CHAPTER 129: | TEN THOUSAND AFTERIMAGES OF THE HEAVENLY MAIDENS

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  In the ground where a gigantic sword was lodged, one could mistakenly glance upon moths of flame flickering in and out, like dancing fireflies in a remote village where mountains sorrounded it shielding it from the civilization outside.

  The embers of flames taking their steps in the currents were breathtakingly beautiful.

  It made one think that we were in fiction, where wondrous things that wouldn't be realistically possible in this world were made into reality, or perhaps they do exist, but only time would tell when one would be able to glance just a moment of these ethereal views.

  All while the others live their life oblivious to the ever-changing societies before them.

  Just like us, the ignorants who cocoon ourselves in our bubbles, seeking power by any means be it a sense of superiority, the strength of the flesh, or the mind that not everyone could possess.

  But delving into these profound things that none shall be able to discover its ever-changing truths is an impossibility itself.

  Even for I, whose knowledge eclipses those who proclaimed themselves as wise as a sage or called their foolish self an omniscient entity capable of deducing the truth of the universe, when all they’ve done is drown in their foolish delusions.

  They think their advice would be something of relevance, when they didn’t even apply those words to themselves.

  It is pathetic to give advice that you’ve only formulated in your brain and didn't apply in life.

  This is why I liked Lumicor, for he doesn’t give advice, but he merely observes you to see if he could learn something from your foolishness.

  This is why he is different from the norm, from the genius.

  He thinks in a structured way that even calling it logical wouldn't do justice.

  He is like a sponge that absorbs every droplet of knowledge shared with him, filters it, and applies it to see if there’s anything worthy of his time.

  Just like what he is exactly doing right now.

  Though he easily killed this monstrosity without even breaking a sweat, Lumicor wasn't satisfied.

  He brought a magically enhanced magnifying glass to observe, see, and know the structure of this beast, to see if he could learn something from it.

  Truly the mind of a scholar that I greatly admire.

  But sadly, I had already lost that spark when I've reached that state.

  Observing something this unimpressive wasn't worth my time.

  I had already known and ingrained every structure of a kraken, the placement of their molecular muscles, their biological structure, how they would evolve from a squid to a colossal kraken.

  I've known their evolutionary path.

  So, from my knowledge, this unimpressive kraken is merely a descendant of the greatest kraken of this world.

  While its forefather was worthwhile to observe, to see if there was a new addition to it, observing something as unimpressive as this one, which only had the ability to make its leathery skin harder than the norm, or its abnormal strength from the incomplete ritual of Varuna, or its enormous size that brought nothing beneficial to it but danger, was not worthwhile.

  It simply became a worthy punching bag to test on.

  I just couldn't understand Varuna as to why he would waste his time and research for something this unimpressive.

  While it could help him kill Ashin Sae Acoustine, anything more than that and its usage would be wasteful.

  Unless he did this as a prototype, so that he could use it on his daughter, whom he cared too much about as to willingly die at the hands of his enemy.

  But sadly, I wouldn't be able to know the answer, since I basically couldn't access his memories unless I would truly unseal this authority.

  But sadly, that seemed to be an impossible task, since I would have forgotten something of this relevance in the latter stages.

  Haaa, I guess this is something that I wouldn't be able to solve in this lifetime.

  I sighed again, then glanced at Lumicor.

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  His armaments disintegrated into light, then into five thousand units of mana that rose at the center of this massive chamber, coagulating into a single star that lit the entire room with its radiance.

  It was impressive that he could now unleash a spell of this scale, but it should be natural since he is him, Lumicor, a talent that toppled all talent, an entity that shouldn't exist, just like her, the zenith of the gods.

  I sighed yet again, then turned my attention to the breathtaking murals etched in the walls.

  I could hear her steps.

  They were soft, deliberate, calculated in an attempt to maintain her noble elegance, something Samantha would only care about in this group.

  Her steps continued for a moment as I pondered the history of this place, the so-called Abyss, and the forefather of that kraken that became the gates to the entrance of something deeper than the Abyss.

  But I was soon snapped back into reality as her steps stopped.

  I felt her smooth and pale arms brushing my sandy shoulder as she whispered softly.

  "I am flabbergasted that something that powerful would happen to be here. I am curious if this was your way of hiding something for me?"

  I smiled at her words, It was intriguing that she somehow figured it out, is she perhaps a time traveler from the future?

  Nonsense, since who would be able to reverse time on such an impressive scale?

  A Heaven Chosen, but how would she be acquainted with one when she doesn't even know how to use her charm?

  Sigh, forget it, since when did she know how to seduce people or even know someone that incredible?

  Even if she did, would I care?

  Well, yes, I would probably care enough, that I would proceed to rip whoever that bastard's skull from his spinal cord before feasting upon it to see how he fooled this lovely woman into doing his bidings.

  But well, forget it, what did she know about this place?

  While she knows it based on her master's memories, did she know about the clansmen inhabiting this place or their traditions?

  The hierarchy set here?

  Well, yes, she knows some, but did she truly know the existence of Varuna being this place's founder?

  The answer was no, even when Ashin Sae Acoustine was the Empress of this wasteland she didn't know the connection of Varuna's to the 'Seashore Clan.'

  Truly knowing everything in their lands is an impossibility itself, unless you are an Emperor with your main class being Emperor.

  Only then would you know the state of your empire, of your overseers, grand overseers, and your domain lords.

  So it was impossible to know these small details... so how could she know of this mural?

  The mural depicted an Empress with the regalia of a true ruler, looking down at the world before her with her golden pupils, like the world was beneath her feet.

  She pointed the tip of her gilded spear at the monstrosity that lay beneath the ocean in its deepest part, where it was called the Abyss.

  There, that same monstrosity, the World-Ending Kraken with millions of eyeballs covering its body, laid motionless in a rift that wasn't a rift, since its form, which stretched as big as a continent, rested upon it.

  It watched above, waiting for the perfect, opportune moment to crush these bothersome insects flying above its head like some damn mayfly displaying their beauties.

  Like some hostesses up above in the air, where thousands of beautiful women whose beauties could topple nations could be seen with their armaments that displayed their curves, their bust, and their spear that symbolized the italics of glory itself.

  They waited for the command of their Empress, merely glaring at the monstrosity in the depths of the Abyss with calmness.

  It was a sight too unbelievable to foretell, since the symbolic meanings of this battle would unleash outrage on the entire world.

  The Empress of these Valkyries rapped her spear on the solid air, and the Valkyries nodded their heads in approval as they sung in their angelic voice that even the most resilient man in existence would fold.

  [IT WAS THE MERCY OF THE ALMIGHTY EMPRESS THAT US, THE FORSAKEN VALKYRIES WHO HAD LOST THE WINGS OF GLORY, WERE SAVED FROM SLAVERY! WE! WE ARE HER SPEARS THAT SHALL PIERCE EVERYTHING THAT SHE DESIRES! WE WERE ONCE IMPURE, DEFILED BY MEN, BUT IN HER MERCY WE HAVE BECAME PURE! SO LET US SISTERS! THE TEN THOUSAND VALKYRIES UNDER HER MAJESTY'S COMMAND TO UNLEASH THE TRUE SPEAR OF GLORY TO THE VILE INVADERS!]

  It was an unbelievable sight unfolding before my eyes.

  Though I know that this was an illusion, an inheritance to those fair and beautiful women which was I, Alister Von Fai, a man, a woman, who identifies as everyone, shall inherit!

  For I was handsome, a freaking handsome man, and a beautiful woman that toppled all beauty, shall inherit the mandates of the Empress of the Valkyries.

  But enough of this glazing, and let us continue in observing this incredible illusion unfolding before me.

  Time itself seemed to stop as thousands of illusions began to weave themselves into reality, filling up the number of the Valkyries charging at the World-Ending Kraken with zealots' faith.

  In their own incredible choreography, their formation was a spear that was an italics for glory.

  Their movements carried an immense elegance that toppled even that of Samantha's.

  They were descending at an impressive rate.

  They were all moving at the speed of light.

  Their steps were gracefully evading the tendrils that were as massive as a city and fast as light itself.

  The Ten Thousand Valkyries charged, then charged with fervor as they evaded the Kraken’s tendrils.

  Time seemed to stop as the conclusion of this battle was coming to an end.

  The Queen rapped her spear, then took off at a speed that far surpassed light.

  She vanished, then appeared in less than a millisecond at the head of the World-Ending Kraken, her spear tearing through its leathery skin.

  Her golden eyes rolled coldly, watching her hands splinter from the immense power of this one final attack.

  Instead of panicking at her untimely demise, the Empress of these Valkyries merely smiled as her sisters had already disintegrated into ashes.

  She wasn't a cold-hearted Empress that wouldn't bat an eye at the death of her sisters, so she smiled, satisfied at their death.

  But no tears were falling in her eyes.

  Since she who was responsible for this situation should at least mutter the choreography that they'd practiced for years and put into action for years, it was an unfitting yet fitting end for the Empress of these pitiful women.

  CRACK... SHATTER!

  "TEN THOUSAND AFTERIMAGES OF THE HEAVENLY MAIDENS"

  It was in an instant that the impact of their final attacks that were fueled with their life occurred.

  The barren wasteland that the monstrosity, the World-Ending Kraken, rested upon was flattened with a single tremor, a single explosion, along with its surrounding places.

  Then, in the next moment, the illusion was cut off, leaving me hanging in my throne, still gazing at the murals with shock visible in my eyes.

  But it didn't remain for long as I heaved a breath, then composed myself before I slowly analyzed the new information seeping in my mind with interest.

  This was a first that I've received an inheritance like this.

  It felt mysterious, while it was refreshing, since this means that I had yet to truly experience everything that the universe could offer to me.