Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1944: Solidified

[Title Fusion]

[God Slayer + System Chosen + Dominus Paragon + Primus Luminaria + Primus Imperium]

[Error-Anomaly Detected]

[Title Fusion]

[God Slayer + Palms of Fate + System Chosen + Dominus Paragon + Primus Luminaria + Primus Imperium] —

[Error-Anomaly Detected]

[Title Fusion]

[God Slayer + An Infinite Will + Palms of Fate + System Chosen + Dominus Paragon + Primus Luminaria + Primus Imperium] -

[Title Fusion Complete]

[Grim Reaper]

[Title Unlocked]

[Grim Reaper (Lineage Title) (Sacred)]

[Cheating death, basking in its scent, staring into its maw. A chilling indifference wraps around your heart, moving like clouds across the moon in the sky. The bloody light reflects your blood, its heat long dispersed, its origins long forgotten. But the call of your blade speaks to the souls from beyond, and your Will drags them into the land of the living] -

[Overlord Status-Stripped]

[Primus Luminaria-Stripped]

[Primus Imperium-Stripped]

[Dominus Paragon-Stripped]

Sylas was more than ready to suffer the fate of something being ripped from his chest. The instant he lost his Primus Imperium Title, everything should have plummeted.

When it didn't happen, he thought it might have been because his Race was now Sacred amongst the Mortal tiers. Even without Primus Imperium, he should still be able to take in Legendary Genes at the F-tier certainly, and likely even the E-tier. He wasn't sure if it would still be good enough at the D-tier, but he would certainly be able to absorb at least Gold D-tier Genes.

However, something felt odd. That was because Sylas still felt that his Will could project into D-tier levels even now. Even if his Sacred Race status could explain the first, it couldn't explain this.

He also felt that he could still draw D-tier Runes if he tried. Though he hadn't before, that wasn't because he couldn't, it was because he was working on trying to get his E-Grade Rune Mastery to true perfection as quickly as possible.

But what was the oddest of them all was that despite losing Dominus Paragon, his Mental Stats still hadn't plummeted like they should have. They gazed like they had still received the more than 10x boost the Title gave him.

That made the least sense.

Maybe he could bend and twist the other concepts into making sense, but this one was as cut and dry as it came. There was absolutely no reason why Dominus Paragon should still be giving him its +1000% boost.

'Grim Reaper... the call of your blade speaks to the souls from beyond, and your Will drags them into the land of the living...'

That was the only explanation Sylas received. There was no stat boost, no ability boost. It didn't even seem to have anything to do with the Titles he had. It was almost like the Title needed sacrifices of a certain caliber, not sacrifices of a certain kind. So long as he had enough Titles, it would swallow them all regardless of their make.

But if that was the case... how powerful did a Title have to be to need his Infinite Will Title in order to be completed?

[What does my Grim Reaper Lineage Title do?]

Not to mention everything else, a Lineage Title was something Sylas had never heard of. He could only hope that the Virtue Madness Key would have an answer for him.

[It is hard to say what the Lineage Title Grim Reaper does as it seems to be a sort of evolving Title, one highly dependent on the thoughts, emotions, and methods of the user.

[As a Lineage Title, its strength is dependent both on Will and Karma. It required Champion Will in order to trigger properly. From a cursory scan, it seems that this Grim Reaper Lineage Title allows the user to take from the world without regard for balance and objective reality. However, this description is purposely vague and difficult to parse] -

The explanation was interesting because while it wasn't as bare bones as the explanation Sylas received for his Mirror Dungeon, it was just as vague.

Yet, because the Key had said so much, it meant that while it wasn't familiar with the Grim Reaper Title, what it was extremely familiar with were Lineage Titles.

[What is a Lineage Title?]

[A Lineage Title is the representation of a Royal Hero Line, one that has reached a point where the acting system or the universe is forced to give it recognition beyond a veneer of acceptance. It can be stated that a Lineage Title is where a Royal Line or Royal Hero Line stops being a vacant Title and begins to hold real weight and merit beyond simply individual power.

[Depending on the event that triggered a Lineage Title, it can either blunt or sharpen a Royal Hero Line into a truly Holy Weapon.] —

[What is its relation to Champion Will?]

[One can have Champion Will without a Royal Hero Line, but one cannot have a Lineage Title without Champion Will.

[Champion Will represents a Will beyond yourself, one that transcends the vessel that is your body and reaches beyond into the metaphysical. It represents external influences of Will, a factor of Luck and chance playing into your favor, but requiring the forceful seizure of exactly that Luck.

[As the Ancients once said. Luck is when Opportunity meets Preparation]

Sylas felt something inside of him shake when he read this. He read it again and again, almost forgetting that there was still the rest of the message to read.

[A Lineage Title cannot maximize its strengths without Champion Will. Your Champion Will is the bridge between your Will and that of the universe's, while your Lineage Title is the first method through which you can tangibly manifest that momentum into replicable results] —

Sylas held out his scythe as the last of his flesh fused back into place, his body shuddering as a great amount of power erupted from it.

He held the scythe before him. Its curved blade was such a deep and dark black that not a single ounce of light reflected from its surface. Every hint of it was absorbed.

In that moment of silence, staring at the blade...

Sylas felt he finally understood something.

And his Dao, a long forgotten whisper at the back of his mind, solidified.

He didn't need Overlord Status. If he wanted something, all he had to do was take it.