The Arcane Emperor Chapter 106: The Strength of the System

Chapter 106: The Strength of the System

Francis glanced around the underground base. Frankly, it was depressing. Though how could living underground and hiding from slavers be anything but depressing? he thought with a chuckle. The only thing impressive was the sheer amount of Mana anyone down here had. He wondered if conscious attuning in this place was even more impressive or if it was just an unessarcy act here. Likely the former.

“Any reason you haven’t conquered a country yet?” Francis’ comment drew everyone’s attention to him.

Sophia stopped what she was about to say, her hand still gesturing to Francis as if she was going to introduce him to everyone.

“There’s no reason to slaughter innocent civilians. What kind of purpose could the ordinary people we conquer serve for us? Besides, is there any reason to stay here once you can leave again? We can just take everyone here with us,” Sophia argued. There was magic for cleaning, building, and agricultural purposes. The only reason Mages bothered with ordinary servants back on Earth was because they were either lazy, thought magic was too sacred for ch.o.r.es, or preferred the status of being above another.

More than one person in the ‘audience’ stared blankly at her not arguing whether they could conquer a country or not, but rather if they should.

“Hmm, the mana alone gives it ‘training’ potential,” Francis said. What better way to awaken Mages of next to no talent from any world? Rainer could even treat this place as a primary school, teaching them non-magical necessities until they awaken their Affinity.

This world was really ramping up his wanderl.u.s.t. Were there places with absurd amounts of World Energy as well? Looking at just the Floater, which was tech that worked only in a place of ambient Mana, what kind of people or worlds were waiting out there for him? If the universe was infinite rather than endless - which was unlikely in his view - he might even run into another Rainer Nvos close enough to the original but living in a totally different world.

It was only a matter of figuring out how to explore the universe with [Void-walking]. Not even the Void-Lords have managed traveling outside their planes prior to Rainer’s appearance and then help as an unwilling tracking beacon. And some of them were in their third tier, just like elementals.

Mastering world finding sounded like a good distraction on top of improving his Void Skills. There was clearly something in [Void-walking] that let both him and his family end up on actual planets rather than empty s.p.a.ce. Was it the messed up runes that he tried to use to prevent himself from being stuck in a wall during wall-walking? Either way, it was something that kept his mind away from the crushing reality of feeling incomplete.

“So even if it’s not home, it’ll be a home. I can’t imagine Rainer letting this world out of his grasp. Then again, conquering a country sounds troublesome. We should just openly declare a place ours and slaughter anyone that comes until they give up.”

Sophia was about to speak up before stopping. The whole reason they were hiding was because Frederick and her were enough to win any battle but not a war. However a third powerhouse who doesn’t even rely on magic would fill in the hole they were missing. If they planned right, they might not even need any of the people they were training to help them beyond filling in numbers.

“No rush anyways, getting you and gramps under the system is a bigger priority before we fight anyone.”

Francis recoiled at the devilish grin his mother suddenly had. The 5’5’’ pet.i.te woman suddenly seemed much more than that.

“Does the system work on Earth?”

“So long as I or Rainer hides you from whatever G.o.d is patrolling or whatever the h.e.l.l they are doing in the Void by Earth.”

“Good.” The finality in her tone was enough to chill the hearts of anyone in the room. There was no question that whatever followed that ‘good’ would be a merciless slaughter.

Francis stood in a large gra.s.sland, both his mother and grandfather by his side. He absentmindedly kicked away and then stomped on some tall gra.s.s that tried to tie around his leg. Stupid life-sucking plants.

“What exactly are we doing out here?” Francis asked.

“Before we can make any plans, we need to know how strong you are,” Frederick said and then gained a look of concentration on his face. It took only moments for a stone golem beside them to be wrapping in a violet light and slowly start taking on Frederick’s appearance. He looked like what Francis imagined Rainer would have looked like at 40 years old, had he never succeeded in [Void-walking] away from Earth.

“Can I start?” A frigid presence spreaded over the gra.s.sland as the world lost color. Though the lack of focus of [Void Descent] meant his family’s mind were not as affected as usual. His mother sent him a strange look after suppressing her shiver, while his grandfather seemed too focused on controlling the Avatar.

“Whenev-” Frederick said and then stared in shock as his connection to his golem Avatar was instantly cut off by a swirling darkness.

“Again?” Francis asked with a chuckle, “Oh, and we should really get to doing some Fairy Dust. I brought some just for you gramps.”

“You cheeky brat, attacking before I was ready,” Frederick mumbled as he started constructing another Golem.

“Francis… you are still my son.”

“Yes?”

“So you should have proper respect for your mother and do drugs in secret like any good child. I won’t reprimand you again since Frederick’s embarra.s.sing excuse for losing was entertaining. ”

Francis chuckled. That sounded like his mom. He really had missed her.

“Now, are you going to tell me what Fairy Dust actually is?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well after your stories about literal Fairies, include one my other son is dating - not sure how I feel about him dating a woman older than me - I’m going to a.s.sume it’s not what you made it out to be.”

Francis covered his mouth with his hand and coughed hoa.r.s.ely as he tried not to laugh aloud. This had too much entertainment potential for him to spoil now. Yes, Luna was technically older than his mother. And he had answered with Kara’s and Luna’s age when his mother asked, thinking nothing of it. But no one who knew her would ever consider that to be representative of Luna. Not to mention the differences in how Fae matured.

He then explained what Fairy Dust was after he finally got himself under control. Halfway through his explanation, Frederick stopped building his Golem and listened in as well.

“Francis… you can never bring Luna to Earth until we’ve dealt with the Council,” Sophia said, knowing there were council members who’d trade their first born for a chance to even study a Fairy’s hair.

“If she didn’t sneak in, Rainer never would have.”

“How much did you bring for me?” Frederick asked, naked hope in his tone. He had no desire to deny his motivation to live, no matter how long he had lived for already. The fact that becoming a 2nd Tier in this ‘system’ gave one 200 extra years of life was already a welcome revelation - a.s.suming he lived long enough to enjoy it, as he had no idea how many years, or perhaps months or weeks he had left - but Fairy Dust represented an actual chance at life.

“Ten doses, in other words 40 Affinity/mana and a hundred years of life. After ten, there’s a pretty big drop in effectiveness,” Francis said as he tossed the bag over to him. Watching his grandfather fumble with it as he caught it was a bit funny but it was eclipsed by how happy he was to have his grandfather around for longer.

While still sour over having his choice and memories taken, he was also aware of just how hard it was to awaken Rainer’s Mana in the first place. He remembered a short conversation of how his grandfather already spent ‘half of his wealth’ in the things he bought to do so. Given how old and powerful Frederick was, ‘half of his wealth’ was no doubt an astronomical amount.

“How do I take it?”

“Snort it,” Francis said with a chuckle. Really, given the effect it may as well be an addictive drug. Peering into the mysteries of the universe was quite a ‘trip’ even if it only lasted for the briefest of moments. But it couldn’t be compared to the arcane-laden Fairy Dust of Luna’s. Not that she’d naturally produce another dose for at least 50 more years. Could it give an ordinary person Arcane Power… he suddenly thought. All the more reason for Luna never to leave his… Rainer’s… side.

Ah, I’m sad again. I hope Talvara visits tonight.

Apart from his incompleteness, the idea of never being with Luna again was another reason for his desire to recombine. He even had thoughts of killing Rainer, though he never would. Luna didn’t deserve a half-complete thing like him. And he didn’t desire to live enough to try and take his place.

Francis was of course just as vindictive and vengeful as Rainer. Half the reason for Rainer’s antagonistic view against Divinities stemmed from when some Divinity tried to separate him from Gunthar and leave the Undead in a hopeless place, the Mana-Well being just an afterthought. Francis knew full well Rainer would never let that go so long as those G.o.ds that interfered still lived.

So as he once was Rainer himself, Francis would surely be thinking of more ways to get petty revenge against his unintentional creator and direct cause for all his suffering.

His mother gave him a worried look, but he just smiled back. Frederick was far too distracted over taking the Fairy Dust to notice the depressive atmosphere around his ‘grandson’.

A few minutes later of Frederick just looking blankly into the distance after consuming the Fairy Dust, the old man slowly got up.

“You worthless old men... for making me suppress such a talent and corrupt another, I’ll wipe out you and all your descendents,” Frederick growled under his breath, his future thinking no longer limited to just a few months. With this man who had slaughtered countless Mages, and Vikings for that matter, any amount of bloodl.u.s.t was almost visible in his magic as it spread through the air.

While Rainer was useless in Mana and would have taken centuries to cast normal spells reliably, when it came to Runes and the Arcane he was incomparable. So long as he gained enough Mana to perform the ritual to unlock Arcane Power, what did the rest matter? But that would have taken far too long.

And Sarah… How long had he watched in silence as he helped the young, once innocent girl he thought of as a daughter steal mana and murder Mages? What other choice did he have when their future would be uncertain the moment he perished.

While talented, Sarah’s mother was too young and wasn’t anything compared to the higher ups of the Council. Only centuries of work could let Sophia become a force they had to take seriously. Even then, she was far better at healing than combat. Only Sarah with her strange birth and talents had any hope of contending against them prior to Frederick running out of time.

“Let’s go again,” Frederick said, going back to reforming his Golem Avatar.

It took only a few hours for Frederick to reliably dodge [Void Call]s. And to test Francis’ general strength in return. Had it been his original body he likely could have done it from the very start - the golem Avatar, while not requiring a part of his Soul, was also nowhere near the original body in any category. Such a veteran of combat had more than enough instinct to dodge such a deadly blow. But whether or not he could do so repeatedly or win the battle would have been up to fate.

Francis leaned against a table, swirling the wine in his gla.s.s as he looked out over the room. Today was a celebration. A celebration for starting tomorrow they would no longer be living in hiding. Francis had already explained what [Void Descent] could do to ordinary people, and that it wasn’t magic. Put simply, their enemies stood no chance. When it came to your average soldier of these magic-enslaving nations, best case scenario, they’d only be knocked out by [Void Descent]. They’d even be lucky to only suffer permanent mental damage.

It wasn’t that no Mages of this world hadn’t thought of using mental magic, merely that Anti-mental Magic Protection was the first Anti-Magic device that was invented. But [Void Descent] was almost the opposite of magic. It would have to be tested, but Francis expected no issues.

Handling the rest would be even easier. Francis could destroy their collars, or the three of them would merely have to fight it out with the remaining Mages of the forces they send. Apart from that they had all the Mages Sophia and Frederick had been training, though many of which were too young for any of them too feel comfortable sending to battle.

Enchanted items were also a non-issue. As short as 30 years ago, a rebellion was caused by b.o.o.by trapped enchanted items, resulting in the downfall of one of the strongest nations. Most Countries now viewed such items as a plague and preferred their own technology.

Francis was brought out of his thoughts as a beautiful brunette approached him. Why did she look so familiar?

“I wanted to give my personal thanks, Arch-Magus. I never would have thought to see my niece ever again.”

“You’re related?”

“I am ashamed to admit, but I and a few others had managed to escape from the conclave that was attacked. Eventually we ran to these forbidden lands while chased, I was the one of the few to survive along with my own child. Your mother came upon me by chance.”

“I’m happy to have helped. And Francis will do,” he said, grinning. The twisting Void in his eyes drew in her own brown eyes.

“A pleasure, Francis.”

Back in her room, Francis pushed Helen up against the wall, her legs wrapped around him, her chest pressed against him, and his Mana around her. It took only a minute of just kissing for her moan her first o.r.g.a.s.m into his mouth.

“What are you d-doing to me?” she said in between gasps for air.

“Magic.”

Sitting on a bed, Francis gave up and just drank straight from a wine jug as he tried to keep his hazy state. His annoyingly high attributes made it a challenge without his stronger Fae wines. He had thought this would be a shorter trip and hadn’t thought to bring them.

Helen laid on his lap, somewhere between bliss and exhaustion. She had towards the end managed to learn from him, so he was pretty pleased as well. Given her ma.s.sive Mana Pool, she’d likely get better at it than him eventually, especially since he lacked the Arcane advantage he once had.

Helen looked up at him, not even surprised at the copious amounts of alcohol he was drinking.

“Wow, am I glad I got to you first,” the 25-year old looking woman said.

“You think you can keep me?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Helen laughed, “No, but I doubt anyone can copy your skills as quick as I can. I’m quite talented you know,” she added while sending a tingle up his spine with a bit of mana, “Maybe you’ll be chasing after me, sooner or later.”

Francis just gave a grin before taking another sip of wine.

“Maybe.”

“Where’d you learn how to do that anyways?”

“From a Fairy.”

Helen rolled her eyes, thinking it was another joke. The only ‘Fairy’ she knew of were small vicious humanoids who were known for eating children. Most of their kind was wiped out soon after Mages were enslaved and any mentions of them now were just bedtime stories about how they ate naughty children. Good riddance.

“Do you think we can actually do it?” Helen said, her mood turning a bit serious. She wasn’t the only Mage who had this question. Despite the sheer power of their two, now three, mysterious benefactors, they had all experienced the horror of Anti-Magic weaponry. And their own legendary Arch-Magi of centuries past had fallen to them just the same.

“With enough time, I could probably kill everyone on this planet,” Francis said casually. The System was truly an unfair advantage, he couldn’t even blame whatever Divinity scanned for him and likely tried to stop him bringing the effects of the system with him. He was glad they were doing so, especially since he could take advantage of it.

Helen looked at him strangely. He clearly had far less Mana than her, and even her own daughter. But elder Arch-Magus Nvos had claimed him his equal and in other ways his superior. And all of them combined couldn’t take that impossibly strong mage on.

During their activities she had also felt two other powers in him. One had a strange magic to it, but the other was far more sinister. A single ‘glance’ at it had her feeling the end of all things.

And then there was his eyes. The scariness in them was easy to ignore given how appealing the rest of him was. But only ignored, never forgotten.

“Well, maybe my Grandfather might escape. But it’d be 50-50.” Francis could counter his Grandfather’s magic with [Arcane Blade] and [Void-walking], once he could finally use it here, and then deal with him with [Void Call]. It was just a matter of who got in a lucky hit first. Though he doubted that’d be true once his Grandfather finally got access to the system. He knew due to a difference in talent, he may not get an [Arcanist] cla.s.s, but he definitely would be far more powerful once he got any cla.s.s.

“Round four?” she asked, believing in his words. The idea of living freely was enticing but she was concerned with a pleasure more immediate.

“Round four,” he agreed as rolled her over and maneuvered himself in front of her legs. He’d show just how far she was from matching his skills.

Francis wasn’t surprised when him falling asleep led him to ‘awaking’ over a familiar mountain. This was one of Talvara’s favorite scenes. It was a relatively short volcano, but she loved the scenery around it. As well as the green and blue contrast to the slowly flowing lava. The copied signs of civilization only added to the beauty in her eyes. It was a view she could have never seen through her followers eyes in the almost completely barren Abyssal Planes. The name wasn’t just for show.

“I have some good news for you,” Talvara started after a few minutes of enjoying the view.

“Hmm?”

“Rainer had a... ‘success’ with Void and Arcane together. At the very least, he is infinitely more motivated to figure it out.”

“That’s good,” Francis said, not bothering to inquire about the almost visible quotes around ‘success’ when she said it. Maybe he’d have his own success with his Void Blade tonight?

Talvara could sense the strange mood Francis had around him. So she opted to go with the surprise she had gotten out of Rainer. Earth was such an interesting place. It took her quite a bit to recreate this within her own illusionary s.p.a.ce.

A flat-screen and a gaming console appeared, a complete juxtaposition to the rock under it. Only supernatural powers kept both them and the items from the heat in the air. A couch joined it soon after.

“I’m going to mop the floor with you,” Francis said with a grin, his mood suddenly far better.

“You can try. And you will fail.” She was an Avatar of a powerful Void Being. One whose simple existence had angered numerous Divinities. She could even discern what his ridiculous ‘mop the floor’ saying meant. How could his mind compare to the sheer speed and size of hers that could split itself in numerous directions?