one stepped forward and did the same.
That's somewhat overpowered if used well. It's so sudden that if I don't focus on my Adaptability, I will not be able to detect the fluctuation of the energy she used for those clones.
If the Skill was used on unaware enemies, they would be dealt with instantly. It also has a lot of possible uses. The other Jewel Skills were somewhat ordinary in nature but it also added to the diversity of her skills.
As for her Crown Skill, if the Hero System gave her another Ultimate Skill in the form of an offensive skill that could push her attack to its limits, her Crown Skill acted close to her Hero's Awakening with limited effects but no apparent side-effects. Like my Crown Skill, it can also be enhanced by her Pillars.
After testing their new skills and stabilizing their current state, all four of them started absorbing a basketball-sized energy stone. To help with their absorption, I activated the Energy Zone on top of their heads.
When they're already focused on it and there's no apparent issue to deal with, I called back the other four who left the room to give them an Energy Stone. If I can also make the three Party Members reach Transcendence while we're here then all the better.
Apart from closing the Portals, I'll be collecting more allies to deal with the situation on Earth.
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As the night progressed, six hours soon passed and the absorption session ended. Well, they could actually continue but like always, it will stress them and the efficiency will be lowered. In this way, they needed to rest for at least three hours before continuing.
Since this is the first night, I was under a great dilemma on who I will spend the night with.
Once Reinys and others vacated the room after they finished their absorption, I was once again alone with my Companions. And as if they agreed to it, all five focused their eyes on me as if waiting for my declaration.
"Alright. Tell me what are you all staring at me for?"
"Monster, don't play dumb. You know why." Erin clicked her tongue.
Of course, I know why, they're all waiting for me to pick who will be staying with me tonight. It's just the first day and with this reunion, everyone was surely eager to be alone with me.
"Can't I just pick all of you?"
It's the ideal choice but… Of course, that cannot be applied tonight.
"No, idiot. You can't do that. Every one of us wanted alone time with you. Those who will not get picked will have to wait for their turn. No hard feelings." Irja, who already integrated herself with the other four, answered.
Since I have no choice but to answer them, I closed my eyes and acted as if I was trying to think hard about who I will pick.
I already had a girl in mind. Even before returning to this world I already thought of being alone with her. To have her tell me everything she's still keeping deep inside her.
As my eyes alternated between the five of them, they ultimately stopped at one particular girl. "Yuko… Can I stay with you tonight?"
"Absolutely, Dai-kun." Putting on her most enchanting smile, Yuko nodded.
And upon hearing who I picked, the other four all had a look of understanding and a slight disappointment. They also hoped to be picked after all. However, they also guessed who I would eventually pick for tonight.
Now that I'm here with them, there will be more chances in the following days and surely it will not put me into a dilemma. It's the first night so their competitiveness is at an all-time high. I'll thoroughly talk to them later when their turn comes.
After kissing each of them goodnight, I left the room with Yuko and moved to a smaller room that was perhaps specifically built for a couple to stay the night.
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Hours passed and ever since moving to the room, Yuko and I didn't actually sleep. Instead, we got caught up with the waves of longing and passion for each other.
Our first time was with Yumiko so… it's a memory shared by the three of us. However, tonight, this was a memory that is special only for the two of us.
Right now, we're covered by a quilt made from a beast fur with both of our clothes scattered around the floor.
Amidst the ragged but rhythmic breathing, Yuko peacefully snuggled closer to my chest.
"There's a lot I want to say. About our past… What I told you before wasn't everything, I also remembered how you were before we were separated years ago."
"I know. I felt that you're still keeping something from me. And… I'm here to hear all about it."
"Un. If it's you, I know you will eventually pick it up… Dai-kun. Do you know? Your father, he's a close friend of my father."
Upon hearing what she revealed, I honestly came to a stop.
Now that I think about it, it never passed my mind that my parents will have something to do with this Otherworld business. I always believed that they're regular humans all along…
However, given my special identity… there's no way that my parents will stay ordinary. Perhaps my mom is still ordinary but my father…
"I see. That's why he answered like that. What about my mom?"
When I asked him about what he would do if the world suddenly changed, he answered that he will take us to a safe place and do everything he can do to keep us safe.
That sounded normal but in his perspective back then, we're probably still little chicks in his eyes and were still in our growth period.
With my follow-up question, Yuko shook her head. "Your mom is normal. She's someone your father fell in love with. I remembered… The day we first met, that's when my father took me to visit his long-time friend and he clearly mentioned that they have known each other since the start. As to why we're both born from them… I can only guess that it was decided and planned ahead of time."
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om