“So the plan to find another Ascendant Sovereign to bear the karmic consequences won’t work?” Tini reluctantly joined the discussion, though clearly unwilling.
She’d suggested it earlier because, despite her own issues, Alreis was genuinely formidable. Without her and Lingyue teaming up, no other Ascendant Sovereign could threaten Alreis—quite the opposite. Alreis possessed power surpassing her peers and could likely annihilate one outright.
Yet no one expected Alreis’s strength to be restricted too. Though she gave no specifics, she could now only access Sixth Rank power—at best, go toe-to-toe with a Seventh Rank opponent. Practically useless.
“This is troublesome,” Tini murmured. “We may have a few artifacts in our collections, but those can only handle Sages. Useless against an Ascendant Sovereign.”
True, Ascendant Sovereigns kept peculiar relics—crystallizations of their magical research—but none could challenge a peer of equal rank.
Tini fell into deep thought. Wise as she was, intellect alone couldn’t scheme down an Ascendant Sovereign with near-zero power. Impossible.
Wude stayed silent but knew the situation was grim. He’d actually been surprised: he’d permitted Alreis to unleash full power if her life was in danger—meaning she could’ve hunted and defeated another Ascendant Sovereign, even broken his slave magic. Yet she’d told the Blessing of Life she was also compromised, limited to Sixth Rank.
Wude’s heart churned. If Alreis regained her strength, she’d leave. Then what meaning would Lingyue’s resurrection hold? Lingyue would inevitably return to Alreis. After all, Alreis held the secret to going home. Unlike him—unattached—Lingyue had deep ties.
He and Lingyue had concluded Earth’s timeline differed from this world’s. Though only ten years separated their arrivals from Earth, Lingyue had already spent centuries here—arriving long before the continental collision. It was entirely plausible her family back home still lived, even thrived. That longing to return weighed heavily on her. Hunting Alreis had always carried that motive.
Alreis’s refusal to use full power sparked fanciful thoughts in Wude. *Could she… have feelings for me?* He immediately scoffed inwardly. *I’m just a Third Rank nobody. How could an Ascendant Sovereign possibly—* As an otaku, insecurity crept in.
“Alreis, didn’t you promise to help me boost my power? Since we’re stuck… why not start now?” A sudden hunger for strength flared in Wude. *If I had Ascendant Sovereign-level power… how much could I solve myself?*
Alreis shot him a surprised glance. She’d assumed resurrecting Lingyue would be his sole priority. Not this.
“Fine. Tini’s here too—she can further strengthen you. Your capacity to absorb life magic is limited anyway…” Alreis retrieved the gray orb from her spatial storage once more.
“This is—?!” Tini’s eyes widened. This was the very item every Ascendant Sovereign craved. Colossal Beasts were lethally powerful; hunting one alone risked death. Only Alreis had ever slain one solo.
Once, the Ascendant Sovereigns united to kill a Colossal Beast—but the orb went to the Thunder God after the chaotic free-for-all. Strength decided the spoils. That victory widened the gap between him and the rest.
“You’d actually use this on a mere Third Rank boy?!” Tini was incredulous. This relic could empower an Ascendant Sovereign, yet Alreis—seemingly reckless—wanted to waste it on Wude? Absorption aside, it felt outrageous.
“If unused, it’s worthless to me,” Alreis said, puzzled by Tini’s intensity.
“Haven’t you considered using it yourself?” Tini nearly despaired.
“Honestly? Absorbing it does nothing for me.” Realizing Tini’s meaning, she added, “I obtained it to study its principles and system—it rivals Ascendant Sovereigns. Using it on Wude is part of the research.” Truth was, Alreis had already grown stronger through those battles: from three days to defeat the “Death Worm,” to two hours for the final beast—had the Sovereigns not ambushed her.
“…” Tini fell silent. The chasm between Ascendant Sovereigns struck deep. What she and others desperately sought meant nothing to Alreis. Her pride shattered.
“Therefore, Wude—distract Elisa later. Her bath should be ending. She mustn’t know.”
“Right. She shouldn’t.” Wude nodded.
“Wait!” True to her rank, Tini recovered swiftly. A plan sparked. “Alreis—if you give me this orb, it might solve everything!” She gazed at the orb with hopeful intensity.
“??” Alreis tilted her head, confused.
“This orb is the Colossal Beast’s crystallized core, isn’t it?” Tini pressed. “Theoretically, infusing massive life force could temporarily resurrect the beast.”
“And let it bear the temporal backlash?” Alreis caught on.
Feasible—but the life force required wouldn’t be less than Lingyue’s.
Sensing doubt, Tini explained: “Lingyue exists only as a remnant crystal. The life force needed would erase me before her revival. But this gray orb holds the beast’s core essence—it’s different.”
“But the beast’s formidable body—”
“Are you daft? We only need an Ascendant Sovereign-level entity to absorb the backlash. It doesn’t need its old physique—just a fleshy lump with that power level.”
“I see!” Alreis’s eyes lit up. “The plan works.”
“Wude, we can try!” Alreis turned to him—he’d been lost in the discussion, his low rank leaving him grasping fragments, not meaning.
“So… this orb might solve everything?!” Hope reignited in Wude’s chest.
“Theoretically…” A faint glint flickered in Alreis’s eyes.
“Then hand the orb to me!” Tini thought it shameful to covet what Alreis discarded—but for power, even scraps were acceptable. An Ascendant Sovereign would do anything for strength, so long as principles held.
Alreis held the orb, glancing between Wude and Tini.
“In that case… my strength doesn’t matter. Just resurrect Lingyue. Let Tini use it! Though… I suppose I’ve no right to say that.” Wude felt shamefully selfish. The orb was Alreis’s to command. (Back when he first enslaved her? Maybe not.)
For Lingyue’s sake, he’d bear the shame.
“Exactly!” Tini nodded firmly.
Alreis sighed helplessly, stepping between them. She glanced left, then right.
“When did you two get the impression… I only have one orb?”
“The impression I only have one orb? xN"
Her quiet words hung in the air.
That day, a young man and a little girl fell into stunned silence.
