Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1725 Domain

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

A trio of explosions shot out from Sylasʼ back, each one larger than the last. They formed a cone of increasing destruction, collapsing the winds and the air, twisting the space that lay in their wake, and even shattering Sylasʼ eardrums.

ʼWhat a... complex Aether...ʼ

Sylas had understood the golden lightning the moment he saw it. But that crimson, blood-like Aether... it was almost too complicated.

His own Glassvolt Aether could be said to be quite complicated. It was a fusion of Sand, Ice, and a sprinkle of Spacetime. Originally, it started as Ice, then gained hints of Wood, before evolving to Sand. As for Spacetime, it had been there from the start, as Sylas had carefully selected the path himself.

To make things even more complicated, it seemed to carry aspects of Poison and a unique Will as well. None of this even mentioned the Volt or Lightning aspects.

It had taken Sylas quite some time to build it up, and it was an Aether unique enough that it would be hard to find a world that naturally produced it-though there was almost certainly at least one, given the vastness of the universe.

Most of the time, when Sylas came across Aethers, they were quite cookie-cutter. They were mass-produced goods for all intents and purposes, things that could be easily found amongst many warriors. There would likewise be many Skills and evolved-level Skills for them as well.

As for Sylasʼ Glassvolt Aether, the only Skills he had for it were the ones that naturally came from his Legendary Gene Class. Otherwise, he wouldnʼt have any Skills to speak of for it at all.

This was the weight of having such a complex Aether. It could be said that the system was right in that all Aethers were of equal stock and could reach the same level of power... But even so, the more complex an Aether, the rarer it was, the more unassuming and hard-to-predict it would be in battle.

This crimson, blood-like Aether had done everything from enhancing Salivarʼs raw Physical strength, to casting him into a state of Madness, all the way up to now acting as an energy-storing method.

Every injury that Salivar had taken until now, and every time he healed himself, he was storing more and more of this energy into his bloody Aether all for this one, singular moment.

That void ability was definitely an ability of his eyes. It totally dispersed all of the Aether in the surroundings. It wasnʼt ejecting it—it was quite literally creating a world where Aether didnʼt exist.

It was the void of space.

Despite having such an ability, Salivar waited until the opportune time to suddenly deploy it. He had no idea what sort of control Sylas had over the void, and it would be logical of him to believe that Sylas didnʼt have a counter and to use it carelessly.

But he hadnʼt.

From the very start, Salivar had proven himself to be quite cautious despite his outwardly boisterous personality. Or maybe... that was just one of the personalities hidden deep within himself acting.

It was a complicated Aether, indeed. But now... Sylas was confident that he had understood it all.

As for this void domain, Salivar was right to have saved it for so long. Given all the information Sylas had on the Seeing Eye Guild, how could he possibly not have information on their Profession? Even so, the details on the highest-level inheritance were murky and not well known.

Even so, this domain-though not known by name-had its characteristics well described in the documents.

And this right here... Sylas knew was an opportunity.

One that he had no intention of using.

Sylas coughed up a mouthful of blood, and he gripped the sword in his body by hand. Blood trickled down his chin in a waterfall, coating his jawline as though to paint the lower half of his face in an entirely new color.

And yet, even now... his gaze remained deathly still, even as Salivarʼs laughter peeled across the skies like claps of thunder. Crimson leaked from his eyes, sparking into golden lightning. The two flipped back and forth, reaching a state of fusion that hadnʼt been possible before.

It seemed that on top of hiding this domain, Salivar had been exchanging his ability to fully control his Aether properly as well. Within this domain, he wasnʼt just a small bit more powerful-he was easily tenfold stronger.

Sylasʼ grip on the sword tightened, the claws on his hands digging into it.

His Rune Armor finally flickered for the last time, vanishing. Then, his white hair receded, followed by his fair skin and blue eyes.

He returned to his usual state... for but a moment before black scales crawled across his skin.

His irises became seared in gold, his claws hardening as black Runes danced across his body.

Chi.

The sword cracked.

SKREEEEEEEE.

A halo formed around Sylas as Salivar hurried to pull his sword back, lines of gashes appearing across it as the metal screamed.

Visible to the naked eye, the hole in Sylasʼ chest began to rapidly close, but Sylas himself didnʼt spare it a glance. Clenching a fist...

He punched.

It was a punch as simple as could be. It held no Aether at all, and other than the slightest of black fogs, it didnʼt seem special in the slightest.

Yet, Salivar found himself frozen in place, as though a king had commanded it, his skin turning the slightest shade of grey. But it was a change so subtle, and it took place in such a short time frame, that no one came across to notice at all.

BOOM.

Salivar shattered into a rain of blood and gore... or, rather, he should have.

But instead, there was no blood at all. Instead, it looked as though black and grey ash was falling from the skies.

The hole in Sylasʼ chest finally closed entirely, as though to seal any sound the world was capable of producing.

Silence was all that was left.