Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1990: Far Too Long

Sylas watched Maldrith as though he had all the time in the world to respond. However, as it seemed he would raise his hand to do something, it wasnʼt he who acted in the end.

It was the 713th Whale Emperor.

Her palm formed a delicate circle in the air. It was drawn slow, almost too slow. For a moment, it felt like she would at no time complete it in time.

But somehow, it was like the world itself bent to her whims, slowing everything else just enough to allow her exactly the time she needed.

Pa.

There was no explosion when the two met. In fact, it was almost like Maldrith had travelled so far and so swift just to give the 713th Whale Emperor a high five. If not for the quick separation that happened moments after, one might have even thought that they were lovers touching their palms across a pane of glass.

All of Maldrithʼs energy was completely dissipated in a breath of time, and he couldnʼt help but look at his hand as though he didnʼt recognize it.

What the hell just happened?

While Maldrithʼs strength was nothing like it would be on his own world, it wasnʼt like he was a scrub without it. If he claimed to be the strongest of the Ancestors, not very many at all would refute him. And unlike the Scorpion Lineage, Sylasʼ actions had touched upon him too.

Granted, because he had left the Lion Lineage, what he benefited from could only be said to be nibbles at the edges. But still, the gap between an Ancestor and a current Cycle Emperor should be enormous, and he wasnʼt just any Ancestor, he was the strongest of them.

Whatever benefits the 713th Whale Emperor received should have never been able to bridge this gap. What was going on? What happened while he was asleep? Or had she always been this powerful.

The 713th Whale Warlordʼs dress fluttered in the air, her expression the picture of calm as though she wasnʼt surprised by what had happened in the slightest.

As magical as Sylasʼ abilities were, he couldnʼt cause such an enormous change in A-tiers. The real reason the strength of the Emperors had been elevated such a great deal was in large part due to the fact they no longer had to restrain themselves to suppress their Spirits from killing their youths.

However, via indirect methods, you could very well say that this was exactly what happened. As for Elanae, the reason she had been so confident in taking that strike was because observing the creation of the Whale Warlord Armor had allowed her Comprehension to take a large leap forward.

”Maldrith, I would remind you that you are no longer a member of our Sanctum. You were called here to help in exchange for payment and resources. This is not your place to act.”

”What did you just say to me?” Maldrith was taken aback, looking at the woman who was thousands of years his junior with a burning rage in his belly.

Elanae didnʼt reply, her gaze calm and steady. And it was in that brief instant that Faneleiʼs palm descended.

Chi.

The Scorpion Construct cracked before all their eyes, ribbons and streaks of fissures and valleys racing across its surface faster and faster.

Every member of the Scorpion Lineage felt as though something was being ripped free from them, their bodies shaking violently.

Eliwine screamed, gripping at his head and coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Pedraeg, the 713th Scorpion Emperor, stood frozen, his eyes wide and his pupils almost vacant. He honestly couldnʼt believe what was happening.

”Quite sturdy.” Fanelei said, a bit embarrassed. But she didnʼt raise her hand to attack again. It wasnʼt necessary, not right now.

Pa.

This time the sound came with a total collapse. It all shattered in real time, the screams of horror that echoed from a past long forgotten tearing right into their very souls.

Eliwine suffered the most, but even weaker Scorpions coughed, their faces paling as they felt like their own personal Spirits had lost an anchor.

The 713th Cycle of Emperors found themselves frowning. Why was Eliwine screaming so much? He should be reacting similarly to everyone else.

It had to be understood that every Spirit Beast was born with their own set of Spirits. The Lineage Spirit was a separate entity, one birthed and grown through the sacrifices of Scorpion Ancestors who had passed. It was a separate entity passed down to the current Cycle Emperor at the time.

If it was shattered, the connection its descendants would have to Scorpion Will would weaken, yes. But it wasnʼt as though it would cause great harm to them.

With the way Eliwine was screaming, though...

Their expressions all went frighteningly dark.

They looked toward Pedraeg who should have had the Lineage Spirit of the Scorpion currently. When they paid more attention to the Spirit ”fighting” its way out of his body more, their expressions all darkened even further.

Suddenly, it became clear how the Scorpions had managed to pull the wool over all of their eyes. It wasnʼt that they had just learned how to trick the system of their Sanctum, it was that they had already been doing it for many years -at least as long as Eliwine had been in power as an Ancestor.

From the very start, the Scorpions had been breaking their rules. Rather than passing along their Lineage Spirit to the next generation Emperor, Eliwine had been hoarding that power and not allowing it to settle down into the next generation.

This wasnʼt as simple as making Eliwine stronger, though. From the position of Emperor, all Scorpions benefited. But the restrictions on Ancestors were much looser. As such, Eliwine was able to direct most of the Karma of the Lineal Scorpion toward his direct descendants and bloodline.

It was no wonder Keyesen was such a talent. From the very start, everything he had had was built on a foundation of lies.

The Scorpions had been betraying their principles for far too long.