"I think that with this you can understand the importance of us entities," Mai said. "Stealing an entity is the foundation of slavery magic, granting complete control over an individual."
"That’s also why I can’t return to the Akashic Records," Mai said, making frown.
"Why?" I asked.
"The Records are an infinite library containing absurd amounts of knowledge, as well as everything that is most sacred. A single book there could be capable of granting omnipotence and omniscience. Do you understand what I an?"
I sighed.
"There are many beings interested in that place," I said, and she nodded in confirmation.
"At every corner there’s an evil deity just waiting to enslave another ingenuous mortal. And again, I’m not talking about self-proclaid deities like myself, but powerful beings, just like Charia, or even far beyond that."
I nodded in agreent and raised my cup.
"And how can I make you stronger?" I asked, trying to find a way into that library.
"Simple—expand your consciousness," Mai said playfully. "Exactly like the mystics used to say. But essentially, that’s it. Even though I don’t know how."She laughed.
"I see," I said, taking a sip of my coffee. "I’ll find a way."
"Okay, but there’s no need to rush," she said, mirroring with her cup. "The system—or rather, the Ascension Spell—was the only book I brought from there, and it does sothing interesting."
"And what would that be?"
"It connects the mory Palace to the Ascension Network, which, if it recognizes soone’s aptitude, delivers books from the Akashic Records for free!"
She promptly summoned books above her head, spinning in the air.
"Living Shadow was our greatest discovery and was handed to us on a silver platter!" But then she looked downcast. "Even though I don’t understand a single thing written in that book."
"Likewise, it assists mutations and evolution if necessary," she said cheerfully, nodding. "We don’t need anything if we have the Ascension Network!"
"Good to know," I said with a soft laugh. "In any case, it’s ti to end the eting."
Suddenly, I stood up.
"There’s just one more thing," Mai said. "First, I’d like to warn you." Her expression grew serious.
"About what?"
"Kings," Mai stood up. "They control everything within a domain. That ans your aura and experience gains were at the whim of the mad king. You grew only as much as he wanted you to grow. And not only that—your entire journey was observed by him, you can be sure of that."
Gulp
"But now I am outside his domain," I said and she nodded.
"At this mont, he can neither observe nor influence you. You are the king of Starry Sky." Her face darkened. "But how long will he remain silent?"
I nodded.
"And the second thing I wanted to talk about isn’t a warning, but a ritual to bring you here." Mai conjured a sheet of paper and handed it to . "It’s similar to Euphy’s ritual, but ours, with elents unique to us like coffee, books, and sand..."
"...If soone else gets hold of this, they’ll be able to contact and even locate our world, and could therefore enslave us. Keep that in mind."
I nodded as I morized the ritual described on the paper.
"morized. Can we focus on evolution now?" I asked, and Mai nodded.
"Let’s go outside. This place isn’t appropriate," she said, and soon we walked toward the desert city outside.
"Let’s go farther."
The two of us ventured into the desert beyond the city, a sandstorm assaulting us from all sides.
"Here is good."
Suddenly, the storm stopped as radiant blue threads descended from the sky, transforming the scenery.
"From here on, I’ll be operating the mory Palace to access the Ascension Network," she said as her body disappeared into sparks. "The choice is yours—decide wisely."
I nodded, her body vanishing completely as the world around disappeared.
In place of the desert, I stood on a glass platform.
"What is that?" I looked down, feeling soone staring at from afar.
"But what the—?!"
Below , hundreds of eyes stared up. Barbaric-looking n glared at with irritation, while around them an ocean of beasts did the sa.
Wolves and rats were abundant, along with many other beasts I recognized as Sinners I had killed.
But so of the angriest were demons I didn’t recognize.
"WE WANT POWER!" they shouted in unison, shaking the sky and the earth. "WILL YOU GRANT US POWER?!"
My eyes widened.
"You want power?!" I asked incredulously.
"YES, WE WANT POWER!" they roared. "AND YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WILL GIVE IT TO US?!"
"Why do you want power?" I asked, still in disbelief.
"WHEN THE STRONG FIGHT, THE WEAK SUFFER!" they shouted louder and louder, tears streaming down their furious faces. "WE DON’T WANT TO BE WEAK, WE DON’T WANT TO SUFFER!"
"AND ARE YOU THE ONE WHO WILL GRANT US PEACE?!"
I blinked rapidly, looking down at them.
"AND ARE YOU THE ONE WHO WILL GUIDE US?!"
I didn’t answer, scanning the faces in the crowd.
"AND ARE YOU THE ONE WHO WILL FULFILL OUR DREAMS?!"
Gulp
"If your dream is to be the strongest, then yes—I will be your champion. I will be the strongest so that even if the heavens decide to rebel and crush the earth, I will shatter the sky into a thousand pieces in retaliation!"
"DO YOU PROMISE US?!"
"I promise!" I said bravely, as all of them glowed red.
"YOU ARE OUR CHAMPION! SO EAT OUR FLESH, DRINK OUR BLOOD, BUT IN RETURN SHOW US WHAT IT ANS TO BE STRONG! LET US TASTE THE FLAVOR OF OUR MOST DELIRIOUS DREAMS!"
"What?!"
Suddenly, the thousands of bodies turned into light and rged as they surged toward my chest.
Thousands of forms entered my body, forcing to my knees under the pressure.
"This is... aura?" I wondered as glass bridges connected to the platform.
"For now, let’s focus on the present." I braced myself on one knee, stood up, and looked at each of the bridges. "Since this is evolution, I can assu that each of these paths is a possibility."
"But... How strange... so of them feel so... odd. It’s like they resonate with ..."I said, looking at each of the dozens and dozens of bridges.
Gulp
I approached one of them, my entire body resonating with that bridge.
"What?"
Suddenly, flas erupted involuntarily from my mouth and body.
"My body... is changing?"
My body began to transform into the shape of a tiger. My paws and body were completely black like obsidian, while magma flowed through like a volcano.
"I am strong..." I said in awe. "I am overwhelmingly powerful." I breathed liquid flas that clung to surfaces and burned endlessly at infernal temperatures.
My body was as large as a hill, lava escaping between my fangs and destroying the ground.
"No one could underestimate in this form..." I murmured before reverting.
My body quickly returned to a human shape.
Once again, the vibrations guided elsewhere.
"How strange..." I felt my body transform again, this ti into sothing new and abstract.
"This is... stellar fire." My body floated above the ground, my fur transford into a map of cots, with a bleeding sun and a ruined moon.
Inside , I could feel fire—but this was stellar fire, not liquid fire like before.
Once again, I stepped back and looked at other possibilities.
There was a giant form with an island on its back, representing the four elents.
There was a winged tiger, a tiger with fins and a tail, a tiger capable of swimming through the earth.
There was a surprising number of harmonious forms related to healing and nature.
There was a humanoid form...
I looked with interest at my humanoid body.
"Tiger ears, a tiger tail, and sharp claws," I said with a smile. "A hybrid form."
Once again, I withdrew as I began to think about my choice.
"What should I choose?"
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