Chapter 164: Chapter ??? : Star (Part 3)

Meanwhile…

Far from the action, on a Psi platform hovering above the ocean, Choi vibrated in place. The last few minutes were an eye-opening and eye-widening experience. Observing the two Ascendants’ calamitous might, shock and awe struck him unendingly, shaking not only his body but also his soul. In a few hours, he would level up to become a Rank 4, but till then, he was left to tremble without pause.

Incredible? Awe-inspiring? Monstrous? Grand?...

When looking for an adjective to describe the pair’s power, one naturally arose in Choi’s mind: godly.

“Hmm, not quite.”

“Ah,” Choi snapped out of his daze at the voice. He turned left and found Sigurd, who was rubbing his beard. “I spoke out loud?” The aged Ascendant nodded, causing the director to turn bashful.

“Ah, how embarrassing. I thought I had a studier constitution but guess not.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Frankly, if you could stay perfectly calm before this sight, I’d be the one worrying.”

“Ha ha, I guess. Those two are something else. Watching them go at it feels surreal. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that I share the same world as such powerful beings.”

“You’re not the only one.”

“Even you?”

“Even me,” Sigurd admitted to Choi’s surprise. “As an Ascendant, I’m pretty strong myself but against those two, I would stand no chance. Astra need not be mentioned, no one stands a chance against her; she’s in her own league, several leagues above her nearest competition. I would last a bit longer against Ares, but really, it’s a matter of seconds. He can make a serious Micheal sweat, so he’d make short work of me.”

“Ah, that’s incredible…and scary. Are all Demon Lords as strong as him? Aren’t there like a few dozen of them or something?”

Sigurd squinted at the ‘Demon Lord’ term but didn’t correct the other. It was pointless after all.

“There are a few dozen, yes, but to my knowledge, he’s the strongest living aresian by a good distance.”

“Because of the flames?” Choi asked as he watched said flames tear apart a cloud.

“That’s certainly an element in the equation, but Ares is more than his flames, much more. Aura amount, Onki talent and control, battle experience and prodigious mind; Ares is nothing less than a super genius when it comes to combat. In equal or near equal conditions, there are few very souls who could best him, if at all.”

“Oooh…I see. That certainly does match the description of the Dragon Prince.”

“Indeed.”

The pair fell into silence following the exchange as their attention was seized by the fighters.

Ares had ceased using fireballs and beams and now armed himself with golden flaming swords. Dual-wielding them, he zigzagged through space, fiery tail at his back, in hot pursuit of the illusive Astra.

A unique buzz rang out at the Dragon Swords’ emergence, as the extreme heat all but bent space around them. The absurd temperatures came at a cost though, durability. Once it reached a certain point, Ares had to release the flames lest he himself be a victim. Nearing the five-second limit, he descended like a meteor.

Astra floated above the chaotic waters, a lollipop in her mouth. Ares swung his sword and out came the white-hot crescent-shaped projectile. The Unique teleported away and the ocean received another gash. The water evaporated, of course, but more noteworthy, several monsters lost their lives as well. They, along with many others, had come sensing the two’s clash, only to be instantly killed by stray attacks.

“Um, I have a question…about Ares,” Choi spoke up.

“You want to know about his flames?” Sigurd guessed…correctly.

“Ah, yes. I know history books mentioned that aresians had some advanced technology but…I don’t know, his flames don’t seem that way…it’s almost like he’s a fire Mimic, but that shouldn’t be possible, right?”

Sigurd rubbed his beard, contemplating how far he should go, but upon remembering the matter of the memory erasure, he decided to spill everything. Just like Astra, he too enjoyed seeing others’ shocked reactions.

“Fire Mimic you say, well that’s not too far off the mark. Onki, in human terms, allows aresians to use the Standard Classess’ powers, so Telekinetic, Telepathic and Clairvoyant class abilities. Onki users are like Onic Masters but better. Great as the magic system is, Onki doesn’t allow aresians to use elemental powers like Mimics…so, how can Ares wield fire so flawlessly? The answer is that circlet he’s wearing.”

Choi’s heartbeat quickened as he focused on the red jewel at the centre. “What about it?” he asked with a gulp.

“It is a…Divine Relic.”

Choi’s eyes snapped open and widened to their limits. He directed said gaze to Sigurd beside him. “Are you…serious?”

Sigurd nodded while wearing an amused smile. “I am. Why would I pull your leg? I mean, you can see the results before your eyes. Those flames are only possible because of the Divine Relic. Something similar can be achieved with advanced technology, but it would be nowhere near as powerful, versatile or seamless.”

“That’s crazy - but wait, what you do mean by Divine? Divine, as in created by Raiken and the rest? Did they leave it behind? Wait, how many Divine Relics exist? No, before that, how does it even work, and why flames - ah, is it Tora’s?”

“Slow down slow down, I’ll answer your questions one by one,” Sigurd said with a gentle voice as he pattered the shoulder of the agitated Choi. The director thanked the other with a nod before walking over to grab a bottle of juice. As he sipped, Sigurd’s voice rang out.

“Okay, first to clear up some misunderstandings. I label it as Divine due to its divine/magical properties, not because it is related to the Five Divines. That circlet wasn’t created by them, but an aresian Divine called Azaroth.”

Choi spat out his drink at the revelation. “Uhaa urrk ahaa, they have one too- only one?”

“I don’t know, I’ve only heard about Azaroth. Moving on, you asked how many Divine Relics there are, well, Astra tells me there are three in total; Ares has one, the Radiant Church has one and the Annark has the other.”

“The Annark?” Choi repeated, trying to recall the term’s meaning.

Sigurd saw his confusion and helped him along. “The Annark is the highest authority in Resia and also their strongest faction. You can think of them as Resia’s Radiant Church equivalent. They too stumbled at the Zenki Era’s arrival, but unlike the Radiant Church, they managed to claw their way back to being the dominant power. They’re not religious, but they are dogmatic and adhere to strict rules and traditions. They’re the reason why aresians hadn’t ventured north sooner, and the reason they don’t do so now. There’s much more to know about them, but importantly, they have a Divine Relic in their midst. This is news to you, but in Resia, it’s common knowledge.”

“Common knowledge?” Choi voiced in surprise.

“Yeah, and they don’t hog the Divine Relic for themselves. Rather, millions have attempted to use it.”

“Attempted,” Choi caught onto the nuance.

“Yes, attempted. The Divine Relic has never been truly used. Azaroth Tower is its name. Supposedly, it’s kept in an ancient ruin. You enter a room and upon releasing your Aether Zenki, your consciousness will be forcefully transported to an artificial world of sorts.”

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By now, Choi’s skull was visibly pulsating. Every new piece of information was more ridiculous than the last, and he couldn’t help but crave more.

Sigurd read his desire clearly and continued. “What this artificial world looks like is unknown, though, from the name, I imagine it’s a tower of some kind. While the exact details about its nature and appearance are blurry, its purpose is well understood. Azaroth’s Tower was designed to find a warrior worthy of bestowing its Divine inheritance. To accomplish this task, the Divine Relic has the person who entered the artificial world undergo a series of challenges. The number and type are unknown, but it is said that if one can clear all these challenges, one will receive tremendous power as well as be the rightful king of aresiankind - or Zonian. Thing is, despite three centuries of trying, no aresian has managed to complete it. So whatever the challenges are, they certainly aren’t easy.”

“Wait, isn’t that bad though. What if some super-elite evil aresian conquers Azaroth’s Tower, gains godly power and wishes to wipe out humanity? Wouldn’t we be doomed?” Choi went pale as he asked.

“That would be bad, yes. What do you suggest we do about it?” Sigurd asked in a light tone, seemingly unbothered by the topic.

“I mean, destroying it comes to mind. If not that, stealing it so it can’t be used is another option…or we could even use it for ourselves.”

“That…won’t do, for a few reasons. The Divine Relic has strict entry conditions. Azaroth’s Tower only recognises aresians as suitable participants, and only those at Rank 8 or above, so using it ourselves isn’t an option. Destroying it is probably impossible. One thing I didn’t mention is that Azaroth, unlike our Divines, still resides in Resia.”

“They have a God on their side!?”

“Ahaha…yes and no.”

Choi titled his throbbing head at the response.

“You see, Azaroth is said to reside in the ancient ruin, or more specifically, in the Divine Relic itself. Astra has visited the ancient ruin several times and said she couldn’t find the Divine nor even sense her existence. Whether Azaroth is confined to her tower or just slumbering away until some predetermined time is up in the air. Still, as of now, she’s never once shown herself to the outside world in any significant way, even when the War of the End was happening…so she most likely won’t be leaving her abode anytime soon.”

“Hm, or maybe she doesn’t exist at all? Or maybe she did exist but died a long time ago, leaving behind her magical artefacts?”

“There are many theories, but nothing can be confirmed. Though, those in the know, exercise caution. It’s why Dimitri, despite knowing about the Divine Relic for centuries, even at his craziest points, shied away from Azaroth’s Tower. He may be unkillable by mortal hands, but a God’s hands might prove different.”

Sigurd opened his eyes and focused his sights up ahead. On the horizon, bright flashes of light could be seen going off repeatedly. “That’s why I downplayed your ‘godly’ comment earlier. As impressive as those two are to us, they’re probably trifling sights to actual Gods.”

Choi held his head, feeling it was expanding beyond its normal limits. ‘Gods, Divine Relics, artificial world…this is madness. ‘

Sigurd chuckled. “Too much for you, it seems.”

“It is, but I won’t falter at this step. Please continue to pour. You said the Radiant Church have one, right? Does it also have such strict requirements?”

“No, the opposite actually. The Divine Relic takes the form of a stone statue. I haven’t seen it myself, but Astra says it depicts the Five Divines, leaning up against the One Tree. There’s no complicated process needed, you just have to smother the Divine Relic with your Psi, and you’ll gain the Divine inheritance. It doesn’t give you any specific power, but levels you up all the way to Ascendancy, without fail.”

“No way…”

“It’s true. No matter what level, any psionic, well besides internal users like Naturals and certain Uniques, can become an Ascendant by using the Divine Relic.”

“Ah! Is that why Luxen has the most Ascendants…” Choi jolted as he put two and two together. Indeed, of every nation in Inis, Luxen had the most Ascendants by far, and they all ‘happened’ to be related to the Radiant Church’s inner circle. Learning about the Divine Relic, everything fell into place.

“Yes, that’s the reason…but there’s a catch. After each use, the Divine Relic takes around fifty years to recharge its spent energy. The last time it was used was around twenty years ago for Val, so it’ll be unusable for the next three decades or so.”

“A-Amazing, to think we had such a thing in our midst all this time. The Radiant Church always seemed so bogus to me, but I guess, they’re not complete hogwash after all.”

“Not complete hogwash, yeah,” Sigurd said dismissively.

“What about Ares’ Divine Relic? Does it automatically give the wearer fire powers?”

“Automatically, no. Ares’ circlet is a strange one,” Sigurd said, recalling all the details. “The circlet is a family heirloom and was gifted to him by his father, the previous ruler of Resia. It, being a magical artefact was always known, but for the longest time, no one knew what it did or could do. This was because the circlet was an incomplete Divine Relic. After obtaining Onki, Ares could sense the Divine Relic’s energy within the circlet but couldn’t use it. Still, he wore it wherever he went in hopes of one day discovering its secret. While other aresians were preparing for the War of the End, he set off to embark on his own adventure. He went north…not through Setsuna but over the seas. It was hectic, but he eventually managed to reach Inis.”

“And then he met Kai?”

“Yes, just like in the novels. And the encounter went just like it was described in the novels, a one-sided affair. Ares was left for dead, his body broken and charred. But while he was thoroughly trounced, he ended up gaining something valuable that day, a few things actually. Kai’s final attack was meant to kill him and would have done so, if not for his circlet’s intervention. The Divine Relic ended up absorbing enough of the flames to spare him the fate of dying that day.”

“Wait, you mean…” Choi caught on and shock filled his heart.

“Yes, the flames you see there are a copy of Kai’s flames. The circlet is able to mimic elemental abilities produced by Aether Zenki. Kai’s final attack ended up completing the Divine Relic, allowing Ares to wield flames as he does now. All he has to do is connect his mind to the circlet with his Onki, and he is no different than a fire Mimic.”

“The Fire Spirit’s…flames.”

Sigurd paused his words and raised his bottle to drink from, letting the other digest the shocking revelation.

“Ares calls his fire techniques ‘False Flame’ for that reason,” Sigurd continued, adding the tidbit. “False is a play on the words Faux, and Faux is meant to be Fawkes,” the aged Ascendant said, using Psi writing to show the nuances. “That being said, Ares doesn’t have all Kai’s fire-related powers. For instance, he can’t make his own oxygen or create projections.”

“Kai Fawkes’ flames…the Order of Fire would kill to get their hands on that circlet if they knew about it. Then again,” Choi focused on Ares’ form in the Psi video, “I doubt they’d be able to. If they tried to snatch it away from him, the only ones they’d be killing is themselves.”

”That is true,” Sigurd nodded. “Though, their task would be destined to fail from the get-go. Just like Azaroth’s Tower, one needs Onki to interact with the circlet. Also, the Divine Relic only serves one master at a time, or perhaps forever. Only Ares, whose Onki signature has been registered in it can use the circlet.”

“Haaa,“ Choi deflated at the news, causing Sigurd to chuckle.

“Wanted to wield flames I take it,” the aged Ascendant guessed with a smile on his face.

“Who wouldn’t want to, it’s so flashy. Aah, I guess it’s not meant to be.”

Sigurd cheered him up with a few pats to the back. “Some things are meant to be and some things aren’t. I’ll ask him to let you try it on, how about that?”

Choi’s eyes brightened and his posture rocketed up. “That would be great. I’d love that, please do.”

“Excellent, then I’ll see what I can do. For now, let’s focus on the battle.”

Choi nodded and returned to his directorial duties.

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