CHAPTER 158: | LIMITS ARE A FUTILE WORRY TO THE LIKES OF US

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  In the expansive hallways of the training hall, idols of Skaira held up the ceiling, acting as pillars against the collapse. The sharp staccato of gunfire echoed, immediately followed by the sound of the ground breaking into pieces.

  Two hands made of polished marble tried to seize their target, but Alister, who was on the receiving end of this fight, merely followed the trajectory of the bullets with his eyes.

  These were the [Eyes of Truth].

  It was strange, however. His irises weren't shaped into stars as usual, instead, they were slits, deep red vertical slits that watched calmly as the bullets shot him in the head. Then, he smiled.

  His eyes reverted to their original structure, spheres replacing the vertical slits, and the bullets reversed. It didn't happen in this reality. His eyesight, the [Eyes of Truth], allowed him to glimpse a few seconds into the future whenever he wished. Basically, hitting him was an impossible thing unless he allowed it.

  So, he casually smiled at the improvements of his cute little kittens, baring their fangs with the intent to kill him. He welcomed it. The improvements of his wife were naturally welcome, and as for his daughter, whom he had nurtured for countless lifetimes, her growth was also welcome. Even though her grudge against him wouldn't lessen, so long as Samantha, her mother, was by his side, his daughter wouldn't have a choice but to follow his words.

  I, of course, already orchestrated this. From the moment Ishtar was born, she was nurtured to treasure her mother more than herself, like a god. That way, when she is ripe, harvesting her won't be an inconvenience, since her mother would listen to me nonetheless, making it impossible for her to escape my hands.

  At the grasp of her father, which is I, Alister von Fai, a villain that won't even spare my own blood. I cackled, then casually lifted my hand. As I transformed the tip of my index finger with Cereum Armor, turning it into a claw, and tapped the bullets mere inches away from my forehead.

  Cling. Cling.

  I lifted my feet, transforming my whole leg into Cereum Armor. The plating became two times thicker, doubling my kicking power from one Zen to two Zen after the transformation. But it didn't end there.

  I twisted my body and leaped into the ground using [Voidsteps], landing in the middle of the air before creating a stone platform to leap from. I stepped onto it, launching myself toward the polished marble hands that looked like the smooth hands of a woman. I twisted my body at the last second, pummeling my shin into its fist.

  BOOM.

  The impact sent the construct reeling backward. I stepped into the oncoming fist hurled at me, kicking it to push myself away, stepping onto the air with another stone platform created in the split second.

  Using [Voidsteps], I appeared right beside Samantha. She smirked, already expecting me. She drew her sword and swung it horizontally at my neck. But before it could reach my skin, my shin had already transformed into Cereum Armor, blocked it, reeling it downward and sending it crashing into the ground.

  Samantha had expected this reaction. She let go of her swords as the skin of her palms peeled from the pressure of the attack, but she merely clenched her teeth, ignoring the pain. As she grabbed her already loaded gun, pointed it at me, and pulled the trigger. Then she shouted coldly in the last seconds, "This is our win, Alister!!!"

  I smiled at her declaration. Then, time reversed. For I had used the [Eyes of Truth] to witness this timeline. Now back a few moments earlier, I was met with a familiar scene, her palm shredded from the impact of my attack. She clenched her teeth, grabbed her loaded gun, and pointed it at me.

  But before she could pull the trigger, I was already one step beyond her. I kicked the revolver, sending it into the ceiling.

  CRACK.

  Her joints snapped, then tore apart. Not only were her dual revolvers we're sent into the ceiling, but also her hands we're ripped from her body. She screamed, as tears began to fall from her eyes, but I remained unperturbed by her cries.

  This training was meant for her to become more adept when it comes in fighting. It was so she would be able to survive any kind of assassination or danger that she might encounter in the future.

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  I then kicked her jaw, tearing it apart with the strength I put into my legs. As Samantha was sent flying rolling through the air, I flicked my hands. As the delayed impact from the polished marble hands finally hit, tearing the construct into thousands of pieces. Then I guided the trajectory of the fragments, sending them hurtling toward Ishtar.

  Ishtar, rushing toward her mother with a pale face, was caught off guard. Pain ruptured through her entire being. In the next second, she was sent flying toward one of the idols, holding a stone sword impaling her spine and stomach.

  She coughed loud, wet sounds, as she tried to reach her hand out to help her mother ease her pain, in her dying moments, before fainting along with her.

  Meanwhile, I shook my head. As I pulled Samantha’s revolvers and torn hands from the ceiling, along with her chin that had been sent meters away. I manipulated the sword that impaled Ishtar to retract, took a step, and caught Ishtar who was falling from the height.

  I stitched Samantha’s jaws back into her mouth, reattached her hands, and focused my blood into the tip of my index finger. Condensing it into a droplet of pure vitality, I fed it to them.

  As I watched the process of their bodies recovering, I sighed and took a seat as a throne appeared to cushion my fall. I reminisced about the past week that had passed so eloquently, muttering softly. "This should be enough for them to survive in this world, even if I'm gone."

  I pushed my body from the throne as it returned to the earth. I took a step, appearing in a smaller training room where Solia and Tellus were dueling.

  I erected ten monuments with letters inscribed on them and shouted. "Solia! That monument should hold the clues to elevate the technique you've created. After you've memorized it, come to the prayer chamber along with Tellus and Lumicor."

  I took a step, returning to the training hall where Ishtar and Samantha were now awake. They stared at each other in awkward silence. Before they could even notice, I had already grabbed both of them and teleported into the prayer room thanks to [Voidstep].

  I sat on the throne that rose the moment I bent my knees, staring directly into their eyes. I assessed their gaze, which radiated insurmountable killing intent.

  I nodded and spoke. "Now that both of you are familiar with your abilities, I ask you to train harder, even without my supervision. Especially you, Samantha. Don't think just because you've mastered your newfound abilities that you are powerful enough. Also, Ishtar, try to strengthen your will through training so that the effects of your [Corrupted Verdicts] become more powerful."

  After finishing my remarks, the two of them remained silent, contemplating their newfound strength.

  Ishtar found it normal that her understanding of her new abilities had increased greatly thanks to her father's excellent teaching, except for the drawbacks, which were the pain of literally nearly dying at his hands thousands of times. But she acknowledged it. Her growth from just a week of his training allowed her to make progress that should have taken decades of research.

  She couldn't complain about his methods, but she was worried about her mother. She knew her mother hated pain more than she liked being... umm, forget it.

  Ishtar sighed as she remembered something dreadful about her parents playing late at night, games that wouldn't end until tomorrow. She sighed yet again, staring at her mother, who was unexpectedly docile.

  Samantha pondered her gains. She was trying to gauge her capabilities, wondering if it was feasible for her to create tens of servants that would follow her command. However, she couldn't figure out the method to convert them into servants through a bite, since her husband didn't transfer that specific ability to her.

  She tugged at his sleeves and whispered shyly. "Ummm, Alister? Is it possible for me to start gathering my own servants so that they would help me in my everyday life?"

  Yes, Samantha wasn't trying to form an army. She was bothered by dressing herself since it took too damn long. So what if she had a few servants that would dress her, help her bathe, bring her food, or massage her so she could calm her nerves? Wasn't she a noble? Isn't it deserving for a noble to have a few servants accompanying her everywhere? So, she asked Alister.

  Alister, in turn, was worried about her safety, which was why he trained her to master her bloodline. But his mind raced, What if Samantha had droves of fanatics following her everywhere? Protecting her from the shadows? Serving her so she needn't move?

  Upon hearing her suggestion, Alister’s mind ran in overdrive. He began creating a new technique that would allow Samantha to turn whoever her fangs sunk into into her zealot followers.

  After a couple of hours, he had already finished a prototype but snorted at how inefficient and ineffective it was. He improved it.

  Time passed as he sat on his throne with his eyes closed.

  Solia knocked on the door. Samantha, noticing the knocking, opened it and greeted the guest. Then she ignored the others as she conversed with Solia, who had recovered her voice. Lumicor, though blind, pulled his spear after a few seconds of not hearing a single word from Alister and began to swing it in practice. Ishtar, having no one to talk to, began to meditate.

  Tellus, who was still angry at his summoner, remained silent. He listened to Samantha and Solia’s conversation, but after figuring out they were going to talk about girly stuff for the rest of the time, he closed his eyes and sat in a lotus position to meditate.

  It was only by the tenth hour that Alister opened his eyes. He took a glance at everyone and clapped his hands to get their attention.

  Samantha looked at him. Alister tapped her head, and a surge of knowledge about a technique seeped into her mind. She closed her eyes, digesting the information of this new technique. [Savant of the Void Empress]