Leveling through Lust

The battle raged outside as I walked toward Cornelia, still trying to decide what to do. The decision would have been easy if the thing that was invading her soul was anything but Elemental Spark. My experience with Titania showed just how difficult it was to handle.

And, that was just a sliver of energy instead of the flood Cornelia was dealing with. A flood that was being consciously driven by intelligence. The flames that surrounded her didn’t burn her, but I had a feeling that it could be changed at any moment.

The smart thing to do was to turn back and leave Cornelia to her fate. Instead, I cast a spell against the flames. Nothing impressive, just a mere bolt of flame, mixed with Tantric magic. “I come to parley,” I said.

HOW DARE YOU!

It didn’t make a sound, yet the intent was clear. It wasn’t like the message from the System, which was overwhelming but featureless, barely enough to be discerned as female. It felt like the sky had been covered with burning letters instead.

“I dare because I represent the biggest hope of your freedom,” I answered, feeling the greatness of the sealed entity. This time, a flame attack rushed toward me, covering me as well. I was ready to create a barrier made of several Divine Sparks, enough to isolate the flame, but it didn’t burn.

The silhouette of a bird, made entirely of flames, appeared in my mind. “I am a primordial being of flames. Look at my form and despair!”

She sounded furious, but somehow, I felt a hint of desperation as well. Not shocking. If I was guessing correctly, she had been captured and used to fuel the protections of a city, likely being experimented in the process. Hardly the most comfortable life.

I could extract herself from my grip, that much I was sure. Tantric might not have broken down Elemental Spark immediately, but it still worked wonders to isolate and protect my soul. Even better, by reaching me like that, I was able to pass through the outer defenses and was able to reach Cornelia’s soul.

Just like her body, her soul was surrounded by flames, slowly being infused by Flames. I was glad that I intervened. A few more minutes, and she would have turned into a vessel.

I reestablished the connection between us, reaching to her soul while keeping the angry bird unaware. Instead, I decided to distract her by speaking. “You can show off, or we can make a deal,” I offered, immediately changing the topic.

I was hoping that it would surprise her enough to pay less attention to my magical presence.

“How dare you! I had been born with this universe, far before your disgusting, parasitic ilk invaded the realm to steal and pollute!”

The interesting thing about commuting with a divine being, the conveyed information was not limited to words. As she spoke, images followed. Images that showed a wave of Primordial Aether appearing from nothingness, covering everything.

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Or, maybe, creating everything. That emptiness wasn’t normal emptiness. It was a true Void, dark, chilling, threatening to devour and destroy everything.

A problem for another time. The images continued, where many elements filled the void, slowly developing a plane, led by four beings. A bird made of flames, a tree made of earth and metal, a turtle made of water, and a cloud, representing air.

Four elements.

Their harmony was broken down by the sudden appearance of a ship cutting through the void at the edge, filled with elves, and bursting into the Primordial Aether. On the ship, there were many Demigods. What followed by fragmented visions of many battles, where humans, elves, angels, and many other beings, each on their own ships while they invaded Primordial Aether.

Some raiding for energy, some invading the Material Plane to turn into gods. The latter faction was led by a Goddess, whose voice was surprisingly familiar.

The System.

“Look, I’m not going to talk about how much of a barbarian my ancestors had been. We have more important things to work on,” I countered. “You’re clearly struggling, and either I help you in your troubling state, or I do my best to stop you.”

Of course, I was not the one to suddenly extend my trust into an unfamiliar being, particularly when it was some kind of Primordial Being with a grudge. An understandable, fair grudge, but a grudge nonetheless.

The moment the connection with Cornelia was reestablished, I sent a flood of Divine Energy into her soul … and I was glad for it. The situation was even worse than I expected. She was resisting the invasion of Elemental Spark of Flame, but only because of her own Divine Spark of Flames.

The edges were frayed by the Elemental Spark, but that was the least of her problems.

Her soul had been turned into a trap. There was something that was eerily similar to flames, which would have been almost impossible to detect if it was wrapped by Elemental Spark. But, in its core, there was a seed made of Divine Spark.

That Divine Spark wasn’t exactly Purified Spark, but close enough. Cornelia was just bait, a delivery mechanism for a corrupting influence. I had no idea what it would have done once it was taken in by that bird, but my guess; it was nothing good.

I strengthened Cornelia’s soul as much as possible, helping her to bond with her own Spark better. Ironically, that worked better than what Titania had been dealing with. Titania had to deal with much less Elemental Spark, but after months, it filled her soul completely.

Here, Elemental Spark was just an invader, and could be pushed out.

While I slowly reinforced her soul, I also unlocked the seed, and started examining it. It was an insidious weapon, one that would spread into the Elemental’s soul and turn her into a slave. It was very complicated, and even with my Intelligence, I would have had a lot of trouble deciphering it if it wasn’t based on the working principles of the System.

And, that was a topic I had great expertise.

“How dare, you pathetic mortal!” she shouted when I ignored her initial answer, and instead attacked me with a similar soul attack, trying to absorb my soul to turn me into another slave.

Big mistake on her part, as it not only slowed Cornelia’s corruption, but also distracted her, allowing me to counter-attack.

By using the seed as a weapon. First, I cut its connection with the System, linking to my own unique System. Then, I started to fuel it with millions of mana. It was designed to work slowly, but that was not a drawback. I used my connection with the others to pull mana, and the Seed grew rapidly … before that being could realize, she was completely infected.

Or, at least, her consciousness that was out of the seal. It cut her connection with her power.

Another chain of changes followed. I felt the city tremble, and at a distance, three towers crumbled … and three elementals, in their full power, started to wreak havoc in the city. A pity, as I would have loved to capture them as well. Unfortunately, whatever was keeping them in control had crumbled the moment the balance between the four was gone.

They would soon destroy the city.

The flame bird, the one that was closest to escaping, was the only one that stayed imprisoned, but she was split into two. Her consciousness stayed captured by my System, while her power stayed, powering the city.

The flames were gone, and Cornelia collapsed on the floor. “Caesar,” she gasped as she looked at me, shocked yet smiling.

“I’m here,” I said as I took one step, and kissed her. “I missed you,” I added even as I repaired and enhanced her control over her Divine Spark far better. “Now, follow my clone, and retreat back to the material plane,” I said.

With three of the elementals free, there was no need to leave them. Worse, I could feel the three freed elementals devouring Primordial Aether with a shocking speed, suggesting that they were yet to recover to their full strength.

I didn’t want to be there when they returned.

“What about Marianne?” she asked.

“I already sent clones for her and Aviada as well,” I said. With that, I teleported them back to the Material plane.

“How about you?” she asked.

I smirked. “I have one last thing.”

{Strength: 190 Charisma: 190

Precision: 190 Perception: 204

Agility: 190 Manipulation: 201

Speed: 190 Intelligence: 254

Endurance: 268 Wisdom: 230}

{Purified Divine Spark: 913,221}

{Divine Air Spark: 32,193}

{ADDITIONAL SPARKS

Twilight - Chosen 30

Nature - Chosen 10

Knowledge - Chosen 10}

{GODDESSES

Elven Goddess

Goddess of Knowledge

Twilight Archangel

Goddess of the Forge

Goddess of Healing

Goddess of Flames}