Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1362: That I Swear

The final three-dimensional matrix snapped into place as Bellarouse huffed for breath.

—

[All-Time F-Grade Soul Mastery Leaderboard][1. Sylas Grimbalde - 00:00:00][2. Fowler Leava - 00:27:44][3. Bellarouse Kaelthar - 00:28:55]...

—

She clenched her small fists.

In any other situation, her feats would be the stuff of legend. She was just a little girl, but her Rune Mastery fundamentals were so solid. It was also clear that she had quite some room to grow.

But even if she grew any more, would she be able to close the gap with Sylas?

The answer was almost certainly no. She wasn’t even close.

In truth, the Thryskai had sent her because they knew it was perfect. Her skill was just beneath that of Fowler. So, even if she was forced to go all out, she would be just shy of him.

This was the perfect balance they wanted to strike. On the one hand, they would show their might, and on the other, they wouldn’t humiliate the man who was currently one of the main cores of the Leava Clan.

They had more powerful F-tier Rune Masters; they just hadn’t sent them.

But seeing the state of the situation...

It wouldn’t matter even if they had.

Sylas was on a level all his own.

Every time he began, he seemed to stand there and wait patiently for no other reason than to prove a point.

Whatever division there was as a reward for speed, he took advantage of them all to the edge of what was possible.

Then, the rest of the time he just stood there silently. If not for his sunglasses, they would have also been able to tell that his eyes were closed, his mind constantly deducing something as though he was completely uninterested in their performances.

And why would he care to watch the performances of those so much worse than himself anyway? What would that be if not a waste of time?

Bellarouse walked back to the group, and Furon began his round. But her gaze never left Sylas, as though she was trying to read his secrets across his skin.

”...Are you a Spark Master?”

Sylas didn’t seem to be listening, but everyone else certainly was.

Seeing that Sylas wasn’t answering, Bellarouse walked up to him.

Sylas’ eyes snapped open, and the little girl inadvertently took a step back, her heart skipping a beat. Even suppressed behind his glasses, the waves of Sylas’ Will, as subtle as they were, were far too much for F-tiers of this caliber to withstand.

Especially since Bellarouse had just drained herself in the previous round.

”Are you a Spark Master?” she asked again, seemingly not knowing fear.

”I’ve already said it once. I’m not a fan of repeating myself.”

Bellarouse’s eyes widened, and then she looked toward Urolius, whose fists were likewise clenched. The latter was completely focused on his feet as though he didn’t want to be here at all.

All of this was nothing short of humiliating.

Although none of the Thryskai admitted it, even if they won this time, the fact the F-tiers had gone first would leave a stain on everything else.

There was also the matter of the sheer margin Sylas was winning by. With this foundation of Rune Mastery, he would reach Rune Soul practically the moment he stepped into E-tier at this rate.

How long would it take him to match their best Vitality E-Grade Rune Master?

Would he be able to reach Spark Mastery in the E-Grade as well?

At that point, how much prestige would they be able to hold on to?

”How did you do it?” Bellarouse asked.

For the first time, Sylas actually looked at the little girl in front of him. Well, it was the second time. The first time was when he acknowledged her as the second-best Rune Master here. This second time, however...

”Following others isn’t the way of a Spark Master. At least not in this corner of the universe.”

After saying this, Sylas ignored whatever words the girl said next.

Maybe in a stronger Sector, one could be guided to becoming a Spark Master. But here...

Unless you could do it yourself, you would stand no chance of reaching that level at all.

But in Sylas’ opinion... no true Spark Master would rely on another to reach that level.

At the very least, not one that could form a Perfect Spark Seed like he had.

These people thought him to just be a Spark Master, and that was cute enough.

What they didn’t know due to their ignorance was that he was far from a normal Spark Master.

He was a level even beyond that.

The rules that applied to others simply didn’t apply to him.

**

”What do you hope to accomplish with this, Gralith?”

A voice came from everywhere and yet nowhere at once. It was all-encompassing and impossible to track, coming in waves that surrounded them all.

Gralith didn’t respond immediately. He too didn’t seem to be in any particular place at the moment, standing in an infinite void that stretched out into blackness as far as the eyes could see—even those of a C-tier.

Then his lips parted.

”Just watch.”

”That is your response? What is even the purpose of fighting against this? Don’t you see why the other Sanctum Lineages do not care?”

”It’s easy enough to see,” Gralith replied calmly. ”They only see the Bat Lineage’s introduction as a net positive. Our Sanctum’s rank will likely increase, and if the Kaelthar promote to Demi-God, there’ll be a huge void left in our Sector and adjacent Sectors that can be swallowed up by us, increasing it further.”

”If you understand, then why are you fighting so hard against it?”

”Because you all decided that the Scorpion Lineage was a worthy sacrifice for your ideals.”

”That is your fault, Gralith. No one asked you to be the first to go and antagonize them.”

”And why did I do that?”

”Because—!”

”Because my disciple was humiliated, his things were taken from him and stolen, but the Sanctum didn’t deem him worthy of compensation. And yet, it’s more than happy to divide its resources for the sake of an outsider.

”Today, my disciple will show you that he’s capable of raising up the ranking of the Sanctum on his own. Once the Bat Lineage is stripped of what little resources it has and is forced into a no man’s land, I’d like to see how many lap dogs there are in our Sanctum willing to push their water bowls toward them.

”Every one of them I see will be an enemy of my Scorpion Lineage. That I swear.”

The voice was silent until a sneer echoed.

”You really think that winning the F-tier round will matter? Gwenu is talented, but she isn’t diligent, and her body doesn’t match well with the Scorpion Lineage. She ruined her future making the choice she did.

”Maybe your disciple Khan can win you back some face, but he is just one man. Your disciple Ekear, if he manages to show up at all, will suffer the same fate in the C-tier. And then there is you. Your path has long been crippled. Do you think you’re a match for the Bat Lineage’s Head?

”You will lose four to one. And then what will your pride get you?”

The voice vanished after this.

...

Sitting in the Lion Lineage, a furious Prione Ravager shattered his throne’s armrest.

The problem was that even if he knew how things would end in this instance, he knew that the Scorpion Lineage would never let this matter drop. They would never allow this slight to go, and internal conflict would only continue to fester.

”They need to be expelled from the Sanctum,” he said coldly, his voice rumbling like a roar.