Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2247: Inspiration

If Sylas had to guess, the Creation of Key was probably a repairing mechanism of some sort.

Since the tower was so much like a clock, using the clock analogy would actually work pretty well here. The tower was like a watch that needed to be wound up to maintain consistent and controlled power. And the key was exactly that sort of special interlocking mechanism that could get the gears in the clock going again.

You would insert the key, wind it up, add potential energy to the spring mechanisms inside, and then everything would start running again.

Unfortunately, that was where the analogy fell flat, because obviously this was no simple clock.

If it was just normal maintenance, then yes, the Creation of Key would be fine. But handing over the Key like this when the tower was in this state would be like giving a homeless man a burger and then expecting to claw it back.

The tower didnʼt need a simple tune up. What it needed was the reference that the Creation of Key provided.

If Sylas was correct, the tower was looking to trigger some sort of failsafe that rewound it back to a previous state. And in order to do that, it needed to reverse engineer the Runes on the Creation of Key by taking them.

The weakened state of the tower didnʼt need to be explained any further. Just the fact that Sylas had only targeted one Clan that pissed him off instead of them all made that obvious.

The tower simply didnʼt have the energy to do another, and trying to push it would just have the reverse effect.

Maybe everything would break and then heʼd have no protection at all.

But, giving up the Creation of Key would essentially mean that Sylas would both have to just trust that the tower would continue to treat him well after it got it, and he would be unable to return to the tower as easily as he could the first time.

When returning the tower would deposit him where he had entered from. But what if he wanted to come back?

The only path then would be to use whatever methods of the Rune Masters here used, and that would probably require going to a Rune Guild of some sort.

The moment he had to do something like that, the people who had already realized why it was he only targeted one family and not them all would be able to put two and two together.

Sylas wasnʼt the only intelligent person in existence.

But maybe the more troubling part was the first part.

The tower would have no reason to continue to help him the moment it got what it wanted. And even if it didnʼt take his grandfatherʼs title away, the moment people learned Magnus was an F-tier, they would try to challenge him to take it away.

Granted, there might be some restrictions around this. But Sylas didnʼt like the idea of his grandfather having to withstand so much pressure when the real reason Sylas had brought him here was so that he could learn in peace.

But… if the tower felt that Sylas would never give it the Creation of Key, it wasnʼt stupid either. Why would it continue to help him? The results might end up being the same, just in a roundabout way.

Sylas took out the Creation of Key and the tower trembled.

But then he took out the Legacy of Key and it seemed to almost pause.

The tower was really a magical thing. Its sentience was akin to a World Spirit, and yet it was formed entirely by Runes crafted by man. This Level of Rune Mastery was truly something else.

”There is a simple solution here.” Sylas said calmly. ”Open yourself up and allow me to use the Legacy of Key on you. I will return with another perfect Creation of Key.”

The tower shook.

”In the meantime, ensure that no harm comes to my grandfather and that no one bothers him. Allow him to learn in peace and solitude. Use what other energy you have to warp the time around my portal. I will try to return as quickly as possible, but this challenge will not be as simple as the first I entered.”

The tower shook again.

Sylas could feel it.

Agreement.

The moment he felt the protective Runes open up, he used Legacy of Key.

Chi.

Sylasʼ pupils constricted as a crack appeared across the badge. It shook wildly in his hand, slowly pushing a portal open as though it was fighting against the universe itself.

Sylas had expected it to struggle, but he didnʼt expect what was effectively an untouchable, S-tier item to crack under this pressure.

However, Sylas didnʼt stop it.

The Legacy of Key continued, the world writhing and worming as though it might collapse. But soon… everything stabilized and a perfect portal appeared.

”This one Creation of Key will help you return to a somewhat healthy state, but it will not be enough for you to return to your prime. Remember this.” Sylas said calmly.

Then… he let the Creation of Key drop.

Sylas didnʼt even watch the tower consume it. He would never bet on anything but himself.

When he vanished into the portal, he had every intention of bringing back another.

And it seemed like he would only have a single shot at it… his Legacy of Key had only been used twice now, and it was already on the verge of shattering into an unrecognizable mess.

Sylasʼ vision cleared.

How the challenge for a Legacy took shape was very much dependent on a number of impossible to account for factors. When Sylas entered the Illuministʼs, he ironically faced the same three challenges he would have against Vaelith. But without her there, he completed them even quicker.

That was why he managed to step out so fast.

But here…

There was nothing but a world of white fog, and up ahead, an aged man sat.

When he looked up, a gaze formed of irises with rotating gears looked right back at him.

Though Sylasʼ gut told him they werenʼt one in the same, not even remotely…

His thoughts immediately strayed to the Zeus Puppets.

Was this where… the Zeus Clan gained their inspiration?