Chapter 129 – Imbued Rank [2]

Looking at his Second Skill, Cassius exerted a great effort not to simply activate it right there and see exactly what it could do.

Even so, without using it at all, he could already feel that the Second Skill was unlike anything he had encountered before. Even more unique than his Bloodflame, though he had come to love that skill very dearly.

But the Chains of the Accursed simply felt different. And that sensation was accentuated by the effect it came with, shifting his very existence in a manner subtle yet powerful.

And that was where anyone who believed obtaining a Skill after ranking up was just that — and nothing more — would be terribly wrong.

A Skill was not chosen randomly, even if it appeared that way. A being always obtained the Skill most perfectly suited to benefit them, even if they weren’t aware of it at the time.

Thus, a Skill had the ability to fundamentally alter one’s very being, bringing advantages with it, but inconveniences as well.

His First Skill, Bloodflame, had given Cassius a high natural sensitivity to Fire and Blood, making it possible for him to manipulate both elements through the Skill after sufficient training.

But it had also made it difficult — nearly impossible — for him to use any skill related to Ice or elements opposite to Fire and Blood.

In the same way, his Second Skill came with a set of benefits he couldn’t fully grasp yet, but knew were there. The most obvious was the sudden, blind confidence he felt in his ability to wield Chains as a weapon.

He chuckled inwardly, cracking his neck, his eyes glowing with a brighter shade of flame, shadows of chains stirring behind his pupils.

Knowing he couldn’t use his Second Skill in such a cramped room, he promised himself to do so afterward, and ingested a Tier Five Recovery Potion from Emrys’s space ring, restoring his Essence reserve to full.

Just as he had expected, the Third Usage of his Aspect required 150 points in Essence.

Cassius could only shake his head in disbelief at the ridiculous demand. If it were the original Cassius — or any other being beside Emrys — there would have been no way to have 100 Essence points so easily, let alone 150.

The cost to activate the Skill was clearly steep.

Yet the rewards that came after made every difficulty entirely worth it.

With Isolde quietly watching her husband grow stronger and stronger in a way that was beginning to leave her completely speechless, Cassius activated his Aspect once again for his Third Skill.

The same situation played out: three cards presenting themselves before him, the System asking him to choose one.

This time, he didn’t even need to ask. Ananke immediately pointed to the card he needed.

The Third.

With an excited grin, he obeyed, and the same crimson light bathed the entire room.

This time, the sensation of it was different, carrying a touch of holiness, or more precisely a corrupted holiness, that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand like spikes.

Notifications flashed before him, and the System’s voice boomed out once more. Cassius had never been so happy to hear it so many times in a single morning.

[You have obtained the Skill of the 3rd Ancestor of the Desdemona, Empress Kali Astaroth Desdemona, The Red Priestess of the Third.]

BADUM!

Cassius’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he felt his legs go weak as his Third Skill began to carve itself deep into his being.

Isolde tried to move toward him, but the harrowing aura swirling around Cassius froze her in place. For a moment she felt something deep within that swirl of red essence staring directly back at her.

Her knees met the floor beside the bed before she even noticed.

The System, meanwhile, continued without concern for Cassius’s state or his wife’s.

[Third Skill: Marks of the Red Priest]

[Description: This is an Innate Skill born within the Destined Empress of an Age the first time she graced the world with her first breath. No one can use this Skill but her. No one except the One she acknowledged.

Last Born of the Desdemona, you are acknowledged.

You have obtained {Marks} that can be successfully placed on individuals with lower Essence and Will than yours. A {Mark} can be used to track, weaken enemies and inflict wounds.

The duration of each {Mark} depends on your Essence and Will.]

The moment the System finished, the red energy around Cassius vanished entirely. He dropped to the floor, a new kind of power burning within him, knowledge of how to use it flooding his mind.

Isolde ran toward him immediately, looking at him with worry, and widened her eyes slightly in surprise when her gaze met his.

A crooked smile spread across her face as she saw fire, chains and what appeared to be symbols or marks raging within his eyes, giving him an aura that looked just like a saintly yet corrupted being.

He blinked, and his eyes returned to their usual mesmerising red.

"What... what was that?" She asked.

Cassius didn’t answer immediately, his brow furrowing faintly as he searched for what new modification the Third Skill had brought to him...and found almost nothing.

It felt as though nothing had truly happened, nothing except the arrival of a new Skill with a strange application.

He sighed softly and turned his head toward Isolde. "I don’t know. But if I had to guess...a new Skill, yes?"

"What kind of Skill awakens in such a manner?"

"One that belonged to an Empress, most likely."

"What?" Isolde exclaimed, then continued without waiting for an answer. "In any case, we need to finalise the creation of Devil’s Advocate and the Fallen Angel as soon as possible."

"And I will go and take that Fruit." She added. "I cannot let you get stronger than me anytime soon, husband."

Cassius smiled faintly. "Need help?" He whispered, wondering inwardly how much time he would need to get accustomed to all these new powers.

Isolde nodded. "Aye. Not only you, perhaps the whole of Fallen Angel."

He arched an eyebrow. "Tell me—!"

He stopped abruptly at the sound of his phone ringing.

He turned his head and noticed it sitting close to where Isolde was. She reached out and grabbed it without ceremony, then looked at the screen shamelessly.

She laughed shortly after, then showed him the screen. Cassius squinted at the message...sent by Meadow.

<Download File.PDF>

<Hey, how are you? Well, I don’t care, don’t answer. Here is what I experienced and wrote for today’s editing session. I might have gone off course a little but, well, I did my best. And please, if you don’t mind, can you answer the question I asked inside? The one concerning my... hm... romance book. Thanks. And say hello to Isolde for me.

PS: When is the next meeting to finalise everything?>

Cassius smiled fondly at the message, his mind drifting to the past. A past Isolde now knew far too well and could easily read on his face.

"You did it because you missed him, didn’t you?"

"Did what?" he asked.

"All this Editor business." Isolde said. "Is it because you miss the time Kaden forced you to be his personal proofreader and editor?"

Cassius chuckled at that, then shrugged carelessly. "Who knows." He whispered, took his phone and began to download the file Meadow had sent.

With a smile still on his face, he decided to honour his word before going out for breakfast and training afterward.

"Do you want to read it together?" He asked, already starting.

"Why not." Isolde accepted.

And so the couple began reading Meadow’s notes together, only to cough in disbelief when they reached the question about her romance book.

A romance book about them.

"Is... is this a fucking joke?" Isolde stammered, and Cassius burst into laughter.

Laughter that shook the air around him.

...

The only reason none of the aura or upheaval of Cassius’s ranking up had been felt anywhere else in the palace was Persephone, standing loyally in front of his door throughout the entire process.

Yet right now, as she looked at the door of the room, her face began to change slowly. Her pink eyes turned red, her hair shifted to yellow, and her cold, flat expression melted away...replaced by a wide, knowing smile as she stared at the door.

"Oh, Vorn’s blessing. Was that her? But how?" She cocked her head until her neck cracked, her smile growing wider and wider. "Did the young boy do it? Oh my, oh my. Vorn, you sneaky little bastard, what is your hand in this? What are you planning, and even... no, no, no before all of that, tell me first...where? Just where did you find our little Persephone? Her soul is unlike any other."

She asked as though expecting an answer from the Lord of Death.

And indeed...

[Return the body to her.] Vorn whispered to the Head Maid. [It is not your time yet.]

"When will my time be?"

[When I decide it so.] The Lord of Death replied with a deathly laugh, then disappeared completely once more.

The Head Maid smiled.

Then everything wound backward, and the previous face of the Head Maid returned. Pink eyes, blonde hair and her flat, expressionless composure.

She drew a quiet breath, cast one last glance at the door of Cassius’s room, then turned her back to it and resumed her guard with delicate patience.

—End of Chapter 129—