Chapter 22

A few days later, Serilla visited, finding her sister in the living room drinking away her worries. At least a hundred empty bottles of alcohol filled the room, with many knocked over. When Serilla entered the room, Mariane sluggishly looked over and went to stand, but she fell over and crashed into a pile of bottles nearby. In the next moment, she began to snore.

Serilla’s brows furrowed as she said, “Don’t you want to know who attacked Keith?”

At the mention of Keith’s assailant, a pulse of mana spread from Mariane as she activated a skill to detoxify her system. Jumping to her feet, she snarled, “You found out who it was?”

The air in the room thrummed with power as Mariane lost control of her mana. For people at her level, their emotions alone could alter their surroundings, though it was usually a sign of someone losing control. In this case, Mariane didn’t care as she freely unleashed her pent-up emotions.

Keith had barely eaten anything over the past few days, his cheerful personality all but gone. The only time he left his bed was to use the restroom. Whenever Mariane saw her son’s glazed eyes, a piece of her heart shattered. If Doven didn’t have a skill that linked his Health with Keith, Keith would’ve died. She wanted to avenge her son, but she didn’t have the skill set to chase down whoever it was, so she could only drink and wait.

Serilla’s eyes thinned. “It’s Vokoth’s brother, Xeron. That demon’s been killing promising youths for decades to cripple humanity’s development, but he’s a slippery one. He can plant seeds in someone, and through the seed, he’s able to see what the target sees and possess them at any moment.”

“Coward!” Mariane growled, not deterred in the slightest that her foe was the demon leader’s brother. To her, it didn’t matter who it was. They would receive her fury.

Serilla knew what her sister was thinking and scoffed. “If you didn’t laze about for the past twenty years, I’d go with you, but as you are now, you’ll die. Do you want Keith to lose his mother next?”

Mariane cooled down a little at that last sentence. “What’s Markus going to do? That’s his son! Surely he won’t take this standing down?”

Serilla shook her head. “Yara told him she’d handle it.”

“And he’s just going to obey her?” Mariane almost flipped her lid. “That damnable puppet.”

“Relax, sister.” Serilla’s gaze held some anticipation. “Markus obeys Yara because he fears her. When she acts, I will follow and try to uncover some of her secrets.”

Mariane knew she’d just expose herself if she tagged along, so she just nodded. “Good. I hope Yara can kill that demon, or else….”

****

That very night, Yara strolled the streets of a city in Adira, her hands clasped behind her back. Thanks to a visiting carnival, the city was full of youthful exuberance. Many couples made their way to the exciting attractions, and Yara followed. Soon, she entered the carnival, passing through the entrance without paying for a ticket. Nobody noticed her presence.

Yara meandered through the various attractions, seemingly lost, until suddenly, she stopped before a maze. Just as she arrived, a shady man exited, and the two stood face to face. The air stilled.

The man grunted. “What do you want?”

Yara’s gaze bore into the man, making him uncomfortable as if she saw all his secrets. After a few moments of silence, she said, “How’s life been killing my people, Xeron?”

“That’s what you’re here for?” Xeron chuckled hoarsely. “Why do you care? Weren’t you the one who said we should kill some of each other’s rising geniuses to put pressure on the rest?”

“Yes, I did.” Yara tilted her head. “But who said you could touch my grandson?”

“What?” Xeron’s expression shifted. “Was it that Keith boy?”

“Indeed.”

At Yara’s confirmation, Xeron felt the situation turn dire, but then he remembered something. “Why didn’t you tell me? Shouldn’t you have known I was gonna target him with your understanding of karma?”

Yara nodded. “I did, but I let you act anyway.”

“Huh?” Xeron was confused. “Then you can’t blame me.”

“Who says I can’t?” Yara laughed as she waved her hand, summoning a portal to a place far away from the city.

Xeron looked over at the shimmering blue passage before turning back to Yara, his expression hardening. “You really want to do this after all these centuries of peace? I admit I made a mistake by targeting your grandson but isn’t he alive and well? Don’t forget – you’re just a clone. You can’t match me and the others with your main body out of commission.”

The light smile Yara wore turned cold. Suddenly, she flicked her wrist, and before Xeron could react, millions of lines appeared from thin air and formed into a hand that smacked him straight into the portal. Yara entered next, but not before glancing over at a shadow cast by a streetlight in the distance.

The portal led to a flat wasteland a few regions away from Adira, far from any bystanders. When Yara appeared, Xeron had just finished returning to his actual appearance. He had red skin and two short horns on his forehead like all demons. Other than that, there were no other differences between him and a human.

Seeing Yara follow him through the portal, Xeron snarled. “You’ve tested my patience far enough, Daoist. I gave you a chance to back down, but you didn’t take it. Now it’s too late.”

Yara remained silent as Xeron continued. “It was your fortune to create a true clone. Too bad it was stuck in this sealed dimension, unable to gain levels to bridge the gap between us.”

Yara covered her mouth with her tiny hand and sighed exaggeratedly. “Have you called your friends yet?”

“That won’t be necessary.” Xeron cracked his neck as he ordered his seeds to return. As they did, they reaped the life force of their hosts. In seconds, his body began to glow green from the thousands of humans he had just killed, boosting his stats by a considerable amount.

“Interesting ability,” Yara commented with some rising anger. “Unfortunately, you’ve soaked yourself in karma from it.”

Xeron snorted as he dashed forward, rupturing the ground in his wake. He was in front of Yara instantly, his dagger swiping towards her neck. Yara looked on in silence and only acted when the dagger was about to score a critical hit.

With a snap of her fingers, three thousand and sixty-two red lines exuding resentment appeared around Xeron, binding him in place. That was precisely the number of people he just killed from recalling his seeds. Using the power of karma, Yara was able to control the karmic relationship between Xeron and his victims and use it against him.

Xeron growled as he struggled to break the bindings holding him back, but the karma was too fresh. While his victims were no match for him alone, their combined might held considerable power, especially when controlled by Yara.

Yara calmly looked on as the demon continued to use various skills in an attempt to free himself. She shook her head at his futile struggles. “If you had benefited your victims before taking their lives, the karmic balance between you would not be as uneven as it is now. If you truly understood my abilities, you would have done so.”

Xeron released a guttural roar, though his eyes held fear at being trapped so easily. Yara’s true clone was merely level 629, a bit over a hundred levels below him. How then was it possible for her to bind him? He could see her main body doing it as she beat the sin of Sloth after a pyrrhic battle, but as one of the stronger demons, he should’ve easily been able to handle a mere clone.

Xeron wasn’t aware he made a major miscalculation. He thought that since he couldn’t level his skills due to this world’s monsters being too low level, it must naturally be the same for her. But while Yara was trapped here like him, she was a daoist. To level her skills required understanding, and while karma was an elusive concept, personally creating a civilization from scratch over the past few centuries gave her incredible insight into karma.

Although Xeron didn’t understand the reasons, he knew he was hopelessly outmatched and immediately called for help. In the next moment, two portals appeared some distance away. A massive creature with green skin, bulging muscles, and a large jaw stepped through the portal on the left. It was Ugak, the orc chieftain. He grunted as soon as he arrived. “What’s going on?”

From the other portal came another demon, Vokoth. Unlike his brother’s thin frame, he had compact and wiry muscles forged from numerous battles. Vokoth’s eyes narrowed as he ascertained the situation. “Yara, what are you doing?”

Yara shrugged as Xeron struggled to explain. “I attempted to assassinate her grandson, and she went crazy. Help me, brother!”

Contrary to Xeron’s expectations, Vokoth remained still, though his expression warped beyond belief. “Blasted fool, you just couldn’t sit still, could you?”

“I-I,” Xeron sputtered. “How could I know it was her grandson?”

Vokoth turned his gaze to Yara. “What do you want?”

“Hmm.” Yara tapped her chin. “His life.”

Vokoth’s eyes slowly turned bloodshot as he considered the trade-offs. After a few moments of silence, he asked, “In turn, will you keep your promise and let my people leave when the gate opens?”

“Of course,” Yara nodded.

“Wha-?” Xeron struggled to turn his neck to look back at his brother. “You’re giving me to this old wench?”

Vokoth’s gaze hardened as he looked at his fool of a brother. “You’ve taken Yara’s benevolence for granted. When her main body inevitably wakes up, how can we stand against her? A leader must know when to advance and when to retreat.”

Ugak reluctantly grunted in agreement from the side.

Yara took a deep glance at Vokoth, and then, looking back at her captive, she suddenly snapped her fingers. At her command, the three thousand and sixty-two lines of karma tore into Xeron's body and ripped him to shreds in an instant.

When Vokoth witnessed his brother die such a miserable death, it was like he was hit in the chest by a hammer. However, Yara’s following sentence filled him with rage. “Ah, since you’re both here, you might as well stay.”

Vokoth clenched his hands so hard he drew blood. With a grim laugh, he asked, “Is this some sort of joke?”

“No.” Yara looked into the distance with a frown. “She’ll wake up soon. I can feel it. Before that happens, I need to remove as many variables as possible.”

Ugak struggled to understand what Yara was talking about, but Vokoth had an idea of what was happening, though such a thing was nearly impossible. Shocked, he asked for confirmation. "You've gained independence?”

Yara turned to Vokoth with a smile. “Smart. As expected of a sin’s general. You would’ve had grand achievements if you hadn’t followed Sloth.”

Ugak glanced between the two without a clue. “What do you mean, demon?”

“A true clone is a real lifeform, unlike most clone-type abilities. Since Sloth cursed Yara’s main body into a deep slumber, the true clone kept living and experiencing life until they can no longer be considered the same person.” Vokoth explained as he tried to find a way out of this mess.

Now understanding the situation, Ugak summoned a massive pair of metal gauntlets as he turned to Yara. “So we’re fighting, then. Just say so.”

Vokoth still felt reluctant to fight. He’d spent the last five centuries peacefully biding his time until he could return home, only for Yara’s blasted true clone to gain independence. Considering her confident attitude and what he knew of her abilities, he deduced she could bridge the gap in power between them even though she was over a hundred and fifty levels below them. He didn’t know how, but he had long learned to trust his instincts.

Even then, he couldn’t help but feel immense regret.

When Yara’s main body emerged victorious in the battle against Sloth during the cataclysmic battle five hundred years ago, there was no longer any point in fighting amongst each other, and so peace ensued.

Ugak, Vokoth, and Yara divided this sealed dimension and ruled over their respective species while waiting for Yara’s main body to awaken from Sloth’s curse. Although there were a few wars between their species, Yara, Vokoth, and Ugak never got involved, so things never grew too serious.

Now, after five hundred years, right on the cusp of freedom, Yara bared her fangs. Though Vokoth felt regret, he felt anger even more so. While he didn’t experience any growth over these five hundred years, he didn’t weaken, either.

Vokoth adjusted his mentality and glared at Yara with a dangerous glint in his eyes. A violent and overpowering aura spread across the plains, flattening the grass from its pressure. The sky darkened ominously as the wind picked up speed.

Although Yara appeared nonchalant in the previous exchange, she grew serious at this critical moment. Underestimating Vokoth meant death.

After all, seven demons ruled over Vokoth’s homeland. They were powerful beyond all measure, and becoming one of their generals was the greatest honor a demon could have. But only a select few out of billions were chosen.

Vokoth was one of them.

In these tense moments, Yara, Ugak, and Vokoth exchanged glances. Battles between people at their level could end in just a few moves. A moment of carelessness was all it took.

At first glance, Yara was at a disadvantage. She was level 629, Ugak level 715, and Vokoth level 821. Fortunately, their skills levels were more or less the same, with most of them being over 600. One of Yara’s advantages was her deep insight into karma, but it played a more supportive role. The effect it had in combat was minimal compared to other daos.

“Gah!” Ugak grew impatient. “What are we waiting for? It’s two against one – just kill her.”

The first action Ugak took was to activate his self-created skill. Raising his arms in triumph, thousands of transparent orcs manifested nearby and cheered in his name. “Warchief! For glory and riches!”

Each apparition represented a devout follower and granted stats, among other effects. Ugak’s skill clearly came from his narcissism, much to Vokoth’s distaste. As Ugak felt power welling up within him, he knocked his gauntlets against each other and said, “I’ll take the front.”

Vokoth’s eyes narrowed as he activated his strongest skill, Fallen Demon Transformation. Mana coursed through him as his size doubled while a set of bone armor covered his body. Spikes extended out of his elbows, shoulders, spine, wrists, and knees, turning him into a fearsome weapon. Most importantly, his left arm transformed into a long spear.

Yara didn’t remain idle during this time. When Ugak first spoke, she took a deep breath and activated a whopping twenty-three buff skills, instantly increasing her stats and gaining numerous special effects. But she didn’t stop there. After buffing herself, she turned on fifteen passive skills in exchange for reserving 60% of her Mana. With both the passive skills and buffs combined, her stats easily surpassed Ugak and caught up to Vokoth.

And yet even with all that, Yara waved her hand as several curse skills landed on Ugak and Vokoth, decreasing their attributes and confusing their senses. Finally, Yara activated one of her highest-level skills: Mana Shield.

Under Yara’s direct control, the shield separated into tens of thousands of intricately woven scales that covered her body. By doing so, the defensive ability of the shield increased many times over.

“I’ll break you like a twig,” Ugak grunted as he strode forward with his arms spread wide, all while his phantom followers cheered.

Frowning, Yara focused on Ugak. She noticed invisible lines connecting Ugak to his followers and knew she could sever the connection with a bit of effort, but the time wasn’t right. Instead, she clapped her hands together and decided to go on the offensive.

An intricate sphere of Mana with multiple spinning layers converged into existence fifty feet above her head. Ugak looked up and noticed the construct was drawing in Mana from its surroundings at an alarming rate. Just then, a swarm of Light Needles shot out of the sphere in every direction. Emitting a holy glow, the thin projectiles fanned out before honing in on Ugak.

The orc quickly crossed his arms and summoned a dome-like barrier just as the barrage arrived. Although each needle appeared small, they packed enough force to skewer a level 500 Rift Boss to death in an instant. And yet when they made contact with Ugak’s barrier, they bounced off and caused widespread destruction to the surrounding terrain. Dust and gravel filled the air as each Light Needle entered deep into the earth.

When the wave of attacks ended, Ugak wanted to sneer, only to see a wave three times bigger coming his way. There was almost no pause between the first wave and the second. Soon enough, Ugak had his attention fully occupied on enduring the endless waves.

Although the orc seemed to be at a disadvantage, he was more than willing to engage in a contest of endurance. Unfortunately for him, the sphere unleashing all these attacks was one of Yara’s ultimate skills and several grades higher than Mythic. Not only was it autonomous, but it also powered itself by drawing in ambient Mana.

When Yara pinned Ugak down, Vokoth had long since slipped into the shadows, waiting for a chance. Yara remained vigilant for a surprise attack, yet Ugak’s presence grew larger and larger as time went on. Eventually, the existence of Vokoth and the threat he posed slipped her mind.

At this point, a few Light Needles had broken through Ugak’s barrier and pierced his body. Yet, the orc couldn’t help but grin. His Taunt skill succeeded.

Not a second later, Vokoth appeared in front of Yara, his spear arm breaking the sound barrier as it shot forward. At this critical moment, Yara’s dull eyes flashed with clarity. As Vokoth’s spear arm clashed against her Mana Barrier, she used her control of karma to sever the connection Ugak had with his followers. The instant she did, the Light Needles shattered Ugak’s barrier and promptly skewered the orc to death.

Unfortunately, Yara underestimated the piercing power behind Vokoth’s attack. Her improved Mana Barrier only held on for a fraction of a second before caving inwards, allowing Vokoth’s spear arm to tear into her chest from below before it came to a stop a few inches from her heart.

“Tch.” Vokoth clicked his tongue upon seeing Yara’s Mana Barrier stick to his spear arm like glue, preventing him from pushing further. He paused only for a moment. Manipulating his transformation skill, Vokoth retracted the spear on his arm as he used his other hand to grab onto Yara’s face and slam her into the ground with all his strength. What he didn’t expect was for Yara to sink into the ground like a ghost, though he quickly recognized it was Earth Traversal, a convenient skill to move freely underground.

“You can’t escape!” Vokoth growled as he lowered his stance and slammed his fist into the ground. Amazingly, the force behind his punch instantly pulverized the dirt and rock underneath him into fine particles of dust, creating a gaping crater over a hundred feet wide and forty feet deep. As gravity took hold, Vokoth found a disheveled Yara at the bottom of the crater. Her Mana Shield was on the verge of collapse as she struggled to her feet while coughing out a mouthful of blood.

Grinning, Vokoth adjusted his posture and prepared to use Cloud Step, a movement skill to walk on air, when he suddenly felt incredible danger. Kicking out, he dashed to the side just in time to dodge a frightening beam of pure energy shot by Yara’s flying construct. The beam quickly chased Vokoth as he maneuvered through the air, crystalizing the ground wherever it passed.

Ignoring Yara, Vokoth zigzagged through the air as he closed in on the terrifying construct. His speed was too fast, and in just a few moments, he arrived before the construct and cut it in half with one swipe.

Before the demon could celebrate, the Mana making up the construct collapsed in on itself before exploding outward. The force behind the blast sent Vokoth flying like a ragdoll as he skipped off the ground for hundreds of feet, leaving behind a small crater with every bounce.

When Vokoth finally stopped, the prairie fell silent as the dust slowly settled.

Moments later, Vokoth regained consciousness and found himself in a small hole. Glancing down, he grimaced upon seeing the state of his arms. When the construct self-destructed, his incredible reaction time allowed him to cross his arms just before the blast. While it saved his life, he lost the majority of both his arms as the price.

Grunting, Vokoth pushed off the ground with what remained of his arm and stood up, then looked in the direction of Yara. What he saw caused him endless despair.

Not fifty feet away, a mysterious female phantom towered over him, reaching over a hundred feet high, and had twelve arms with each hand making a different gesture. Even though it was in the middle of the night, the phantom lit up the world with its appearance.

Hovering in the center of the phantom was Yara, her eyes glowing white as she slowly pushed her hand forward. In response, one of the phantom’s hands suddenly slammed down on Vokoth faster than he could react. The ground sunk over twenty feet in an instant, and when the phantom raised its hand, Vokoth struggled to his feet, clearly dazed by the attack. When the demon stood and released a defiant roar, the hand slammed into him, again and again, until only a bloody pile of flesh remained.

The battlefield turned dark as Yara’s phantom dissipated. Completely out of strength, Yara collapsed as soon as she landed. Her vision grew blurry as a river of blood poured out of the wound in her stomach. Not taking a moment to rest, she gasped for air as she rolled onto her back. Opening her inventory, she withdrew a small bottle and sprayed its contents onto her stomach. The liquid concoction quickly hardened over Yara’s wound, removing the bleeding debuff and allowing her natural healing to kick into effect.

After ensuring she would live, Yara closed her eyes and released a deep sigh before reviewing the battle. Thanks to a feint, she easily killed Ugak and turned the fight into a 1v1. Her construct gave her enough time to cast her self-created skill, Judgement, allowing her to finish the battle.

The key to her victory was the difference in the grade of skills between her and Vokoth. While a sin’s general was near the peak of the world, it was still one step below her, who once ruled over one of the most powerful sects in her homeland. Her original self was equivalent to one of the demon's seven sins, and as such, her skills were a notch above Vokoth’s.

When Yara’s wounds recovered somewhat, she stood to her feet and looked into the distance. There were no longer any variables after this battle. She could only hope all her preparations over the past few hundred years would be enough.

After all, her original self was level 984.