"Haaa…"
Rey stood amidst the smoldering wasteland left by his battle with K'arba'diel. The once-mighty Dragon Emperor was no more, reduced to ashes by Rey's overwhelming power.
Yet, as the last echoes of the devastation faded, a heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"It's never enough, is it?" he muttered, his voice carrying a weariness that belied the carnage he had wrought.
He opened his Status Window, its shimmering interface lighting up in front of him.
[STATUS WINDOW]
- Name: Rey Skylar
- Race: Human (Critical Abberation)
- Class: Singularity
- Level: 310 (95.18% EXP)
- Life Force: 20,510 [+20,510]
- Mana Level: 50,000 [+50,000]
- Combat Ability: 12,000 [+12,000]
- Stat Points: 9,000
- Skills (Exclusive): [Doppel]
- Skills (Non-Exclusive): [Absolute Magic Application]. [Absolute Magic Application]. [Grand Combat Application]. [Grand Weapon Mastery]. [Grand Battle Aura]. [Grand Battle Sense]. [Grand Mana Recovery]. [Grand Health Recovery]. [Perfect Calm].
- Alignment: Chaotic Evil
[Additional Information]
A high-priority aberration that needs to be exterminated at all cost.
Elimination pending…
[End Of Information]
Rey frowned.
His designation as a "Critical Aberration", as well as "Chaotic Evil" stared back at him, a glaring reminder of the System's intent.
'So my elimination is pending? I must be exterminated at all cost?'
He clenched his fists, frustrated.
"Why haven't they just erased me?" he muttered. "I'm clearly marked for elimination, yet I still have my power. They could've taken it away, left me helpless... but they didn't."
The thought churned in his mind.
Was the System bound by rules it couldn't break? Or was there something about him that made him immune to their complete control?
Before he could delve deeper into the mystery, an unseen force gripped him.
It was as if the air itself had become a pair of hands, yanking him upward with an irresistible pull.
"What the—?" Rey barely had time to react before his surroundings blurred.
~WHUUUSH!~
The world snapped into focus again, and Rey found himself dangling in midair, his throat caught in an iron grip.
Before him stood Seraph, her ethereal beauty now twisted into something darker, crueler.
Her once-human guise had been shed, revealing her true Angelic form: glowing wings of radiant white, golden sigils etched into her skin, and a faint halo shimmering above her head.
"I suspected you'd still be alive," Rey growled, trying to pull her hand away. "I should've destroyed you completely."
Seraph chuckled, her voice as sweet as it was venomous. "You really are insufferable, Rey. Do you ever stop talking?"
Her grip tightened, cutting off his air. Rey's hands clawed at hers, but her strength was immense.
"You ruined everything," she hissed, her smile never fading. "K'arba'diel was supposed to weaken you, soften you up for me. But no, you had to go and obliterate him, didn't you? Always the overachiever."
Rey's vision blurred, but he managed to rasp.
"If… you wanted me… dead… should've done it yourself."
Seraph smirked. "Oh, I will. And when I do, the higher-ups will forgive my little… missteps. Killing you will fix everything."
Rey's eyes narrowed as his energy flared.
In a burst of speed, he broke free of her grip, landing several feet away.
'[Doppel],' he called, activating the Skill. He immediately summoned his copied [Temporal Flow], aiming to freeze her in place.
Nothing happened.
"What?" Rey muttered, confusion flashing across his face.
Seraph laughed, a sound that sent chills down his spine.
"Oh, Rey. Did you think your little tricks would work on me?" She raised a glowing hand, the air around her shimmering with an otherworldly power. "Your Skills are rooted in the System. I, on the other hand, wield Ancient MajiK. A power far older, far purer, and far beyond your comprehension."
"Ancient MajiK?" Rey echoed, a rare flicker of doubt in his voice.
Seraph tilted her head, her smile widening.
"Poor little Singularity. You're so used to being the most powerful being in the room, aren't you? But this... this is a different league."
Rey gritted his teeth.
'This is just like with that creature back then…' He thought of Dagon. 'No… this feels a bit different.'
In any case, if Skills wouldn't work, he'd rely on brute force.
With a roar, he surged forward, his sheer Stats fueling an onslaught of attacks. Each strike was powerful enough to shatter mountains, his fists moving faster than the eye could follow.
Seraph danced around him effortlessly, her movements elegant and precise.
"Is this all you've got?" she taunted, dodging another blow.
Her hand glowed with radiant energy as she unleashed a massive beam of golden light. The attack struck Rey squarely, sending him flying backward.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
He skidded across the ground, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
Rey groaned, trying to push himself up.
His body screamed in protest, his muscles refusing to obey.
Before he could recover, Seraph was upon him. She raised her hand, conjuring a second blast that struck him directly in the chest. The force of the impact drove him into the ground, the earth shattering beneath him.
"Gack!"
Pain wracked his body, paralyzing him.
Blood dripped from his lips as he struggled to breathe.
"Haa… haaa…"
Seraph landed gracefully beside him, looking down with a cruel smile. "You thought you could beat me? How pathetic."
Rey's vision blurred, but he could still see her gloating face.
"Any last words?" she asked, raising her hand for the finishing blow.
Rey's voice was barely a whisper.
"This… isn't over."
"Oh, it is," Seraph replied, her voice cold and final.
She brought her hand down.
The world flashed gold as the blast struck.
It surged toward Rey, the light blinding and heat suffocating. For a moment, the world slowed, his battered body lying helpless on the cracked earth as the overwhelming power of Seraph descended.
"This is how it ends," Rey thought, his vision dimming.
Then—
~WHUSH!~
—Just as the golden light was about to consume him, a swift blur sliced through the air, faster than even Seraph could react.
Rey felt himself being lifted, the deadly heat of the blast vanishing as it obliterated the space where he had lain moments ago.
His blurry vision struggled to focus on the figure holding him.
He made out strong arms cradling him effortlessly and a face that radiated both kindness and an imposing aura of power.
As his sight cleared, Rey's eyes widened in disbelief.
The man was tall, with flawless ebony skin that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. His sharp features were framed by a mane of striking red hair, and his piercing red eyes shimmered like molten fire.
He wore a pristine black suit, unruffled despite the chaos around them, exuding an air of authority and elegance.
"Master," the man said, his deep voice warm and filled with reverence.
Rey's heart skipped a beat.
"A-Ater?" he rasped, barely able to believe his eyes.
The man's lips curved into a gentle smile, one that carried an unspoken promise of loyalty.
"It has been far too long, Master."
Rey blinked, his mind racing. This was impossible. Ater was here.
In this world.
In this moment.
"How… how did you find me?" Rey managed to ask, his voice weak but laced with awe.
Ater's smile widened slightly, his crimson eyes gleaming with devotion.
"It doesn't matter where the currents of fate take you, Master," he said, his tone steady and resolute. "No matter the world, no matter the distance… I will always find you. I exist to serve you, to protect you. Nothing can change that."
Rey's breath hitched, his disbelief giving way to a strange sense of comfort.
As Ater gently adjusted his grip on Rey, cradling him with care, the decimated battlefield seemed to fade into insignificance.
"It is good to see you again… Master."
*
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[A/N]
Yayyy!!! Ater is finally back, baby!
Thanks for reading.