Chapter 920 Too Bad
It all slid into place one by one for Sylas. However, as it did so, he only became calmer.
To think that he would bring back a ticking time bomb for Earth all on his own.
The Genesis Forge wasn't important for the sake of this mysterious figure. But if they could have one Nosphaleen, or even multiple, all of whom were at the E-Grade, or even higher, then with multiple bridges formed to Earth, manipulating the situation here would become even easier.
It was likely that this last piece of the Genesis Forge was already in a hidden location on Earth, under the control of whatever party this mysterious individual had chosen to be their true champions.
All signs seemed to point their blades right at either the Dogons or Legacy. Those were the obvious answers, but Sylas didn't disregard the possibility that there was a party he had never heard of before or had simply never considered.
He wasn't actually sure if there were any Dogons left, but he certainly wasn't dismissing that either. How large was Earth? He didn't have the power yet to search it all.
What he also didn't dismiss… was that Nosphaleen was just one of this individual's targets. Who was to say that there weren't others?
However, judging by how much effort had been put into capturing her, even if there were others, they were certainly very small in number.
"I think…" Sylas looked up into the skies. "… It's about time I change something… Listening to others… really isn't my style."
The Madness Key was very clear. If you wanted to survive the Summoning…
Be Strong.
It was something that Sylas had always striven for. In truth, he quite liked it. He had loved endurance sport even before the Summoning because the feeling of pushing your body to the limit and then pressing beyond had always been addictive to him.
But that wasn't his entire being, it wasn't the full extent of who he was. He was sharp, he was diligent, he was a man who always used his mind more than he did his fists—unless someone well and truly pissed him off.
Much of his edge and sharpness now was just his method of adapting to the world around him.
But as he strove to get stronger—chasing after a looming shadow so large he couldn't even begin to fathom—he realized just how far he had to go before he grew strong enough to say he had any strength at all compared to this person.
It was too far away, the mountain was too tall, and though he had every intention of climbing it…
He just wasn't there yet.
Be Strong.
It was a nice little moniker. A cute phrase that Madness Disciples should follow, but it also led him to endless frustration—humiliation he hated down to the depths of his soul.
He didn't care how others viewed it. All he cared about was his own opinion of himself, and often, following that path made him feel pathetic, like he didn't have enough control, like he would never have enough control.
Staring at the skies, and seemingly forgetting about the world around him, something shattered.
—
[Title Upgraded]
[A Shaping Will > A Shaped Will]
[Your Will is truly one of a kind and has begun not just to forge its own Path, but also to take a True Shape. While immature and still growing, it has carved out its place in the world. Continue to temper it, young man]
[+200 Will]
[+200% Will]
[+200 Charisma]
[+200% Charisma]
—
Sylas' Will broke free of another barrier, his stat point soaring from 3999 to 4999 before hitting another bottleneck.
His gaze was calm, almost as though he hadn't sensed the change at all. And then… he suddenly moved.
Sylas's hand pressed against the barrier, a crown appearing high above his head.
His Beast Totem, still pulsing with the echoes of Beacon's call, hung behind his head. He knew that the number of Serpentes in his region was few and far between. It was a cold tundra, after all…
But by the same token, with its current range, he knew that he would capture at least some.
Whether they came or not didn't matter, though. What did matter was that there was at least one Serpentes right in front of him, and she needed to heed his call as well.
Nosphaleen, fighting for dear life within the barrier, trembled.
BANG!
The instant that happened, the barrier shattered to pieces and Sylas descended from the air akin to a demonic specter.
A barrier warped in time? Formed by an existence that could play even an E-Grade Race in the palm of their hands?
Who cared?
As the saying went, what is a dragon to a local snake?
Except in this case, Sylas didn't believe a snake was inferior to a dragon in the slightest.
He landed on the ground, his gaze meeting Nosphaleen's. She looked as though she might collapse any moment now, leaning forward with an arched back on her last legs.
"Go and rest," Sylas said.
Nosphaleen's body went limp after he said this, as though the last of her strength gave way the moment he appeared.
In a flash, she was gone. Sylas could have easily used Hibernation Halo instead… but he had no need of it.
He understood what was happening now, so what use did these three puppets have?
"Just die."
Their heads exploded, a shuddering might of telekinesis ripping them apart from the inside out.
Their bodies were flung in bits and pieces of bone and organs, pelting against the snow and what sparse trees remained.
Sylas stood there as though he hadn't done anything very special at all, his mind working in overdrive.
They had met Sylas the savage already. Maybe it was time they met Sylas the professor.
'A bridge, is it?'
It was an interesting concept. Quite the Trojan Horse, indeed.
It was too bad…
That it also worked in reverse.