Chapter 615: A Different Sky (1/2)

A sense of completion filled her body as she punched the door, causing a massive explosion that launched pieces of the Bloodline Vat in every direction. Rampant energies blasted out of the sealed chambers, her prison for the past month.

But she was finally out.

Inevitability looked around and saw that things were the same. Some of their new serfs had been bloodied by shrapnel, but she wasn’t in the mood to enjoy their pained cries as she turned her attention inward.

The crystal was perfectly formed in her body, continuously swallowing her Cosmic Energy and releasing a slightly modified energy. She had already heard from her master what the change would entail. The angrier she became the more powerful the energy would become. This power would come at the expense of her rationality, and perhaps even her safety, but who cared about that when it would allow her to kill those that angered her?

She opened her status screen, taking a look at her race to make sure.

[D] – Zhix – Manic Vessel (Special)

She went over her attributes quickly as well, disappointed that they hadn’t leaped forward after weeks of suffering. But the Bloodline Seed had finally managed to imprint a Synthetic Bloodline on her body with the help of the taboo technology. It, unfortunately, wasn’t a Combat Bloodline, but she didn’t really mind.

Calling it Special made it feel like the Bloodline was something her master had prepared specifically for her. She was about to close her status screen, but she noticed something interesting.

[E] Chains of Fate [24%]. 5% - ?.

There was a change in her cultivation manual as well, with a new number appearing. She would have to ask her master to be sure, but she guessed that her bloodline gave a five percent power boost at the minimum, rising even higher depending on her anger. As where the roof was, it would depend on how much Zachary Atwood would manage to piss her off.

Good, you’re out. Come see me, a voice echoed in Inevitability’s head, and her eyes lit up as she hurried toward the building her master used.

However, she stopped in her tracks when she saw her master’s situation, her eyes widening in shock. He was pale and gaunt, looking like he was beset by some unknown affliction. His pristine muscles were all withered away and it looked like a gust would topple him over. The only reason she didn’t panic was that his aura was as stable as ever.

“What’s wrong?!” Inevitability said with shock after she closed the door behind her.

Just what had happened while she was locked in that damn machine?

“You did it. Good job, Kirath,” Adcarkas said with a smile. “I’m fine. I had a tousle with the Super Brother-Man. He is stronger than I expected.”

“He’s still alive after meeting you?” Inevitability said incredulously.

“I met him outside. I couldn’t go all-out because of the compulsions,” Adcarkas sighed as he got to his feet. “Come with me, it’s almost time.”

Kirath mutely nodded as she followed her master out of the town, moving toward the inner reaches of the Heathen World. Her eyes kept darting toward her master with worry, seeing how he struggled to keep the pace. But she knew better than to ask or offer help.

A few walls of spatial tears tried to bar their path, but her master easily moved out of the way so that they could reach further inside.

“There is something I need to tell you. Something I’ve kept from you and your brother all this time,” Adcarkas suddenly said without stopping.

“What’s going on?” Inevitability asked with confusion.

“I was born almost 800 years ago. My master was Barvat, the previous leader of the True Path. However, the True Path was almost extinguished when the Crusade took place. The war killed most of our people, leaving just Barvat behind, severely weakened. Much was lost in those desperate years, and my master’s conviction started faltering,” Adcarkas sighed.

“How is this related to our current situation?” Inevitability asked with a frown.

Truthfully, she hated listening about the True Path or The Great Redeemer. Their master was as much to blame for her brother’s death as Zachary Atwood, as far as she was concerned. If not for his rules they would have long killed that human to snuff out a threat in its cradle. Besides, his convoluted plan had forced her true master to live like a rat for centuries when he should have been the leader of the Zhix.

“Just listen,” Adcarkas said, a dangerous glint in his eyes telling Inevitability that he would not tolerate any more interruptions.

“Barvat asked himself, was all this suffering worth the small morsels of power that Voridis A’Heliophos left for us? Are there truly no other paths to take? But such thoughts were obviously heresy, and he suffered great backlashes as a result. However, he somehow managed to hold on for centuries while being tortured by the Karmic Bindings of The Great Redeemer. One day he managed to complete a daring plan,” Adcarkas said. ”And that's when he took me on as a disciple, an orphan of just four years.”

“He split my soul into two.”

“Wh-“ Inevitability blurted, but she quickly stopped herself.

“It was crude and it shouldn't have succeeded, but here I stand. Then again, I suspect that I was not his first attempt. Most of my soul is completely bound by the Karmic Bindings, but a small part is free. One part is out in the open, one is hidden, like a whisper in the void,” Adcarkas sighed. “I couldn’t openly defy our master, but my subconscious could slightly alter my actions, and sometimes even take over for a short duration.”

Inevitabilities’ heart beat like a drum as she listened to her master. This was the first time she had ever heard him display anything except devout fervor and fanaticism for The Great Redeemer.

“Obviously such a procedure caused some side-effects, like an unstable disposition,” Adcarkas wryly smiled. “But it gave me a chance to break the chains that binds me. That would have bound you.”

“Would have?” Inevitability muttered with confusion.

“Haven’t you noticed? Neither you nor your brother were as fervent followers as me or previous generations. It was not a coincidence. My subconscious modified your cultivation manuals. It wasn’t enough to completely rid you of the Karmic Contract, but it was a step in the right direction. That’s why you could attack Zachary Atwood during the hunt. That’s why your brother could move out without telling me,” Adcarkas sighed, vexation glimmering in his eyes. “You could say I am responsible for the death of Karath through my meddling.”

“That’s not-!” Kirath blurted, but was stopped by a wave of Adcarkas’ hand.

“First I hoped that my changes would lessen the bindings by each subsequent generation, but that goal had to be discarded when the Integration took place. I saw no option but to fulfill the contract. However, everything changed when we found this place,” Adcarkas said. “Here the Karmic Contract is muted, and I could freely plan for our future.”

“So we’re not going to follow that man when he arrives?!” Inevitability couldn’t stop herself from asking, her eyes widening with anticipation.

“You’ve read the reports. What’s the point of following a man who needed to take a crooked path just to reach D-Grade, even with the vast wealth of a grand Cultivator Clan at his beck and call? And now he’s out of time, needing to perform an even greater sacrifice. Trash,” Adcarkas spat.