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Conqueror of the Verse
By ColdLink Writer
Chapter VI — Road to Aetherion
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The mountain wind was cold.
Kashihero stood at the edge of the cliff where his father had once built the cabin. Below him stretched endless forests, their dark canopy rolling toward the distant horizon.
Far beyond them—unseen, yet unmistakably present—stood Aetherion.
The capital that worshiped gods.
The capital that would one day kneel.
His right hand throbbed.
The scar pulsed once.
A faint system notification flickered inside his mind.
> Authority Level: 20%
Stability: Acceptable
Soul Door: Active
Kashihero exhaled slowly.
“I need to measure it,” he muttered.
Not the monsters.
Not the forest.
The power.
---
Great Summoning
He raised his scarred hand.
Spirit energy began to flow—but this time something deeper stirred within it.
Not spirit.
Authority.
The air in front of him split open.
A vertical black fracture tore through space, humming with controlled demonic pressure. The forest around him immediately fell silent.
Leaves stopped rustling.
Insects ceased their chirping.
Even the wind seemed hesitant to move.
From the fracture, a tall figure stepped forward.
A black formal coat.
White gloves.
Perfect posture.
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His face was calm. Refined. Almost aristocratic.
Only his eyes betrayed what he truly was.
They were diamond-like—faceted and cold—reflecting light like crystalline blades.
The figure bowed.
“Good afternoon.”
His voice was smooth and ancient.
“My King.”
Kashihero stared at him.
“You recognize me.”
“I recognize the Throne,” the man replied.
He straightened.
“And the one carrying it.”
There was no arrogance in his voice.
No mockery.
Only precise certainty.
Kashihero studied him carefully.
“Name.”
“I do not possess one.”
“You do now,” Kashihero said calmly.
“Lucas.”
The demon inclined his head.
“As you wish.”
---
Testing the Arch Demon
A tremor rippled through the forest.
Something large was approaching.
Heavy.
Predatory.
Kashihero didn’t even turn.
“Presence?”
Lucas closed his eyes briefly.
“Rank-A forest behemoth. Horned corpse-bearer. Approximately two hundred meters away.”
The trees exploded outward.
A massive creature emerged from the forest—stitched flesh, an antlered skull, and six distorted limbs dragging half-rotted carcasses across the ground.
Its presence alone could crush an ordinary knight.
Kashihero glanced at Lucas.
“Kill it.”
Lucas smiled faintly.
“As you command.”
He stepped forward.
No dramatic movement.
No roar.
Only a single raised, gloved hand.
The temperature of the forest dropped instantly.
Demonic pressure erupted—compressed, focused.
The behemoth roared and charged.
Lucas vanished.
Then reappeared above it.
Two fingers extended.
He tapped the creature lightly on the forehead.
Silence followed.
Then the monster collapsed.
Not sliced.
Not destroyed.
Its internal structure simply… stopped functioning.
As if reality itself rejected its existence.
Lucas landed softly.
“Insufficient resistance.”
Kashihero narrowed his eyes.
“You held back.”
“Of course.”
“How much?”
“Approximately one percent.”
The forest wind slowly returned.
Kashihero felt no fear.
Only calculation.
Good.
Very good.
---
Carnivorous Integration
Kashihero walked toward the corpse.
The scar on his hand burned.
Lucas watched silently.
Suddenly the scar split open.
Not blood.
Not flesh.
A dark seam unfolded across his palm.
From within it emerged a skeletal jaw structure—elongated, unnatural, threaded with spirit-veins.
It opened.
Wide.
Too wide.
The corpse trembled.
Then it was dragged inward.
Bone cracked.
Flesh dissolved.
Energy was siphoned away.
Not messy.
Efficient.
The jaw retracted.
The scar sealed again.
A faint pulse traveled through Kashihero’s body.
His spirit density increased.
Lucas observed carefully.
“Integration ability.”
Kashihero flexed his fingers.
“In my old world, my aura devoured them.”
Lucas tilted his head slightly.
“And in this world?”
Kashihero looked at his hand.
“It eats.”
Lucas’ diamond eyes gleamed.
“How elegant.”
---
First Calamity Test
The ground trembled again.
Three more creatures approached.
Faster.
Smarter.
Pack hunters.
Kashihero stepped forward.
“Don’t interfere.”
Lucas bowed slightly.
“As you wish.”
The monsters lunged.
Claws slicing through the air.
Fangs aimed for his throat.
Kashihero inhaled slowly.
Then activated it.
Calamity Bringer — Fragment.
The world slowed.
Not stopped.
Slowed.
Leaves froze mid-fall.
Claws crawled through the air like they were moving through heavy water.
But Kashihero moved normally within it.
One step.
A pivot.
His katana flashed.
A single arc.
Time snapped back.
The monsters split cleanly across their torsos.
They hadn’t even realized he had moved.
Before the blood could touch the ground, the scar opened again.
The jaws emerged.
Devoured.
Retracted.
Kashihero swayed slightly.
A sharp headache struck.
A thin line of blood ran from his nose.
Lucas appeared beside him instantly.
“Overuse detected.”
“Two seconds,” Kashihero muttered.
“Your vessel is not yet optimized.”
“I know.”
He wiped away the blood.
But he was smiling.
Very faintly.
---
Distant Skyline
Hours later, they reached the edge of the forest.
The trees thinned.
The land opened into vast plains.
And there it was.
Far in the distance.
White walls.
Towering spires.
Golden reflections shining beneath the sun.
Aetherion.
The City Closest to Heaven.
Lucas stood beside him.
“That city worships the gods who fear you.”
Kashihero’s scar pulsed again.
“I don’t need worship.”
His eyes hardened.
“I need strength.”
The wind shifted.
Blowing from the direction of the capital.
For the briefest moment—
His scar burned hotter than ever before.
As if something inside Aetherion…
Was aware.
Lucas’ voice lowered.
“There are observers.”
Kashihero turned toward the road leading down the mountain.
“Let them watch.”
His gaze fixed on the distant capital.
“Aetherion is Phase One.”
Behind them, the forest suddenly felt smaller.
Ahead, the holy capital shimmered beneath divine light—
Completely unaware of what was walking toward it.
---
— End of Chapter VI —
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