Genetic Ascension

1575 Kneeling Wings [Bonus]

[Bonus thanks to donswan <3 there was no note attached to this gift, so I can only assume you're illiterate and wasting your money to see fancy symbols dancing across a screen... why? Just why?] Jala looked up at the ceiling, his eyes vacant, a bloody hole in his chest.

"Oh my, you didn't need to protect me so much, darling. I was doing just fine," the woman said sweetly, her eyes reflecting maybe the best act of feigned gratitude ever before displayed.

Cassarae frowned-not at the woman's words, but at Sylas' actions. She didn't quite understand why Sylas had killed him.

She had been there when Jala and Alex mysteriously teleported right to them, so she knew how their relationship had started.

Sylas hadn't killed them then because they could be useful, but what was the point in killing him now after all this time had already passed?

It felt a bit cruel... she couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Alex had long burst out of his living quarters, as did Old Brama. When he saw Sylas take action, he could only sigh.

Somehow, he knew that things would always end like this between Jala and Sylas. Jala could have had a great future laid out for him, but he just refused to let things go.

Cassarae might not understand why Sylas did this-in a rare bit of confusion on her part, at least in regard to Sylas himself-but Alex knew exactly why.

This information was something Jala should have told Sylas months ago. If Sylas had had this information months ago, he would have already deduced everything. And if he had already deduced everything, Cassarae would have never been put in the position she had been by Fowler.

Jala's ineptitude putting his own life at risk, Sylas could accept.

There could have been a million reasons why Jala hadn't given this information. Maybe he just didn't think it was relevant.

But there was also the non-zero likelihood that he had done all of this because he hoped not having this information would eventually hurt Sylas.

And it almost had.

Sylas had let him linger around for long enough. Since he didn't want to change his ways, then he could just go and die.

The unfortunate part for Jala was that since he had revealed all of this in a moment of madness, maybe he had been truly willing to turn a corner. Or maybe he just didn't realize what he was doing until it was too late.

Regardless of what the answer was, Sylas didn't have the time nor the patience for it.

Sylas waved a hand, and Jala's corpse vanished.

"His body is, um... kind of important," Alex said after a moment.

Sylas only gave him a glance and said nothing else. Alex put his hands up in mock surrender and let Sylas do as he pleased.

"Old Brama, this woman here will help you with the ship. She is a C-tier Soul Master."

Old Brama's eyes opened wide. However, Sylas' next words left him in even more confusion.

"All of the plans for the ship will be your own. You are not to allow her to make any changes to the blueprints or any suggestions on how things will run. You may learn from her, but only insofar as you can personally apply and assess the veracity of what she has said yourself. Do you understand?"

Old Brama blinked, but then slowly nodded. "Yes."

"If I find that you've allowed her more control than you should, I'm sure you already understand the consequences."

Old Brama didn't reply to this. These matters were definitely obvious enough.

Jala had been here for so long, but the moment he crossed Sylas' bottom line, he was erased.

"If either of you ever have pertinent information about your personal safety, important things that have occurred, or anything of the like, and you deem it wise to keep it to yourselves, I'll give you a worse death than Jala."

After saying this, Sylas walked out of the ship.

Cassarae followed after without a word.

...

The Hollow Wing soared through the air, zipping so fast that it was hard to enjoy the scenery even with the lush moon hanging in the skies.

"Was killing him necessary?" Cassarae eventually asked.

"Yes."

"Okay." She paused for a moment before continuing. "What did Alex mean by his body being important?"

"There's some evidence that his Clan was originally of Earth. At some point, they defected and started off on a new world, completing a separate Summoning. They may have realized that things were a lost cause and then made a deal with the Professors to escape to a new world.

"But, as you can see, the Professors were always part of this plan to begin with. It's just that they're unscrupulous, so they had their own contingencies in place. In case things didn't work out with the Purvons, they still had the Halls, which were valuable experimental targets for recreating what the First Race of Earth could have been capable

of."

"So you mean that his body is the last contingency plan?"

"Yes."

"But... he's dead now."

"He's more useful to me dead," Sylas replied.

After all... he was a Reaper Sealwright.

It was about time he tried finding ways to level up this stubborn Profession.

There was one use Jala had had when he was alive, though. Now that Sylas understood

the ins and outs of what happened back then and where the All-Seeing Eye came from, he couldn't just see the board.

He knew how to counterattack.

**

How majestic was it to see a winged man kneeling? It was a sight that struck you with awe. From the lowered head to the way the wings of white spread out to the left and right, spilling onto the marbled ground as though robes of silk in perfect subjugation.

If Sylas had been here, he would recognize this man immediately as the D-tier Thryskai Demi-God that had been oppressing the Golden Grove what felt like a lifetime ago now... The very man who knew of the Rat's existence and had smelled that very scent on Sylas.

"My King," he said solemnly. "There has been a change."