CHAPTER 248: FESTIVAL OF ORIGIN!

It was the first time Eryke had earned destiny points so effortlessly, and the ease of it left him momentarily confused.

How could it be this easy to gain destiny points?

If it truly were this simple, then surely his clones should have accumulated at least a modest amount by now, shouldn’t they?

After all, they were powerful and deeply entrenched in the world, Gang Reyong had practically seized control of the entire Shadow Faction. Surely, by now, he must have influenced a few chosen ones.

But, the only instance where Eryke had earned destiny points from such interference was through Drayken, and that had required directly stealing a grand opportunity, obtaining the Lightning Saint bloodline.

But this time, he had gained points from something so subtle.

And in that moment, a thought began to bloom in Eryke’s heart.

"Is it harder for my clones to gain destiny points than me?"

The more he ran the possibilities through his mind, the more Eryke felt this was true.

"Master?" the little girl tugged gently at his sleeve.

"Hmm?" Eryke raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her.

"I feel like I can do it," she said with a playful grin.

She giggled, then began to swing her sword in a lively rhythm.

Eryke watched her closely, eyes narrowing with interest. Her movements were swift, smooth, and impressive.

’Her movements are really not bad and she got the essence of my teachings,’ he thought with a nod of approval.

Then he returned to his stool and sat down with a lazy expression.

’My assumption might be right or not. It doesn’t matter for now. What I need to focus on is sharpening my Sword Will. It’s barely progressed. If I were to estimate, relying on Sword Will alone, my strength would be around the peak of a second-stage Martial Artist.’

Even though his Sword Will was still weak, it was steadily growing.

And he had resources, Chun Ma and Gang Reyong both possessed vast martial arts knowledge he could tap into to accelerate its growth. If those ran dry, he could always create new techniques himself using the skill he had purchased: Accelerated Comprehension.

There was no urgency in Eryke’s heart, not about that, at least.

Right now, the most important thing was rescuing Zarek.

***

In the vast white temple, the scene was alive with movement, a multitude of people dressed in white had gathered, their prayers rising in waves of devotion toward their human god.

Today was no ordinary day.

The crowds had swelled to an overwhelming number, encircling the temple like a sea of faith. Millions had come, for it was the Festival of Origin, the sacred day believed to mark the god’s birth, born from the very fate of the entire human race.

They had journeyed from distant empires, across harsh terrain and hostile borders, all to prove their devotion, all to show their fate. Waves of faith energy spread out of their bodies.

Beneath the grandeur of the holy temple, hidden in the silence of the underground, Zarek lay shackled inside a cold golden cage.

Thick chains coiled around his limbs like serpents, and a deep wound marred the back of his hand, it pulsed with strange energy, healing faster than it should have.

In front of him, Mirabella drove a thick needle, nearly the width of a hand, into his vein to extract his blood and she had succeeded.

Zarek grunted faintly, his blue pupils flashing with hatred as he stared at her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mirabella sneered. "You’re nothing more than a slave."

Zarek tried to respond, but the chains binding him restricted even his mouth, rendering him mute.

With a scoff, Mirabella shook her head and walked away.

He remained still, his expression unreadably calm. But deep within him, his hatred for her was only growing.

At that moment, Zarek’s telekinesis compressed further, tightening like a coiled spring, and his human bloodline began to boil under the strain of transformation.

His entire body radiated heat.

Fortunately, Mirabella had already left, had she stayed, it would have only brought more trouble for him.

After some time, the searing energy within him subsided. His body gradually cooled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Telekinetic Master," he murmured, absorbing the overwhelming surge of power flowing through his pure human bloodline.

His telekinesis now possessed an ethereal quality which meant it could last infinitely.

More importantly, his raw strength had risen sharply, capable of lifting nearly five hundred kilograms.

At this point, Zarek’s power was already stronger than some of the Telekinetic Grandmasters in terms of strength.

Not only that, his Telekinetic power could now stretch infinitely far. Of course, this was still nothing compared to the might of the Paragons.

"Not bad," Zarek murmured, eyes lighting up with excitement.

Then, his attention shifted, drawn to the chains that bound him.

They had once severely restricted his Telekinetic power, but after his breakthrough, their suppressive force had weakened considerably. Still, they weren’t close to breaking, yet.

He stared deeply into the empty space ahead.

’Do I have a chance to escape?’

Nearby, the Naga led by the Human Telekinetic Master were already blending into the crowd of worshippers.

Zarek would do everything in his power to keep them hidden.

He knew Mirabella was a cunning and scheming individual, she would have anticipated that someone might come to rescue him and surely set safeguards against such an attempt.

So, Zarek’s problem had to be solved on his own. Still, his plan involved using them as a means to secure his escape.

’This is the perfect day for me as well.’

His eyes gleamed with determination.

Just as he was about to signal Grey to act, he suddenly froze, hearing footsteps approaching.

The door swung open, and a golden-haired girl skated gracefully into the room, stopping right in front of Zarek.

"How are you doing, Zarek?" Alice asked with a confident grin.

Zarek’s pupils dilated as a scream echoed silently in his mind: ’How do you know my name?’ but the words failed to escape his lips.

"Hehe, you underestimate the reach of our temple," Alice said with a wicked grin, her eyes glinting with malice. "If you think we can’t find out everything, including information about your lover, you’re sorely mistaken."

’I see,’ Zarek thought in his heart.

Alice crouched down to meet his gaze, her golden pupils locking onto his boundless blue pupils.

"Did you know I met your lover not long ago?"

Melissa, the name burned in Zarek’s mind. He didn’t want to drag her into this, but it seemed these vipers wouldn’t let her go unscathed but either way, they had more of a business deal kind of relationship, so he didn’t care too much to be honest.

Maybe if he had a family, they’d be caught in the crossfire too. Truly, both mother and daughter were a rotten pair of bad apples.

"Oh, you don’t seem surprised," Alice chuckled, her gaze sharp and mocking. "She and her entire Empire will soon face their doom. Even with a Telekinetic Paragon, none can match our power."

She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "Do you know why you failed to pull the Excalibur?"

’Why?’ Zarek tried to ask, but his mouth wouldn’t move, not a single sound escaped.

Alice’s laughter dripped with disdain. "Oh, right, you’re mute." She reached out and lightly traced his cheek through the cage. "Your eyes are beautiful, and you’re handsome, too. Such a pity the sword didn’t choose you. The Excalibur is just a performance. There’s someone underground holding it, and she decides who’s worthy."

"You were close to forcing it out, but she clearly didn’t like you."

Zarek’s pupils flickered briefly, yet an eerie calm remained on his face.

"Tsk." Alice’s frustration showed. "Do you know what I’ll do to your lover? What if I feed her to many men?"

’This brat’s really starting to get on my nerves,’ Zarek muttered silently. He was itching to unleash Grey’s power and break free but his plan would fail if she stayed.

Still, this little brat kept provoking him relentlessly.

The violent urge to strike her flared up inside him, but somehow, he managed to hold himself back.

Calming his urges, Zarek remained utterly unresponsive to Alice’s relentless bickering.

She spewed vulgar threats toward Melissa and the entire empire, but Zarek stayed completely nonchalant, refusing to react.

After what felt like an eternity, an hour solid, Alice finally grunted in frustration. She stomped the ground and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind her with a heavy thud.

’Finally, the brat is gone.’

Zarek’s kill list had two names on it, and he was willing to do absolutely everything to cross them off.

Without hesitation, Grey in the Book Taming World, used Lilith to link with Zarek’s soul.

Swish!

In an instant, Zarek’s vision shifted. He saw Grey’s soul before him, surrounded by countless others behind him.

These were all the Grimoires, their eyes darting nervously around their surroundings.

Grey hadn’t told them what was going on and their shock couldn’t be contained seeing two identical souls.

"Hmm, why isn’t Kurogane here?" Grey suddenly asked, frowning as his gaze landed on Lilith.

Lilith shrugged casually. "Don’t ask me. How would I know?"

"You’re definitely supposed to know," Grey replied. Kurogane could be a huge help, while he couldn’t wield her directly, she could still lend her power without restrictions.

Lilith shook her head. "Mythic Grimoires aren’t that simple."

"Is it because her soul is too powerful for you or something?"

"No, it’s because you are not worthy." Lilith immediately retorted back.