With the quick death of the tailed barbarian who seemingly assumed the highest authority in this world, my plan to extract information got delayed. To think that he's that fragile, I probably overestimated his attainment. Even with his gigantification, a simple Sword Skill with only one Intent destroyed him.
Well, it's also my fault for asking Momo to cleave him in two. Still, he's also overconfident that he could withstand it, resulting in his fatal point being hit.
I guess I should hold back a bit. Now that Irja and Sofiel blocked the other Rank 3 Transcendent that's probably only a bit weaker if not at the same level as that barbarian, the one I had to face was the veiled woman grieving over his death.
Holding his already shrunken body and the woman used her Source Energy to enclose it in ice. Even with the high temperature of this world, that pristine ice coffin slowly floated before returning to the tower-like structure in the middle of this floating island.
She's preserving his body, huh? What? To give him a funeral?
Heh. As always, even people who could doom a world filled with billions of living beings, they would always have someone they held dear. Emotions would always be present whatever race they came from. Although there were creatures that were devoid of it, most intelligent beings possessed emotions.
Just look at me, I was supposed to be a World's Will incarnation. For the sake of my Companions, I also doomed many worlds and killed off even those I would consider friends living in those drained worlds.
That's why seeing the woman grieve like that, I held back in sneaking an attack. Not like she would be able to defeat me if we faced each other head-on.
"Now, you've done it. Killing him is a crime punishable only by your death. No one is going to live to see another day!"
A few seconds later, the veiled woman slowly straightened her body. And with her voice akin to a ringing of an icy breeze directly to my ears, a chilling glare landed on me.
Following that, her Source Energy exploded, and through it, I finally pinpointed which type of world she came from.
An Elemental World.
However, she also didn't possess a Level 3 Source Energy which means she's from a Transcendent World much like most Rank 1 and Rank 2 Transcendents stationed in this world.
I guess that's to be expected. Even if they're part of that organization, they wouldn't simply let everyone assimilate a Level 3 Source Energy. There must be conditions to be met before they're allowed to do so.
In any case, that's a rather weak threat, isn't it?
While the chill could make my body shudder slightly, it was not enough to move me from where I was floating.
I faced her icy gaze while manipulating my Flux Energy and the inherent Source Energy to maintain the temperature around me.
Looking around, apart from Nysia, Fleur, Irja, and Sofiel, my Companions had already started spreading out, defeating one Transcendent after another before facing the remaining Rank 3 Transcendents.
Behind me, Dannae was still recharging and firing the Particle Cannon, shooting down Space Vessels until they stopped approaching the surface.
The dragon couple had been working in tandem to route every Rank 1 Transcendent in their true form. Yse was even using her special eye to properly cultivate its true nature.
With Yuko's guidance, she already had an idea of what else she could be capable of once her eyes fully awakened.
"Sorry, but as I said, we're here to destroy this world," I responded to the woman as I sheathed the Willful Sword back to its scabbard.
If I once again used my Sword Path, I might kill her as well without getting the information we needed.
"Enough! I'll kill you and honor his death with your head on an ice spike! Die!"
Disregarding my taunt, the veiled woman still moved according to her emotions. It's a pity but… there's no going on around it.
All I had to do was face her head-on and subdue her while letting my Companions clean up the others.
A split second later, her icy Source Energy swirled around her creating blocks of ice particles. And as if she's molding clay, clones made of ice started being formed, each one wielding a pike.
Despite her rather elegant dress that fully complemented her abilities, the woman sent out the clones, their pikes aimed at my head.
With that speed and the fluctuations of their Source Energy, I could put her clones to be at the same level as Rank 2 Transcendents.
Are they strong? Sure. But against me, they're no more than small fry that I could shatter with my bare hands.
But let's see, with her rage resulting from the death of the tailed barbarian, it would be hard to extract information from her through talking and provoking. There's really no other choice but to subdue her before killing her off.
"Damn, lady. Chill out, will you? Don't be so overdramatic." Acting like I was overwhelmed by her ability, I flew upwards, dodging a few ice clones, even letting some of their spikes graze my clothes.
I then spun, firing off Energy Explosions to the ice clones. I intentionally lowered their output but even then, several ice clones crumbled instantly.
Slowly but surely, I gradually close our distance.
Without pulling out my sword, my numerous skills and spells found their use today.
From Magic Missiles to Aether and Void Bullets created from my Elemental Pathway, a flurry of colorful light started to fill the red sky.
"Tsk! Not drawing your sword, are you? Then how about this? Glacial Domain!"
The veiled woman stretched her arms to her front and opened her Domain.
As Rank 3 Transcendent, while it hadn't been upgraded yet, traces of the other pathway properties that she was assimilating could be found in it.
And from my observation, she's like Fleur. She's also assimilating Spirit-type properties. She's also like Leianne when it comes to ice-related skills.
As her domain expanded from beneath her feet, an icy field opened up changing the whole landscape of the floating island.
With her abundant Source Energy, it's quite normal for her to do that but at the same time, it should drain her easily.
Nonetheless, as the icy hills, snowy storms, and even ice creatures that were seemingly given life by the Spirit-type properties appeared, the other Rank 3 Transcendents had no choice but to give way for her Domain to engulf theirs.
But as compensation, I sensed that all of them seemingly got buffed by her domain. Their Source Energy Output got enhanced and their abilities also took on the same icy properties.
Somehow, her Domain was also within the category of Support Skills, just like mine.
Anyway, even though it still hadn't been upgraded, my system was still able to analyze it, giving me pieces of information I needed to know in the form of floating blue windows in front of my eyes.
[You have entered the Glacial Domain]
[Your Source Energy Output has been restrained to 90% of the original.]
[Adaptability has lowered its effects by 50%]
[By staying inside the Domain, Frost Aura will be forcefully applied to you, freezing a part of your Source Energy each time you use an ability. The frozen Source Energy will be absorbed by the Domain, strengthening its enhancing effects on the owner and her allies]
So, it's like she's siphoning out our Source Energy to empower themselves.
Pretty neat, I must say.
But if that's all she could show me, it's a little disappointing.
As my thoughts traveled to this, I sent a mental message to one of my Companions, "What do you think, Hikari? Can you copy her Domain? I'm thinking of pushing her to the brink of despair and capturing her for interrogation."
Although it's practically not a skill, her Skillmaster ability had also evolved after completing her Mortal Pathway. And since she's only going to steal it – which will have an expiration – there shouldn't be a problem.
"Master, you're bad. But let me try! Will you support me?"
"Of course. I won't let her touch even the rim of your glasses."
"T-that's reassuring… Watch me, master!"
I looked at the girl and saw her wryly smiling. In any case, breaking off from the battle, my other Companions filled in her position.
I flew to the girl, picked her up in my arms and returned to my previous position.
With an endless assault of the veiled woman's ice clone, I let my Flux Energy create a force field, warding them off.
Hikari, who hadn't expected that I would pick her up like a princess blushed in my arms but then, with her mind also quickly returning to the situation at hand, she picked herself up and floated in front of me to face the veiled woman.
At the same time as I pooled another channel of Source Energy faucet to her, her Elemental Domain powered by her Flux Energy opened up and started devouring the Elemental Energy in the surrounding area.
Obviously, it's not as strong as the Glacial Domain but it's enough foundation for her to activate her unique ability.
"Steal!" With one shout, Hikari extended her arms and her Flux Energy started gathering in her hands.
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