Chapter 639 (1/2)

Congratulations! Your Fate is now Level 6. Continue exposing your fate to powerful opponents to increase its Level. Current Benefits: 101 Health and 12 Stat Points have been gained. Agility is increased by 30.

Congratulations! Your Skill Corrosive Touch (System) has evolved as your Fate grows. It is now Level 41. This Level is capped by the Level of your Fate times 10.

Platton straightened, his left hand throbbing with a dull ache. It was not easy for his body to withstand the force of using his Fate for such a long time. It was one of the reasons that he had barely increased its Level after having it for almost six months. Of course, that was the lesser reason.

Out of the corner of his eye, Platton considered Silo. He blazed with a bright light as he struck the giant puppet from afar, forcing the thing to turn its attention from Platton to Silo. Although most of the frame of its body was intact, the inexorable corrosion from Platton’s Skill was already beginning to show its effects on the puppet. Some of the metal of its chest was thin and brittle, as though slowly consume by rust. Its head, aside from its pale eyes, was beginning to have deep holes.

That was the power of the System Level Skills but was also its curse.

Because once it began consuming, it wouldn’t stop. If Silo was hit with even the tiniest bit of Platton’s Corrosive Touch…

It wouldn’t happen today, or likely even this year, but Corrosive Touch would never stop consuming him. Someday, Platton’s Skill would either weaken Silo enough that he would fall to a lesser enemy, or it would kill him outright. This was the true reason that Platton never trained this Skill. Because this power held no discernment: it was a weapon of mass destruction.

A swift kick from the puppet hit Silo’s block and knocked the kid backward. Platton winced. For whatever reason, the fool just didn’t learn how dangerous those attacks were. Silo flew backward, tumbling, when-

“...Domain… Realm of the Crystal Spires!”

A ripple passed through the air, and a portion of the cracked and ripped up battlefield they had made for the last 10 minutes was covered by a huge crystalline dome. Immediately, Platton flew over. The portion covered included Silo, Azriel, and the Ghosthound. In addition, the Propagator was there with them. Perhaps even more shockingly… the Propagator was the one who used the Domain Class Skill in order to lock them up.

Platton knew that its power in that air would shoot upwards. He hadn’t been watching closely since it had moved to attack the Hhosthound, but it seemed clear that he was immensely pressured. If that version was too much for him…

His gauntlet throbbed. Platton looked down at it, a frown on his face. Domains were almost unbreakable from the outside. That was their power. But of course, a System rarity Skill invalidated that. However… if he used Corrosive Touch to break through… There was a high chance of all three of those young geniuses being afflicted with the Skill.

But Platton was a military man. Those three might have bravely sacrificed themselves for others, but they were here because they were soldiers, in name at least. Their potential would be ruined… but their testimony was necessary. Platton raised his gauntlet, which emitted a pale light. He was careful to keep it well away from his body.

*****

Abruptly, Azriel found herself in a strange multicolored landscape. The sky was deep and dark above them, sprinkled with stars. Strange almost liquid lights danced in the sky as well, flowing red and purple and orange. The ground they were standing on appeared to just be a type of snow, but a metallic, blue variety.

But this was a Domain. Azriel had only ever experienced her master’s Domain, and it was not something she was likely to forget. The power it could exercise within that Domain…

“We need to get out of here,” Azriel said shortly. Inwardly, she felt somewhat helpless. Dearly, she wished that she had something more helpful to say at the moment. But in most instances, her mouth moved and straightforwardly transferred her thoughts into the world without consulting her at all. It was something of a curse.

“Hmmm…. Any ideas? Ah, it looks like Silo is joining us.” Randidly said, glancing over at a body that rolled up against a crystal spire.

That was the other thing about this land. It was covered in crystal spires. They were somewhere between two and four meters tall and ended at spiraled points. Some were almost perfect, flawlessly pointing upwards, but others were gnarled and leaning. It was like being in a strange forest that had been completely stripped bare.

“This is a lifeless place,” Azriel announced with the same conviction. “Generally, one fights against a Domain by utilizing their own Domain… then it becomes about which individual can exert more dominion over the area. It becomes a battle in a mix of the two locations. Otherwise, you are simply beat up by the owner of the Dominion. We are not in a good place.”

Randidly grunted. The strange juxtaposition of the darkness of his crown and the pale light that shined from it drew the eyes and made him seem somewhat otherworldly. Although she scanned their surroundings for the Propagator, she kept a portion of her attention on him. So far, Azriel had been repeatedly surprised by his resilience and resourcefulness when adapting to different challenges.