Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1887: Too Nice

Fanelei watched as Sylas disappeared into the Dungeon, taking a deep breath and exhaling. Nothing that young man ever did was in line with normal logic.

There was still time to leave, to escape, but Sylas was insistent on pressing forward. In fact, he hadnʼt hesitated even a single time.

Fanelei turned toward the elevator in the middle of the rock formations as it dinged open. A young man stepped out and seemed to subconsciously ignore Faneleiʼs presence. Of course, that was because Fanelei was still keeping herself quite suppressed now so as not to attract any attention.

The more Fanelei thought about it, though, the more she realized just how much she was risking by doing all of this. She was Sylasʼ one protective line, and she knew that he probably wasnʼt above sacrificing her if need be.

The idea that she could just die as a pawn in Sylasʼ game... it was very real. She very well could die.

Logically, she would almost certainly die.

So why was she so relaxed right now?

It certainly wasnʼt because she had another life. She didnʼt. For a long while now, she had been facing the inevitability of her mortality, and maybe that was why she had done something as insane as messing with the Madness Key.

If it were ever found out, the punishment she would receive would be completely unlike anything the system could wreak.

The Heaven System would just kill you and that would be the end of it. But that Madness...

Well, it had its name for a reason.

Was it worth it?

Well, no more or less worth it than taking a gamble on Sylas.

For some reason, as psychopathic as that man seemed, she was sure that he wouldnʼt abandon her.

”No. It makes perfect sense.” Fanelei suddenly said, speaking to herself.

”WHO?!” The Lizard Dove looked toward Fanelei, seemingly only now noticing her presence. ”Who are you?! State your name and purpose! NOW!”

”Heʼs too prideful,” Fanelei said softly. ”To sacrifice an ally... that would be so very cowardly. And he would be too disgusted to do it-to backstab someone. Heʼs quite the interesting person, donʼt you think?”

The Lizard Emperor discovered herself in complete shock. Her hands trembled.

Usually, she would have attacked by now, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldnʼt seem to muster up the courage.

She had been convinced for a long while that courage was the one thing she lacked the least of. She had stared into the maw of danger more times than she could count.

So why... did she feel so very fragile now?

”Because that wasnʼt real danger,” Fanelei said softly, her mouth curling. ”If you want to know how much fortitude you have, stare into the ceiling of the universe, that crimson mass of sparking chaos... and then see if you grin like he did.”

BANG.

The head of the Dove Emperor exploded, not because of anything of Faneleiʼs direct doing, but those words... they were the sort she had no right to hear.

”Oops,” Fanelei said with a chuckle.

Sylasʼ vision blurred for a moment, and when it reformed, he found himself standing on a floating platform. It seemed shaped like a miniature mountain. Though this ”miniature” mountain was large enough not only to hold Sylas, but Gogo, who was over a hundred meters long now, and Nosphaleen.

The peak of this Miniature Mountain was flat and almost looked like the foundation of an arena, and right now, this mountain was ascending upward.

Sylas looked up and his gaze flickered.

In the far distance, there were more of these miniature mountains, and the closest one...

BANG.

The two mountains rubbed against one another and then slotted into place, the arena of one connecting to that of the other.

Across from them, there was one soldier that seemed completely transparent. He was formed entirely of golden energy, and its face... it reminded Sylas of... It looked up, meeting his eyes. A wild grin spread across its canines, sparkling.

[Monkey King (???)]

[Level: 51]

[Physical: ???]

[Mental: ???]

[Will: ???]

The projection howled and beat its chest, a shockwave that burst Sylasʼ eardrums and nearly knocked him out.

Why couldnʼt he see its stats?

Sylasʼ Visualization reached out toward the higher mountains, and then beyond.

Two of them... then four of them... then eight of them... then sixteen...

Blood leaked out of the corner of Sylasʼ lips, his body weathering the storm until Nosphaleen stood directly in front of him, her wings spreading out wide and flapping once.

The howl was countered, but the chittering laughter remained.

The Monkey took a step and vanished. It leapt through the air like it was in the middle of a circus act, cartwheeling along the clouds and backflipping until it landed on its feet after several spins.

It glided to a stop on a cloud it took a liking to and extended out a hand, a staff appearing first as a small pen and then growing as tall as Gogo himself.

BOOM.

Its butt slammed into the ground and the laughter continued to peel across the skies, clapping like booming thunder.

Suddenly, the Monkey Kings that had multiplied above began to fly down, fusing into the firstʼs body one after another. It grew larger than life and then shrank back down to its original size. Then grew, then shrank, then grew and then shrank once more.

And then, when the last of them had finally fused into it, it solidified.

From illusory, its body became clad in golden fur and beautiful ancient armor. Its ears dangled with ringing rings, and the armor on its wrists and ankles looked etched with its various deeds and feats of strength and combat.

The Monkey King looked into the skies and laughed heartily, laughing and laughing as though it had no intention to battle.

But then it all suddenly came to a stop, the echoes sounding more like booming thunder than the laughter they had been before.

”Do you think that it is so easy to use my likeness? Maybe I have been too nice.”