Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2007: Future Hope [Bonus]

[Bonus chapter thanks to Eeshoo. May he spend all his time making money and forget to reproduce so this fuckery ends here] Even long after Sylas had disappeared into the distance, slaughtering everything that came across his path, Riqo and Ziel continued to kneel as though this new position was somehow more comfortable for them.

"Is he... really human?" Riqo wheezed out, speaking more to himself than anyone else.

Ziel didn't answer, and Riqo didn't expect him to. There were just some people who were beyond the limits of reason, people that couldn't be measured by what stats popped up on their screens or what their Race Grade reflected.

They had just never seen one come from a Summoned World. But maybe if the others they were thinking of had been put in such a situation, they would have succeeded much the same.

Was that true? They had no way of knowing.

When the stars in the skies reached a certain point, how could it be possible for those on the earth to tell which was further than the other from a glance alone?

"He will fight Rhykan one day." Ziel finally said, somehow both in direct response and not to what Riqo had said. "That may decide whether the Thryskai can remain at the top of the Skai Universe or if it will be renamed."

"You've lost yourself, Ziel." Riqo said slowly, finally beginning to stand to his feet.

Ziel didn't move from his knees, looking up at Riqo instead. He had been the most rambunctious of the two of them, but now he was suddenly so very calm.

"Explain." He asked.

"The Gods aren't something we can understand. These games... their talent, their genius... it works on the Mortal Plane, it might even work on the Demi-God Plane... but the God Plane...?"

Riqo's eyes flickered almost as though he might shed tears. But as quickly as they appeared, they evaporated, vanishing into nothingness.

"The God Plane is not just some level of existence. It's not a tier we can mark or a Grade we can assign. It is by definition unfathomable.

"The God Plane, the real God Plane, not the faint edges of it that we know of or most people think of... is a different level entirely."

Riqo glanced off toward the distance where Sylas had vanished.

"Sylas is right about one thing. The Gods are occupied by something. If they weren't, they would have never let us mess around with the Madness Disciples so much. Even they would never risk the risk of Madness once more, not after all the effort they put into wiping them out to their last man.

"But one day they won't be occupied anymore and all of the childish games that Sylas and Rhykan have played will come with hell to pay."

Ziel looked away from Riqo and into the distance as well.

"Or, maybe... the Gods will underestimate them too much and by the time they're ready to act, it will be too late."

Riqo's gaze flickered and then he closed his eyes.

The tears he had tried to hold back fell from his cheeks and a piece of his Will was forever sundered away.

It truly hurt.

It hurt to put in so much effort, to train like he had, to try and maximize the talents he had been granted-talents he knew he was lucky to have—and yet to fall so far short.

To know you were inferior and yet have no method to change a single thing about it...

There was no worse feeling in the world.

And yet, when he looked into Sylas' eyes, he didn't see someone proud of his accomplishments. He saw someone who felt he had only done what was natural.

Sylas wasn't chasing some peak... he was hoping that the peak he finally reached didn't disappoint him.

And that was worse than any wound you could have ever inflicted on Riqo.

"I will return to my Buri Clan. Let the Seeing Eye Guild suffer in our stead." Riqo said softly, the tears on his cheeks being crushed by the weight of space until nothing at all was left.

"And Sylas' words?"

"If they come to fruition, it won't be our choice to go to him. It will be that of our elders."

"You don't sound convinced that he will be right." Ziel said. "Will our Thryskai Clans really have no other method but to ask for his help?"

Riqo shook his head. "The Heavens have been separated for too long. The universe always tends toward chaos, and the system has wanted us to clash for a long time. Even if he hadn't said it, something would have happened. And at that point... not using a warrior as strong as Sylas would be the pinnacle of foolishness."

A bitter smile spread across Ziel's face.

"We got rid of the Madness Disciples but we haven't been strong enough to replace them yet. The other Heavens have done better in that regard."

"Such is the Fate of those born to a Heaven the impotent system cannot understand."

The Skai Heaven represented the Core Stat of Will...

But the impotent system had never been good at forging a path for Will, and yet it hated the one path-the path of Madness-that did it so well.

What were they if not weak compared to the other Heavens?

Now, it wasn't just the Thryskai who knew this, but Sylas who knew as well.

And he was telling them if they wanted to survive, they would have to rely on someone actually robust enough.

If the Skai Heaven wanted to survive, it would need Sylas Grimblade.

**

Sylas touched down on the formation of his own creation, feeling the power surging through him.

He had killed quite a bit, but it wasn't just to fulfill his promise of revenge, but also to feel out the path forward.

How could he level up, progress, or advance now that he was cut off from normal paths of doing so?

How was he going to improve his Classes? Let alone four Classes, how would he get his current Classes to the D- tier? What about his Professions.

As Sylas killed, he slowly built out his method.

Everything from now on would just have to be built by his own hands, brick by brick.

The answer was always the same for him.

Rune Mastery.

One built from the souls of those he killed.

But first...

[Quicktime Event Cleared]

[Last Breath of a Future Hope - Completed]

[Last Breath Reward Received]

[Future Hope Reward Received]