Genetic Ascension

1588 Jade

Robareda Jade.

It was a name fitting of the queen of the Serpent Lineage, and it was unsurprising that, given her feats, she was superior to even the head of the E-tier Serpent Lineage of the 001 Sanctum.

Her skin was peculiar, almost reflecting like glass. It wasn't exactly transparent, but it shimmered as though it might be hiding a secret just beneath, obscured only by refracting lights.

Her ears were long and pointed, extending almost elegantly from the sides of her head and giving her small snakes all the space in the world to call home.

Her hair was no less elegant. Long as it was, it wasn't released to dance in the winds but instead tightly wound in a complex weave of braids pinned down by jewels and small hairpin crowns that came together to complete her look.

But then there was the sharpest part of her — those eyes, a delicate shade that reflected like pink diamonds, slit right down the middle with a pupil that held the secrets of her ties with the Serpentes.

The Jade Race that Robareda hailed from was very peculiar. They looked quite like the elven legends of Earth, though that wasn't what was so special about them. There were many creatures with the handsome looks and sharp ears of those legends; this wasn't unique to the Jade Race.

Instead, what was so interesting about the Jade Race was the fact that they were known for absolutely nothing. In fact, a bit contradictorily, the only thing they were really known for was being a blank slate.

However, this was exactly what made the Race so special.

After being born, the range of directions they could take was near infinite. They could be close-combat specialists as easily as they could be speedsters. They could be Rune Masters as easily as they could be Beast Tamers.

What was so special about them was the fact they radiated Purity, so any sort of "impurity" that attached to them became very real and obvious.

In practice, this made them exceptionally strong. But their strength was entirely dependent on exactly how good the lineages they received were.

That said... after so many generations of growth, and so many Jade Race powerhouses were formed, just how many of these powerful lineages had they long gathered together?

They had not just a strong presence in the Emperor Sanctum, but also other worthy organizations as well.

The trade-off for all of this was that the Jade Race was incredibly decentralized. There was no perfect hub of Jade Race existences. And yet, very few dared to attempt to trample on their dignity nonetheless... Because as spread far and wide as the Jade Race were, they likewise had very pivotal roles in powers across the universe as well.

If you offended the Jade Race, you might not just have to face them... but instead the ire

of dozens of organizations no less powerful than the Emperor Sanctum.

Of course, it also helped that they were extremely pleasing to the eye and had charm without bound. Their existences alone were like a soothing tonic to those lucky enough to spend time with them... Even amongst so many powerhouses, Robareda somehow felt like the center of attention.

Whether she was truly the most powerful, though... was another matter entirely.

"If you stare at her any harder, Li is going to put a foot up your ass," the Emperor Dove whispered into the Emperor Lizard's ear.

The latter's head snapped to the side, a clawed hand snatching at the Emperor Dove's throat.

A laughter filled the sky box, and the Emperor Dove lightly took a step. He was so fast that the sight of his foot tapping the ground was still playing out when another afterimage had already appeared behind the Emperor Scorpion, as though he was using the latter like a shield.

"Whoa, whoa. Both of you are a little too antsy. Where's all this animosity coming from?"

"Are you under the impression that I fear that snake?" the Emperor Lizard's voice rumbled, his scaled beard rippling as though the panels of an engine. The heat of his breath certainly was about as hot as one.

The Emperor Dove put his hands up in mock surrender once more, but his words were anything but a surrender.

"I'd say the strongest Emperor Serpent born in the last three generations is someone to fear, but what do I know?"

"Enough." Elbrum stepped in between the two. "The more time we waste not starting this farce, the more time we have to waste in this place."

"Hey, hey. Don't you think we should give them more time to adjust to the spatial turbulence?"

"If they can't deal with spatial sickness, then what good would they ever be on the battlefield? Plus, the F-tiers will be going first regardless. Their results are the least meaningful."

"Pretty sure all of them are averaged out to be worth the same, actually."

Elbrum glared at the Emperor Dove.

"Don't get mad at me for trying to follow the rules," he said with a roll of his eyes. "But you're right, it'll probably be fine. We'll split them up into the bottom thirty first. Top three move on."

The three of them finally nodded in agreement.

"You do the announcing, then, since you're so eager," the Emperor Lizard said to Elbrum.

Elbrum didn't waste any more time. With a wave of his hand, a pulse of energy shook the world and thirty pies of space vanished. Sanctum 100 all the way to Sanctum 071 were blinked out of existence, being transported once again to a completely new region. Or, most accurately, their F-tiers were.

Sylas felt it before it came, but there was no resisting it to begin with. But he didn't appear in a new world. Instead, he was in an expanse of blackness. Even so, across from him, there was another sea of enemies from what looked like the 087 Sanctum.

'Odd.'

The world shook, and Elbrum's voice echoed.