Amber wanted to fight back, to stop this process; but every time she tried to move all she felt was… powerlessness. She didn’t even understand why the Servant of Chaos had such powers, or why it had taken him so long to do this, but it didn’t matter. Every time she tried to move, her muscles refused to answer, her Essence felt still and completely unresponsive, and her mana was blocked by something.

  It just didn’t make sense, why did the Demon of Chaos have this power? Right now, she was empowered by her skills and even then, this was her fate. Would she just die once the skills ran out?

  No, did they even need to run out? As soon as her Essence was taken, she would die?—

  “To think the slayer of my ancestor could be so pitiful. What happened to you, Amber?”

  An oddly familiar booming voice spoke in her mind, it was ancient and full of power.

  Amber blinked as she found herself in darkness, standing before?— a giant egg. An egg that was easily the size of a three-story house, towering before her. And within, she could see a being moving, but soon it stopped as it looked towards her.

  “You earned the respect of my ancestor, his blessing, yet now you’re about to die to a mere incomplete Demon God… had he been mistaken?”

  “You are… the hydra egg?” Amber frowned.

  “I am the descendant of the one you slayed, the inheritor of his will. Yet I feel bewildered about your weakness,” it said, almost too casually. “However, I have memories of your fight and I know that this is not you, you are simply too… naive.”

  “Naive?” What was the egg on about? “I clearly can’t do anything.”

  “That is because you still don’t understand what it meant for you to complete your Ascension and acquire Divine Essence.” The hydra egg chuckled. “So, let me help you, in honor of what my ancestor saw in you, and for the potential I also see in you.”

  Hearing the egg, Amber still remained skeptical and even became somewhat confused on what the egg meant about reaching peak-stage, but she truly didn’t want to lose here so, she listened. In fact, she didn’t want to lose at all; she just felt so… powerless, to stop the Servant of Chaos. But perhaps, the hydra was right?— she was just naive.

  “Now, close your eyes, Amber. And feel your Essence. Your Divine Essence.”

  She did as instructed, and within her she saw an orange-golden fire that seemed to constantly be shrinking. The fire itself, however engulfed her entire being, but little by little it seemed to be extinguishing. This was what it meant to reach the 1st Realm of Stars and undergo Ascension, Essence became a part of her being, rather than a core. Except when she focused more, she realized something else.

  “You feel it don’t you?” the hydra asked. “How entrenched it is into your very being and just how powerful it now is?”

  Amber nodded.

  “Now let me ask you this, should a puny demon be allowed to own your being? Especially a demon that has no backing now? A stranded and undesirable one?”

  Its voice was like a boom to her ears.

  “Should a puny demon like that be allowed to decide your fate?”

  Amber gritted her teeth: “No.”

  “Then, why are you letting it happen?” the hydra’s voice boomed in her ears as her vision returned to reality. Before her, the Servant of Chaos still was firmly gripping her head. “Why are you letting him do this to you? Your Essence is nothing but yours, because it is you; that is what it means to have Divine Essence.”

  As soon as the hydra finished, Amber felt something change within her. Her awareness of her Essence skyrocketed, and more than that she could feel it within the Servant of Chaos, and that wasn’t all. She could feel the demon’s own Essence reserves, and surprisingly he had already used a good third from her earlier battle.

  If he were undefeatable, why would he be so tired? And more importantly. Does he truly have enough strength to dominate me like that…? The answer was no.

  The Servant of Chaos was indeed exerting his strength to suppress her, but it was merely surface level. The reason why she couldn’t use her Essence earlier was rather simple; she had still been using it as a resource, just like mana, rather than treating it as part of herself as the hydra had pointed out; and maybe even subconsciously guided her to. After all, she hadn’t noticed many changes to her Essence since her Ascension until this very moment.

  She chuckled. “So that’s how it is.”

  “I’m surprised you can still speak, woman,” the Servant of Chaos smirked. “Worry not, your pain shall end soon.”

  Amber shook her head, and channeled the Curse of Disintegration? into the demon, both with her Essence and their shared blood link. Almost instantly, the Servant of Chaos faltered as he stumbled back. And that’s when Amber stood up.

  Truthfully, she felt foolish. All throughout her journey she had been receiving guidance from others, even when fighting the hydra she had Asil’s pendant to save her ass, and even now the descendant of that same hydra had pointed out something incredibly important to her about Essence; something that perhaps she should’ve known, but she didn’t.

  Maybe it was because she hadn’t introspected enough, or maybe it was the fact that she the moment she decided to truly introspect was when she didn’t have time. After all, if she had known this beforehand, her fight with the Demon of Chaos wouldn’t have unfolded like this, let alone if she understood what changes her Legacy Branch had brought her, or even if she hadn’t been so reserved.

  But it was as some people said, hindsight was twenty-twenty. Truthfully, she had no way to know that all of this would kick her in the ass, and all things considered, it didn’t matter now. Because now, she had received help from the hydra and realized all of these things; she could now mend her mistakes.

  Taking a deep breath, Amber took the All-powerful Pendant of Arkara and bit on it, allowing the blood in her mouth to sip into the Divine Artifact and fulfilling its first ability: Blood Binding Contract.

  [ You are now bound to the All-powerful Pendant of Arkara, making you it’s owner for as long as you are alive. Without your permission, nobody may use this relic. ]

  She basically ignored the notification and immediately moved to use Arkara’s Embrace, a rather simple ability that when consuming Essence gave her?—

  [You have received Arkara’s Embrace: all your attributes have increased by 20%.]

  She immediately felt her strength soar, and that wasn’t all she moved to use a different ability; arguably the most powerful ability the pendant had to offer. Even if it at first glance, it wasn’t all that powerful, she understood just how strong it was. Amber felt a much smaller drain of her energy than expected as another notification came.

  [You have received Arkara’s Blessing: all ailments have been removed.]

  She smiled, as the Servant of Chaos finally expelled her Essence from his body, recovering from the curses that had been wrecking his body. The demon rose from the spot and looked at her with great anger.

  “Youuu…” He clenched his fists. “I have truly underestimated you, you spiteful human insect…”

  His growls were more like music to Amber’s ears, because at long last the damned demon had started cursing her out. She truly missed this.

  “Well, now. Should we start round two?” She grinned.

  Perhaps it was even close to cheating, but if she didn’t use everything at her disposal to win this fight so she could see where her limits truly lied, then what kind of person would she be? She certainly wouldn’t be herself. Which is why, she made use of the blessing to immediately use Accursed Strength’s restored cooldowns, along with Accursed Reignition and Battery again.

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  She felt her bones nearly shatter from her muscle strength, and even if they did, it’d have zero impact on her. After all, she could tell now?— the runes within her bones had truly become part of her, and maybe it was for the better, because she truly could go all out.

  “Die, you wench!” the Servant of Chaos screamed as he clapped his hands.

  And almost instantly, a myriad of explosions engulfed her surroundings, but the burning pain ?— the feeling of her flesh melting ?— it only served for her to push further. She burst out of the cloud of purple, with her armor falling apart, with burnt flesh, and yet she was having so much fun as she sliced at the demon.

  He sneered and blocked with a barrier, which this time resisted the hit. Even though she was much stronger than ever, the demon also seemed to be the same.

  “If you had simply accepted your fate, this wouldn’t be happening you damned insect!” he shouted.

  Amber basically ignored him as she continued to attack him; at this point to her what the Servant of Chaos did didn’t exactly matter to her. Whether he fought her head on, whether he tried to use his Essence to cause more bizarre things to happen, or even if he ran. Either way, she was going to slam right through everything.

  She slashed at the demon; slicing his arm off. Almost at the same moment, she felt her own sword wielding arm be amputated, yet all she did was smile and grab the still-sword-holding-arm mid-air, and continue her onslaught towards the demon.

  Injuries. Pain. Struggle. It was all temporary, and more importantly it simply served for her to showcase what she did best; pushing her damn limits.

  Just like that, she found herself locked in battle with the Servant of Chaos yet again, but this time there was no doubt in her mind that she would win.

  * * *

  Why is this… happening?

  The Servant of Chaos gritted his teeth. He didn’t understand why the battle was unfolding the way it was. He had come prepared, he had refused to underestimate the damned human scum and acquired much more of his original power than he thought he would need for this. Yet, he was… losing?

  His eyes widened as he narrowly dodged a stab to the heart. He couldn’t afford to keep suffering fatal injuries at this point, lest he would actually perish right here, in this lowly world.

  This whole situation was something he just couldn’t understand. Was this wench supposed to be stronger than him? Even if she was the preferred seed of many primordials she was still a damn human. And not just any human, but one that was still weak and incomplete, one whose flame could be extinguished at any moment.

  Yet in spite of all of that, this very human had miraculously gained complete control over her Essence in a split moment, even though for any other it would usually take years.

  Why?

  The Servant of Chaos couldn’t make sense out of it at all; he couldn’t make sense out of anything. Could it be that he was meant to serve as her stepping stone for her legend to unfold? Just like those demons were to that damned human emperor?

  “There’s just no way…” He gritted his teeth and swung his arm with a cry. “Argh!”

  Like a mosquito, he hit that damned human again, sending her crashing against a mountain. At this point, he had stopped holding back on his Essence usage unlike before. His strength now, was truly something that could annihilate any Level 400 from Vir, but it apparently wasn’t enough to kill this damn woman.

  He conjured a barrier that immediately had a gigantic sword slammed into it, causing it to crack.

  The Servant of Chaos clicked his tongue as he remembered what had happened in his home, as he kneeled before the Demon God he once served.

  “You’ve failed to kill the person that the spirits favor twice, your subservience is no longer of use to me. Demon of Chaos.”

  The demon’s voice boomed all around him, as he trembled.

  “Please, all I need is another chance, if I’m given it then I can?—”

  “There are no more chances you can receive under me, Demon of Chaos. You, as a failed seed, should know this. I no longer wish to lend you my aid.”

  With that the contract ended, and all he had were the parting words he was given.

  “Compared to that human that shines like a beacon amidst a storm, you were but a mere candle.”

  Those words, constantly rang in his mind till now, like a mark of shame. That’s why he had come to Vir, to prove to him and the other Demon Gods that they ahd been wrong about him, but also to potentially open the gates of the realm of stars that had been closed to him. After all, as a being who had been alive for millennia, he couldn’t be compared to a mere human.

  At least, that’s what he thought, but now reality was telling him that wasn’t the case.

  “Just die!” the Servant of Chaos screamed burning his Essence.

  Swords manifested all around in front of him, swinging for the insect in front of him at breakneck speeds, but rather than hurt it, all he heard was the clanking of metal against metal. In a blur, all his magical swords were being repelled with beautiful arcs and parries. Such martial talent was one he hadn’t seen in humans for a long time, and something that made him angry?—

  “Again.”

  Another flurry of swords engulfed the woman, this time spilling her blood, but even then she was barely pushed back, and even managed to counter-attack. The Servant of Chaos felt curses creep up on him again, making him groan. Even though he shouldn’t be susceptible to her lowly curses, thanks to his current form, she now ?— for whatever reason ?— wielded curses powerful enough to bother gods, let alone him.

  Growing that much in such a span of time was truly ridiculous.

  Is this why she’s so favored? He gritted his teeth.

  He growled with extreme anger as he stomped, summoning a cube around the woman before squeezing it with his Essence, not only that but with the effect of Chaos, each and every attack the woman did to break it simply served to heal it or injure her. And more importantly, it was quickly shrinking.

  “Accept your fate…” He gritted his teeth, closing his hands together as the cube became just big enough to fit her and her sword. “And maybe I’ll let you live.”

  “And how do I know this isn’t your attempt to beg me to spare you?” She sneered.

  “Have it your way, then!”

  He closed his hands abruptly. Her sword snapped, and with a loud crunch the insect was compacted into a cube half her size. Then, with a growl, the Servant of Chaos made it detonate.

  With a loud boom, a large crater was carved in front of him, sending the mangled human off into the distance as a charred ball of coal. At this point, it was clear to him that attempting to seize the opponent’s Essence was impossible, and if he got even slightly complacent he would pay for it dearly. In fact, his wishes to not overexert himself had already become impossible.

  He hadn’t looked down on this woman, but he certainly regretted not going all out from the start like she had done.

  Gritting his teeth he raised his arm, and?— blocked the sword swing from the crazed opponent, this time letting the sword dig into his flesh.

  “Explode.”

  And with that, the human was sent away. Unfortunately due to the fact that she had Ascended, killing her in an instant was nearly impossible without stopping her regeneration. All the Servant of Chaos could do was keep injuring her until?— she ran out of Essence, which was at least to his advantage. Alternatively, he could try to eliminate her entire being with a single incredibly powerful attack.

  With that plan in mind, he engaged in a prolonged battle with the human. Once her power dropped, he would emerge victorious.

  Except, it never dropped.

  Regardless of how many times he injured her, or had exchanges with her she didn’t seem to grow any more tired. Even her Essence ?was wholly unaffected.

  Could it be?

  He suddenly remembered the potions the woman had consumed earlier. Did this phenomenon have anything to do with that? Just as he was thinking, he was forced to stop her sword from cleaving his neck, allowing a small cut instead.

  “You damned human!” he tried to send her away with an explosion.

  But this time, she dodged almost on cue, and landed another minor hit on him. With a stomp, he managed to send her away with another explosion of barriers, but when she returned she landed two minor hits?— then three?— then four.

  After every exchange, she seemed to become more and more adept at handling his attacks, which meant that at this pace he might actually… die.

  He shuddered at the notion, but it came closer and closer like a sense of impending doom. If things kept going like this, then he only had one fate.

  One he didn’t want at all.

  * * *

  Faster… I need to be faster…

  Amber’s thoughts were nearly empty, all that was going on in her mind were the attack patterns of the Servant of Chaos and how long till her Skills ran out before she had to refresh them with Arkara’s Blessing. All she did was follow her instincts for the best results possible.

  A dodge here, an attack there… it all became a blur as she whittled the Servant of Chaos. To her, time became trivial, just like in the Shattered Tower; all that mattered was pushing her limits. Even when the demon screeched like a madman and stopped her from consuming the second Potion of Everlasting Essence, it made no difference.

  Even when she started to use her lifespan instead, all that mattered to her was simply triumphing over the damned demon. In her mind, there was truly nothing else at this point. His insults, his words, even his pained yelps did nothing for her.

  Just like this!

  She finally managed to slice off one of his arms, and just as she was about to do the follow up attack, the Servant of Chaos finally lost it.

  “I will not die!”

  A ripple of evil Essence exploded as the surroundings became distorted with a veil of purple darkness, and Amber?— tripped as forward became left, and left became down. Suddenly, all the laws of the world stopped making sense.

  “To think that you’re willing to kill yourself fighting me… it seems I have greatly underestimated you, human scum,” he said in anger. “Then I shall honor that foolishness, let us mutually destruct one another!”

  His voice echoed for Amber to hear, yet all it caused her was to smile as she finally began to use the uniqueness of her Essence, something she hadn’t used since her fight with the hydra months ago; the disruption of Essence. And perhaps it was time to make full use of the All-powerful Pendant of Arkara and start using her levels and lifespan as collateral.

  One level in exchange for gaining a year of lifespan, and one year of lifespan in exchange for a 300% attribute boost.

  “What a truly exciting battle.”

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