The Path of Ascension

Chapter 276

eered over his desk to look at the puddle of blood on the floor and nodded sagely. And this is why we do this privately. The Clans once had someone turn into a wind storm as they Tiered up and it took over an hour for them to reconstitute themselves, which made all of them look like fools. All the other Great Powers learned from their mistake.

Matt bent down and looked at the puddle of blood that was his wife. Smirking, he asked, Can I help in some way?

Aster, who had mirrored his movement, wasn't so kind. She poked the Liz blob with an icicle and asked, Do you need something to form around? I can freeze you.

Fuck both of you. Just back up and give me a moment. I think it's kinda like using [Blood Body]. Just harder to figure out as there isnt a skill to give me a starting point. Go figure out what your own Talents are and let me work without an audience.

Getting Matt and Asters attention with a wave of his hand, Emmanuel produced a device and set it upon his desk. It took a moment for Matt to recognize it, simply because unlike the Talent scanners of Lilly, it was no room-sized monstrosity with a full-sized personnel bay. Rather, it was a hand-sized hemisphere with an illusion projector on the flat side. Normally at this point, the three of you would already be off to your next stop, but given how Elizabeth is indisposed, theres no point making you wait to test out your new abilities. I suspect youll be pleased with what you find.

Aster was the first one to step forward, and she scooped up the scanner in both hands. A wave of light engulfed her, and she began peering at a set of incomprehensible squiggles he couldnt read through sight or any other means. Tier 25 Talents were often significantly more complex than Tier 1 or 3 Talents were, and while Lillys scanners still required a minute or two of work even for those, the Emperors personal scanner was evidently leagues better as it finished in mere seconds.

As his bond was still hogging the apparatus, Matt tried to recapture the sensation hed felt during his Tier-up. That feeling of his mana shifting into something new, something more. The sight of Liz dissolving into a pile of blood had broken his concentration and he was now struggling to find his Talent again now that the moment of change had passed.

Looking up at the amused Tier 50 in the room with them he asked, I dont suppose you know what Im supposed to do?

Emmanuel nodded. My Talent gives me a sense of what I copy, and I have a lot of practice feeling out new Talentspossibly more than anyone else in history. So yes, I know. But I encourage you to figure it out for yourself. For one, its more fun that way, and privacy is important. And sometimes, theres some nuance Im missing, such as a reciprocal interaction with a bloodline or Domain. Just trust your instincts. You cant feel it, but Im keeping us under some time dilation, so dont worry too much about how long you take.

Matt was torn between wanting to roll his eyes and being impressed that the Emperor was able to play with time so trivially. Both reactions were a welcome distraction from the arm reaching out of a floating globe of blood, looking far too much like a drowning woman trying to grab something to save herself.

Cycling through some of the mana control training exercises Luna had beaten into him it didnt take too long for him to find one that worked. With its help he was able to feel out the mana pulsing through his channels, as it was only feeding his [AI]. While keeping a metaphorical finger on that feeling, he had [Cracked Phantom Armor] manifest around him like a second skin, a separate stream of mana going to empower his oldest skill.

With the additional spell active, it wasnt hard for Matt to grasp the flow of power traveling from his mana pool to his skills. From there, it didnt take long to identify the new feeling his Talent granted him. It was almost like getting an extra arm, except not like that at all, and Matt clenched his not-fingers into a not-fist.

Instantly, the normally featureless blue energy of [Cracked Phantom Armor] transformed into smooth light-blue mana crystal, just as flexible as the old armor but glittering with thousands of facets. Following his instincts, he dropped the skill, but instead of his armor vanishing immediately it lingered for a few moments, the spell fueling itself from the mana he had solidified in its structure.

Waiting to test his hunch, Matt carefully pulsed a tiny [Cracked Mana Spear] against the back of his armored hand and felt the armor consuming itself to maintain rigidity. A couple of taps later and the armor shattered into mana stone dust, its latent energy spent. A few more quick tests and calculations told him that the defensive power of [Cracked Phantom Armor] had been bolstered thanks to the crystalline mana comprising it.

Hed refrain from trying to crystallize the mana of internal skills until later. Forming mana crystals in his brain didnt sound healthy.

Now that he was starting to get the hang of his new Talent, Matt pushed a bit of mana out of his body and activated his Talent again, this time without a skill to shape it. While his mana control still resulted in a lot of mana vented into the air, Matts eyes widened as a small mana crystal manifested in his hand, glittering in his palm like a tiny star. At first, it looked like a pea-sized rift mana stone, but as he pulled on his mana pool, the crystal grew into something of a rough cube that fit nicely in his hand.

Matt started.

He had done that. It wasnt a skill, it wasnt his Domain, that was purely him. He knew he couldnt be ungrateful about his Talent as a whole, though it had taken decades to work through some lingering resentment towards his Tier 1, but it had always been somewhat in the background. He simply produced mana, no matter what he did. He made a lot of mana, yes, but that didnt feel quite the same as reaching out and willing an object to suddenly exist.

He supposed his Intent did something similar, but manifesting his Anchor felt different and didnt really count anyway. That was just flipping a switch, but this was genuine creation. A moment ago, the cube hadnt existed and neither had the mana currently within it. But now there existed a thing thanks entirely to him. Hed made the mana, and turned that mana into a cube.

The cube wasnt stabilizing active magic, and he couldnt see any mana venting from it which made it no different from any other mana stones, but Matt felt there was something more to it. It felt like his own, Endless mana, rather than ambient mana or mana in rift crystals. Following that hunch, he pulled at the crystal and the mana making it up. With just that small tug it dissolved into motes of mana, refilling his pool slightly. Elated, he quickly repeated the process, this time pushing substantially more mana into the crystal, only for it to rapidly balloon past what could easily fit in his hand. Once again, he reabsorbed the crystal and checked his mana pool. It had pushed his mana past the 10% point without the need for an outside source.

Matts eyes widened, and he looked to the Emperor. Emmanuel responded by tossing a glittering crystal towards him.

Matt snatched it out of the air, seeing himself. Specifically, a small duplicate of his Ascender statue outside. He felt a brief spike of shame seeing what the Emperor managed to do with his Talent compared to his own sloppy efforts, but he also shouldnt expect his own efforts to match up to someone twice his Tier and a million times his age. There was a good chance that the man had spent a few subjective hours practicing in the time Matt had done his own experiments, anyways.

Quite the useful Talent there, Matthew.

Thank you. But dont you already have something like it? You know, with my statue outside, if that was you

There are similar Talents to your new one, but they each have their own quirks to best suit the Talent set as a whole. I know youll be quite happy with it as you explore its depths. It's a Talent with a lot of room to grow if you push yourself and the applications you use it in. I also suspect that far less of your theoretical mana generation will be going to waste in the future.

That was certainly true. I suppose itll make it easier to hide the fact my mana is coming from me, at least.

Emmanuel let out a bark of laughter. That it certainly will. Well talk business later though. I believe you have another Talent to attend to? Let's not risk a sudden Inspiration preventing a doubling.

Matt nodded. With the ability to create his own mana stones, it would be far simpler for him to double his mana pool. Through a little testing, he quickly found that a mana stone equivalent to his current maximum - and thus his per-second production - was about as big as he was. It took a lot more than two seconds to make both of the required crystals to double his mana, as he wasnt perfectly efficient in his production, but by the time Aster was done with the Talent scanner his maximum mana was officially at 41 million, 943 thousand, and 40 mana.

A message from Aster popped up on his AI the moment he was unoccupied.

Tier 25: Gain a Personal Winter Spirit Space.

He shot a glance at his bond, who smirked and sent the longer readout.

Tier 1: Innate [Ice Manipulation]

Tier 3: Better ice magic.

Primary effect: Ice-aspected skills you cast are more powerful than normal.

Secondary effect: Ice-aspected skills you cast cost less mana than normal.

Tier 25: Gain a Personal Winter Spirit Space.

Primary effect: Gain a Spirit Space of coldest Winter, linked to and composed of your Domain. Maximum size is determined by your current mana. Your Domain may utilize the contents of this Spirit Space. Mana within this Spirit Space slowly converts to match your own.

Secondary effect: The larger your Spirit Space is, the more influence it has on the surrounding world. You may use this influence to pull mana, heat, life, and similar forms of energy into the Spirit Space.

Tertiary effect: When sufficiently large, Spirit Space may contain physical objects and creatures.

May I see? Emmanuel asked, then nodded in thanks to Aster as he was included. A good Talent. Expansive and powerful, and while Talents which directly interact with the Domain are rare, Tier 25 is when they most often appear. Talents which reference some other portion of your being are often considered the most versatile, and Domains are particularly potent in that regard. As you grow your Intent, so too will your Talent become functionally stronger. Its skewed towards debuffing, so perhaps you can grow it into a proper drain in time.

As Liz walked over Matt grinned, and pulled her into a hug. Shed managed to reconstitute and dress herself, and looked no different than before. Curious to what her Talent actually was, he gestured for her to use the Talent scanner first.

Oh, now this is just unfair! she complained a few moments later. Here. Share Talent with these three, she instructed the scanner. As she did so, the incomprehensible illusionary scribbles shed been looking at suddenly resolved themselves into perfectly readable script. Upon reading it Matt couldnt help but agree with her assessment.

Tier 1: Skills brought into or through the Inner spirit become blood aspected.

Tier 3: One with Blood.

Primary effect:

This chapter upload first at NovelUsb.Com

Secondary effect: Enhanced regeneration of blood.

Tertiary effect: Reduced cost and strain with blood skills.

Tier 25: You are Blood.

Primary effect: You are your blood.

Secondary effect: Your blood is you.

Tertiary effect: Change between you and your blood at will. Sufficient trauma may automatically initiate a change to whichever form would be best suited to endure it, unless prevented.

Because thats such a useful description, Liz groaned.

Actually, it is. Emmanuels attention sharpened to a razors edge, noticeable by the way the very world seemed to come into focus, upon seeing the actual text for Lizs Talents. I thought this was a fairly typical elemental form at first, but the primary and secondary? Elizabeth, try manipulating a few drops of your blood. Outside of yourself, specifically.

Liz looked confused, but pulled a few drops of blood from her Anchor, and her expression morphed into a solid o of surprise. I can still feel it. I could cast through this, even though its not connected to me? This has potential.

It does. Emmanuel stroked his chin. Youre making me consider revisiting some of my Talents that I previously dismissed as either redundant or identical. I get a good sense of what a Talent can do, but the Talent scanner can still give further insight.

So why didnt it tell me what it meant more plainly, if it knew what it meant?

Emmanuel winced. The Talent AI is something of a mess, to put it lightly. In theory, it should be utterly impossible for anyone but you and those you give it to, to get information about your Talent. To oversimplify, at some point, someone messed with the AI to give us the publicly-accessible Talent ratings, and in so doing broke a lot of the more detailed output. Its not as bad as in the Federation, who only get a caste, category, and rating both publicly and privately. But it also isnt as good as a few models in the Republic and Corporations with better readouts, thanks to more intact privacy procedures. Ive looked into fixing or replacing the AI a few times, but it hasnt proven feasible yet, for many reasons I wont go into now.

Oh now this just feels weird, Liz interjected in chorus which made Matt turn to her.

As he turned away from Emmanuels explanation of the Talent scanners oddities he saw two identical Lizs poking the others shoulder. What really disoriented him was that neither was a [Lesser Blood Clone], made out of blood in the shape of Liz. They each looked just like Lizflesh, bone, and clothes included. The only difference he could discern between them was that one was still holding the Talent scanner.

Aster did a double take as she looked over at Liz. Which one is the real you?

I am. They spoke in unison, shared a glance, and continued still in unison, Not sure. I tried cloning myself, I had a weird perspective blur, and both of me were in a blood clone-looking form. Then I tried turning back to human, and well they motioned at themselves.

The two of them shared a long look, then one burst into ash and sparks, taking flight as a phoenix to land on the others shoulder. The still-human Liz broke out into a delighted grin, reaching up to pet the phoenix Liz, then hummed with content as she scratched the birds neck.

There will be plenty of time to experiment with your new capabilities later. The Emperor guided them back on track. Slowed time or not, this is a very busy day for the three of you, and we shouldnt linger too much longer. Matthew, I suppose after my comments youll wish to see your Talent now rather than later. But afterwards we really must be off.

The still-human Liz sighed, then passed Matt the Talent scanner before both she and her phoenix clone turned back into blood, melded together, and became a single human once again. Matt felt the device scanning his spirit, and watched as it output his Talents to see exactly what his new ability was.

Tier 1: Diminishing returns on mana regeneration.

Primary effect: Mana Regeneration inversely proportional to current mana, directly proportional to Maximum Mana.

Secondary effect: Essence cannot be applied to mana cultivation. Mana Regeneration is decoupled from mana cultivation.

Tertiary effect: Maximum mana set to 1.

Tier 3: Maximum mana set to 41,943,040.

Primary effect: Any mana in the mana pool in excess of Maximum Mana will permanently increase Maximum Mana.

Secondary effect: Maximum increase from this Talent in a given Tier is equal to double previous Maximum Mana.

Tertiary effect: Maximum Mana initially adjusted to 10.

Tier 25: Crystallize mana.

Primary effect: Crystallize mana within skills that match your mana aspect to improve their longevity, durability, or similar aspects.

Secondary effect: Crystallize mana in a form of your choice. Efficiency and detail depends on mana control. Density depends on mana control and concentration.

He shared the readout with the room, then looked up to the Emperor wanting to ask the question that came over him having read the readout of his Tier 1 and 3 Talents. Have you started using my Talent yet?

I have, for a few Tiers now actually. Ill sometimes bring in one of a few different Tier 25 Talents to further augment it, but when Im looking to simply regenerate as much mana as possible, Ive been utilizing yours for a few decades. Your new Talent will be useful as well, but like I said, I do have some similar ones with their own niches. Ill be paying attention to what interesting ways you think to use the Talent in with anticipation. Turning his head, he looked to Liz and asked, Do you have your form under control?

Yes. Im pretty sure unless someone punches me really hard, Ill be able to stay solid as long as I want.

Good. Standing up, the Emperor nodded to them. Then it is time that we present you to the Realm. Are you prepared?

Matt nodded with the others.

With that, the three of them found themselves standing in a fitting room and were immediately set upon by a small army of workers.

They treated him with such reverence and seriousness it almost felt wrong. If they were young, he would get it. Empire propaganda channels had been working overtime ensuring their masks were presented in the best possible light, but these were Tier 40s. Nobody at their Tier was anything close to normal. Theyd have centuries, millennia of storied careers. As crafters, theyd have made wonders Matt could barely imagine, have Domains that let them do impossible things. They certainly wouldnt be taken in by a few excitable faces half their Tier, and to see so many people a hundred times his age defer to him with such utter stoicism

It made his skin crawl.

Getting them presentable, setting up their privacy screens, and dressing them properly didnt take all that long, compared to Matts last experience with Capital high society, but it still felt like weeks and he was ready for the ceremony to end before it began.

What helped him was the messages from his friends he had been ignoring.

Kyle: Where are you three?

Tara: Hurry up or you're going to miss it.

Fen: Poke.

Emily: Seriously, where are you guys? No one will tell us where you are.

Kyle: Do we need to come get you guys?

Cameron: IcePop are you lost in a freezer?

Tara: ???????????? Hellooooooo? I will never let you live this down if you miss it.

Vinnie: Tara is now yelling at me because you guys arent here. Please show up and save me.

Fen: Poke.

Mathew: You guys ok?

Melinda: Everyone is wondering where you are.

Matt smiled as he got confirmation that Melinda and Mathew had arrived on time as well. He couldnt wait to see their reactions.

Once they were fully clothed, they were swept off to sign so, so many papers and do a thousand and one other last-minute things.

Then it was their final stop.

Doors loomed before them, not quite the size of a mountain, but carrying the gravitas of one. Matt couldnt identify what they were made of, but he could have gotten lost in the patterns and designs within it for years without ever seeing a repeat feature. A massive tree made of artistic spirals and flourishes took up the center of the doors, its branches stretching out to entire worlds. Upon those worlds, Matt could see faint signs of life as their depictions rotated. Tiny lights illuminated cities, whorls of white representing clouds raced across the continents, monsters large enough to be seen on a planetary scale sometimes appeared, only to be beaten back moments later.

Along the edges, figures worked and fought in an endless mural. Most of the figures were faceless despite wearing unique and intricate clothing, but there were three faces repeated time and time again. Emmanuel, Georgios, and Agatha Sophron.

They cared for the sick, shielded the weak, restored worlds and uprooted spies. Monsters fell at their hands, and the people rejoiced.

A heavy weight settled upon Matts heart, and it began to echo within his head.

Thu-thump.

Thu-thump.

Thu-thump.

His breath grew shallow, so he intentionally stopped breathing to get ahold of it. He discreetly extended the length of his robes to [Water Manipulation] away the sweat beading on his palms without being seen. He was Tier 25, damn it. He shouldnt be losing this much control over his body.

Luna would be-

Luna wasnt their manager anymore. Matt doubted that shed be able to truly leave them alone, but she was she was done. She had no authority over them, her job was done. Because they were Ascenders.

They were Ascenders.

They had genuinely, truly made it.

All right. I'll do it. I'll rise all the way to Tier 25 eventually and get you those rewards.

The memory rose, unbidden. The moment his life had changed, the moment Eric and Dena had offered him, a nobody on a nothing planet, who had Awakened a Talent that looked to completely cut off half of all cultivation from him.

Thats the spirit! Dena laughed.

Hed earned that hit, striking up two full Tiers as a novice Tier 1. Hed fought many more monsters in the decades since, but none had truly been nearly so impactful. None changed the direction of his life so far from what it could have been.

Well done, Matt! I knew you had it in you.

Memories blurred past, warnings and dangers and wonders.

A skill-clad orc charged him, its inhuman face twisted into a snarl as it sought to tear him in half. [Berserkers Rage] made it even more irrational than rift monsters usually were, and Matt made a snap decision. He braced a broken spear against the ground and baited the rift boss into killing itself on its own weapon.

A blueish light gave way to a fist-sized egg made of what was ostensibly ice.

A crack appeared with a crisp, satisfying, ringing sound along the surface of the icy egg. It shook, as the crack spread and caused the entire thing to fall apart, unveiling a tiny ball of fluff with two oversized blue eyes and a freezing black nose. The little fox advanced all of three steps before falling over, and Matt quickly scooped her up and cradled her to his chest.

She liked it. Aster liked her name.

Beside him, his sister was every bit as tense as he was. He couldnt see her ears under the Scoop mask she wore, but that didnt hide the nervousness, the anxiousness, the tension that came through their bond. Who wouldn't be nervous from truly every eye in the Empire seeing them. Hed seen a recording of Duke Waters ceremony as a kid, hed watched Light and Shadow as close to live as he could muster, and now the three of them would be joining every kids elementary school curriculum.

He could imagine it now. What planet did Ascender Matthew Moore grow up on?

Lilly would become a household name. Everyone would know that a no-name orphan from a no-name city on a no-name planet completed the Path of Ascension.

There has been one person, one single fucking person, to do it in the last thousand years. One thousand fucking years. Can you imagine how many people have been born in the Empire in the last millennium? Griffs voice had been angry and that scared the younger Matt. Made him feel guilty.

Matt, you are not better than the seven hundred and fourteen trillion people before you.

Despite himself, he couldnt help but let a smile twitch across his face.

Take that, Griff. I proved you wrong after all.

He didnt hold ill will towards Griff, not really. It wasnt bad advice, but that didnt stop Matt from feeling smug about proving him wrong.

The silence in the entry hall was deafening. There were more people on the other side of the door than there were people living on Lilly when he left for the first time, and a grand orchestra a thousand strong played a song made for this event, and he could hear none of it.

The two guards stationed at the base of the door were silent, unmoving sentinels. Matt wondered what they must be thinking. Were they nervous as well, being in the presence of Ascenders? Were they the same guards who had stood at attention for Light and Shadow, and Duke Waters before them? Or was this a rotating position, a place of honor for them? Something to be fought over? Something they bragged to comrades about?

Matt shifted, finding a more comfortable position to sit beneath the tree, and pushed mana into a rechargeable mana stone. The display on his wrist displayed it had one mana, then two. With shaking hands, he absorbed the mana and felt as his maximum mana climbed, from one to two. He laughed, laughed until tears streamed down his face and passer-by looked at him with disdain, pity, curiosity. He didnt care, his mana had grown, and now he could really show the world what he was made of.

A bell rang in the throne room, its great clang carrying even to where they were. Matts heart raced. It wasnt their cue yet, but that was getting close. His mouth felt dry, but a small [Create Water] fixed that. Beside him, Liz fidgeted, rubbing the silver ring on her hand with her thumb.

Matt fidgeted with the interlocked rings on his palm. He could sell these and buy a channeled attack skill, or He held the rings out to Liz, much to her shock. This is too much, I cant take this, she protested. But he watched as the girl read his offer, and her expression morphed from shock to gratitude, disbelief giving way to trust. She reached out and took the ring. Welp, I guess that means were in it for the long haul.

Emmanuels voice began to spill out, ever so slightly. It didnt sound loud, but the voice carried on whorls of essence, letting Matt hear the muffled impressions of the mans speech. He couldnt distinguish words, but he could feel the concepts behind them. The Emperor himself was speaking of impossibilities, of bravery and the ability to face certain death with a laugh and a smile.

The serpent screamed, freezing the world around it as massive wings spread, blotting out the rifts false sky. The power in its roar immobilized him, misty red chains manifesting and holding him helpless as the boss dove, mouth wide and ready to strike. But he would not be held down, he would not be stopped. He was Endless. His sword cleaved into the snakes scales, buying the time needed for Liz and Aster to break free of their own restraints.

The light of the Ascension illuminated the entire world, colors which Matt had no name for spilling over his consciousness, unveiling truth and dispelling lies. The ever-flowing spring, the burning star, those all gave way to the white hole at the core of who he was, an Endless font of mana in defiance of all logic.

The Emperors speech hit a bit of a lull, a moment for the audience to breathe and process what he had been saying. Matt ached to know what exactly was going on, and while he could always watch recordings, it would be nowhere close to the same. Some things were simply so grand that they had to be seen to be believed.

The ground rumbled and the mountain shook, patently obvious even from this distance. Ambient mana rushed in like a tide, and the golems mountain looked to be growing larger with every passing second.

The damn ruin is flying, Liz gasped, as their mistake rose to blot out the sky.

Now the speech had changed to their stalwart devotion, their ability to hold up the sky from the time they were children, and entirely on their own merits shape the world around them. Aster twitched in a way Matt recognized as her sweeping her tail back and forth, but it looked a bit unusual when said tail was invisible.

An enormous pressure descended from the sky, like the entire world was collapsing upon him. He was stuck, and no amount of flailing with his Concept could do anything. He was like a bug, caught between the fingers of a giant. He focused primarily on his head, just barely craning his neck enough to see the silhouette of a man, floating in the air, judging them. We dont cheat, Liz gasped, but the pressure rendered the rest of her words unintelligible.

No matter the hurdle, he would surmount it. No matter how great the enemy, he would defeat it. He had been tried and tested again and again, in every way imaginable, and he had gotten through it alongside his friends, his family. Hed proven he was resolute, that he could shape the realm around him with his own hands.

Emmanuels potent words reverberated across his entire being, charging him to be exceptional, to go beyond anything and everything that he had been and could be. One man versus the entire Realm, his prowess shaping the course of a war, the course of a society. That the noble few could guide all those who saw them, inspiring them to be better.

Arrows and spells rained down on [Cracked Phantom Armor], and Matt, raised above his cohorts, took them all. [Fireball]s washed over him like a curtain of fire, and a solitary arrow pierced his armor and stuck in his side. But he kept his aim steady, and kept charging his mana cannon. Groups vanished, pulled out as blue light blasted their formations.

Wherever he aimed, death landed, and the army broke.

Kyle: NO SERIOUSLY WHERE ARE YOU GUYS YOURE MISSING EVERYTHING

Emily: Were you kidnapped? Answer us, whats going on! If we dont hear from you in the next five minutes were going to assume something awful happened and do something, I dont know! At least tell us youre alive, you assholes!

Melinda: Youre missing all the fun, Matt. You guys really need to be here.

Fen: Insistent poke.

Matt smirked and muted his messages, dismissing them before he could read through the entire backlog. The Emperor had moved on to their efforts, how they had mastered disciplines in decades which others took a lifetime to learn. How they had bent mana and reality itself to their will, forging common tools into the weapons of a master.

An undulating spell pattern laced its way into the air, traced out in purple mana. Luna casually expanded the geometric design, swinging it around for their studies, And this is where most of the waste [Mana Shield] produces comes from. See how the flow right here loops around almost entirely, before flowing into the feeder? That sudden change of angle will, in an unmodified spell, cause almost a full quarter of the mana passing through here to vent off. You cant change the angle of this loop, but you can develop a collection point there, feeding that lost mana back into the secondary intake. With a properly-created connection, youre only losing five percent instead of twenty-five, but if its incorrect you could increase the mana loss to a full half. Now, this manifests as a weakness in

The speech turned triumphant, their victories and utter wins. How they crushed their opposition beneath their feet, how they were the champions of the Empire and their accomplishments would echo across it for generations to come. How their names would be enshrined forever, their exploits told in legends and bedtime stories.

Liz shifted slightly, and took a deep breath. Matt saw her close her eyes to steady herself, and stop a microscopic tremor in her arms. That sight alone nearly made him start breathing again, because while he couldnt literally feel the tension radiating off her like he could Aster, he practically could.

Quill stepped between two falling swords as Queen cut a vicious streak through the area attack. Then he was close enough, and swept up one of the metal blades as the swordswoman turned just a hair too slow to meet the new threat. He drove the blade through her chest, and the fight from there was academic.

Turstal motioned for Torch and Quill to stand beside her, and a roar swept over the entire tournament. Despite the clamor, the royals voice echoed clearly across them all, Today, we have two people who went undefeated in both the solo and team tournament.

Emmanuels voice sharpened into bravery, how with each and every day they faced the unknown with only the knowledge that the task would be hard or impossible. That they fearlessly charged into insurmountable odds without so much as questioning whether the fight could be won, but knowing that they would emerge victorious nonetheless.

He charged in, locking his grip on the Generals scythe. His armor rotted around him, mana decaying into nothing, but he had mana to spare, which he fed into his gauntlets. He locked into place, an utterly immovable force which even the General and its nascent Intent couldnt budge. The battle raged on outside of them, but Matts world had narrowed down to his singular foe.

Theyd done the impossible, seen the impossible, and were utterly impossible themselves, and the Emperors speech made Matts heart beat all the faster, inspired by the legend of himself. The simple idea that he lived in the same Great Power as Quill, Torch, and Scoop filled him with pride, no matter how little sense that made. But it felt almost like a connection being formed from him to the Emperor, but also to every other person hearing his words, binding them into a collective which none could break. All because of their Ascenders.

He desperately wished he could hear the words being spoken.

The crystal swung open, the central pillar falling away with a rush of Genesis Energy and unveiling the heart of Minkalla, the power source for the hidden realm of miracles and monsters. A true, genuine white hole. It was real. Matts spirit hummed with power and comfort, of half-remembered ideas surfacing and multiplying.

Emotions resonated through the entire chamber, a slowly-building crescendo saying that it was never too late for anyone to try, that Ascenders were a model above all but not one which should lead to despair. For there was always a Path to those who sought to improve themselves, and the future was always bright.

Matt spun Liz around as they danced in the moonlight.

They were finally married.

Years of dedication and work had culminated in something more special than he had words to describe.

I love you.

And I love you.

Okay, maybe he had some words.

Matts heart clenched up. Hed come so far, and he couldnt have done it without his family. He was just barely close enough to reach out and squeeze Lizs hand, on impulse. She jumped slightly, but smiled with such unrestrained joy it was visible past even her mask. Theyd come so far together, but their journey was only just beginning, and the realm had best make way for their passage.

Matt watched as Justinian wept in the rain as he wondered how long it had been since he had seen the sky or rain. The fact that he knew the answer only made it worse.

No matter the odds, theyd overcome it together. Aster reached out and grabbed his other hand, and they basked for a few scant moments in the sense of family they provided to one another. Then the moment passed, and they returned to their stoic, presentable selves. The moment was coming all too soon, but it stretched on to infinity as his instincts always did, in times of combat. Instinctively he wanted to draw his sword and charge, the same as in a fight, but this was no fight and doing so would accomplish nothing.

A massive centipede drew back to spit a deathly green, glowing liquid at a father and his daughter in a crumbling skyscraper, and Quill called upon the winds and earth, his sword cleaving through the monster in a single blow.

Matt wrestled his emotions back in place, a balance of terror and thrill coursing through his body as the Emperor finally reached a crescendo, emotions so thick in the air that Matt could practically taste it. The first words Matt could properly distinguish the entire speech washed over him as the mountain-sized doors swung open. I summon Quill, Torch, and Scoop to the throne room!

Air rushed forth in the wake of the titanic portal opening, enough to send a mortal staggering, but completely insufficient to even ruffle their hair. Light spilled forth from the throne room, unveiling the massive hall it was in.

Matt strode forward, flanked by Liz on his right and Aster on his left. Their every footfall was in unison, each step muffled by the grand purple carpet that stretched out to the throne far before them. Countless spectators turned to see them as they entered, and Matt fought back another wave of nervousness from the incredible weight of attention that millions of people pressed down upon him.

Even more than that, he knew this ceremony was being broadcast through the entire Empire and beyond. It was a monumental moment.

If not for the privacy enchantments on his robe now in full swing, he would have had no hope to hide his nerves. But with them active, he was able to sneak a glance at his [AI], wanting to catch a glimpse into the livestream set up inside Maras booth, monitoring his friends.

Chaos reigned in the booth. Half of them were embroiled in an argument, and the other half was desperately trying to pay attention to the ceremony in front of them, but fraught with either worry or distraction from the fight surrounding them. Emily seemed to be trying to rally their attention to figure out who was the highest-profile person they had in their contacts to message them about Matt, Liz, and Aster being missing. Cameron was muttering to herself about stupid foxes being perpetually late for anything but dessert, while Katherine was looking around with wide eyes at the chaos of it all.

But at the very front, in the middle of the first row, Melinda sat perfectly calmly, a faint smile playing over her face as she kept her eyes locked on the three figures walking down the carpet. Matt wasnt surprised shed figured it out. Of all of their friends, it was the Unbroken who had the fullest picture of their abilities, outright having access to his Tier 1 and 3 Talents, though his full profile was sixteen Tiers out of date. And given how many times shed healed them during the tournament, Melinda had almost certainly noticed some oddities with their bodies and the wounds theyd taken.

Beside her, Mathew fidgeted nervously, gripping his wifes hand tightly. His attention darted between looking at Melinda, studying Torch, Quill, and Scoop, and glancing at the near-brawl happening in the back of the booth.

The arguments died down somewhat as the triumphal music accompanying their approach swelled, and their friends realized they were missing the main event. For most of them, the utter need to see the new Ascenders for what was likely the only time in their lives won out, despite Emilys protestations otherwise.

The Unbroken were the first to properly settle down, uneasily taking up positions all around Melinda. They, like Mathew, shot worried glances towards the door, but the rock-solid expression of their former team leader steadied them well enough. Katherine meekly followed Kyle, then stared at the Ascenders like she was worried a blink would cause them to vanish. Emily was calmed down by Tara, as the archer physically dragged her girlfriend to the front of the booth and shushed her until she stopped protesting. That pulled Annie and Conor over, who held hands tightly enough that their fingers went white.

Behind them, plenty of their remaining friends were still locked in an argument, but the energy died down quickly as their attentions were inexorably drawn towards the three masked figures, slowly striding down the aisle.

For the first time, silence fell over Maras private box. The gravitas of the situation overwhelmed their concerns but didnt eliminate them, and Matt could feel the anticipation building even through his AIs video feed.

Mathews eyes widened, as he looked between Melinda and the three hooded figures, Nooo he whispered.

Matt, Liz, and Aster stepped foot at the exact midpoint of their march, perfectly in line with a triumphant note from the orchestra. Like shadows fleeing the morning sun, their Quill, Torch, and Scoop masks melted away, leaving only the three of them. Matt had to adjust his stride as his body shifted and grew, returning him to his proper height and size.

Maras private box broke into utter pandemonium, dozens of voices crying out in unison. If he had more attention to spare for the video, perhaps he could have teased them apart, but as it was he just hid his smile at the chaos that they had unleashed.

Annie had collapsed onto the couch, a slightly open mouth as the only sign of surprise on an otherwise blank face. Roodys eyes had gone very wide, and was sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Katherine had Kyles hand in a death grip, who was in turn sitting slack-jawed, eyes fixed on Matt. Melinda had a beaming smile and was applauding enthusiastically, and Mathew let out a massive, cheering whistle.

People were yelling, people were crying, people were shouting into their [AI]s, no doubt sending him messages that were simply piling up in his muted [AI]. The speed at which the number of unread messages were increasing was certainly indicative of that, at least.

In many ways, the news anchors covering the broadcast were just as amusing. Most were utterly speechless in stark contrast to those who went over the top with their reactions, a couple of whom had outright fallen out of their chairs. Most of the remainder were stammering with surprise. Two newscasters managed to keep a completely straight face, delivering their impressions with the same temperament and cadence that they had beforehand, and Matt made a note to himself to look up more about their respective shows later.

Nobody actually expected him and Liz, young noble scions who publicly had sat around at parties and resorts for the last century, to secretly be the next Ascenders. He was sure there were plenty of bets placed on them simply because they were born in the right century and were public figures, but those were typically playful bets made in jest, not something that people actually thought was accurate. Hed always rewarded the people who bet on him, from beginning to end.

While he loved the responses he was getting from the official crowd, Matt allowed his already-split attention to wander slightly over to Leons box, where Lizs family was at.

The group took up almost all of Leons box themselves, most of which was thanks to Erins harem. While he hadnt met most of the third-youngest Moores lovers personally, theyd all come out to watch the reveal, and to support them. Travis and Keith cheered with Alice and Leah each trying to outdo the others while Daniel tried to climb on the railing but kept slipping off. The only members of the family not present were Sam and his wife. As active duty military officers, they were unable to step away from their duties for even this event with the war going on, but Matt still got their messages of congratulation thanks to someone opening a small micro portal all the way to their duty station so they could livestream the event.

Most of the news stations hadnt regained their senses by the time the three of them reached the end of the throne room, but they had their own job to do, and Matt so dismissed all the distractions from his mind.

With a flourish, three scrolls materialized, floating by the Emperor the moment they reached their mark, and he started walking down the dais and met them at the bottom of the stairs. Through careful choreographing, they reached their places together.

Matt, Liz, and Aster went to one knee with their right arms crossing their left knees even as the Emperor started speaking. With my authority as the leader of the Empire, I validate that these three members of my Great Power completed The Empires Path of Ascension with no undue interference or assistance, following all rules as set by the Articles of the Shattering and the Empires sub-clauses.

While the initial legal status of Aster was in debate for a while, it was ultimately decided that she was worthy of the title. It was something of an open question, as no Empire Ascender had ever gotten a Bond while on the Path before. But as Aster had been alongside Matt since he himself had been Tier 1, she had been deemed fully worthy of the title.

Matt smiled as his [AI] blipped with its corresponding check with The Emperors [AI] and the seven other Great Power envoys [AI]. The Sects envoy looked like he had taken a bite out of an apple to find half a wiggling worm, but even his expression was mundane when compared to the Federation envoy, who looked ready to spit fire. The Conglomerate of Guilds envoy smiled and enthusiastically clapped while the other representatives were more subdued in their reactions, looking at the three of them like they were more curiously examining a new item than anything more important like three new Ascenders.

Lila Worldwalker, Duke Waters, Light, and Shadow stood behind the Emperor to his right. Lila was in human form, a draconic grin unveiling inhumanly sharp teeth. Aiden bore an expression of pride and congratulations, Shadow looked incredibly smug, and Lights gaze bore straight into Matts eyesbut he could still see a flicker of respect buried within the stoic mans bearing, despite it being eerily similar to his statues expression.

The Emperor split into three, each clone holding a sword over their right shoulders, even as they spoke in perfect unison. I, Emmanuel Sophron, third of my line, announce to the Empire and the Realm that the Ascenders Quill, Torch, and Scoop have been found worthy. To reward their accomplishment and my trust in them, I decree that the three of you shall be raised as Dukes of the land to receive titles as befit your new status. The blades transferred from their right shoulders to the left before he withdrew it. Rise.

Matt stood with Liz and Aster to take the writs of nobility the Emperor presented to the three of them. Matt felt like he held the power of a Tier 50 in his hand. It was heavy, solid, real in a way few things were. It represented power and Authority: that they spoke not only with their own considerable combat prowess but with the full backing of the Empire as a whole.

Ascenders, to attention. The Emperor's words rocked them and the entire room full of nobles like a physical blow thanks to the might he had put behind those words. Please welcome the Empire's three newest Ascenders and Dukes.

Matt turned with the others as they met the cheering of the crowd, Eric and Dena first among them and clapping harder than anyone.

They had done it.

They had completed the Path of Ascension.