"I-It hurts."
"My head is burning…"
"My stomach…ah,"
The eleven elders got up like they were waking up from a deep sleep, even though their painful groans didn't stop.
It's just the ceiling above their heads seemed familiar. It was majestic, serene, and carved with tales long forgotten. The wooden walls were also familiar, their intoxicating scent reminiscent of only one place. Elder Hall.
Wait a minute, Elder Hall?
The elven elders gasped and jolted onto their feet, staring left and right with extreme vigilance. Their minds just began to recover and they understood how they ended up here.
They were now in their seats and in front of them was an empty golden throne.
"S-Successor of Devas, show yourself." The lightning elder stuttered, all his earlier aggression and grumpiness missing.
There was no response and the elders grew extremely tense at what this strong man might be doing. Would their kingdom be in danger?
"We have to stop h—"
"You got some very nice fruits. They'll amass you a fortune from the planets." Varian appeared on the golden throne with a basket of fresh exotic fruits.
"W-What?"
"Well, if you don't want to trade, at least let the Imperial Family purchase. One of my wives really likes sweet stuff." Varian smiled lightly.
The elders looked at each other in confusion and…relief.
"What are you going to do with us, Successor of Devas?" The earth elder asked in a rather calm tone.
"Rule." Varian spat out the word without hesitation.
The elders grew agitated, their chests heaved up and down while their breathing grew haggard. Yet, they didn't say a thing.
After a few minutes of intense anger, they couldn't even vent, their shoulders slumped and they sighed collectively.
"We can still fight against you, but it'd endanger our people, so we agree. But it's not just about the public, we see you as the successor to a race our ancestors served long ago." The water elder—a slender elf with sky-blue eyes and hair—conveyed a diplomatic response.
Varian pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "That's exciting. How about this? Come at me at your full strength, give your best, and try to kill me. If I'm dead, then you'll remain independent. If you can't kill, if your best is not enough now, then you'll be my subjects. And there will no be escaping it in the future."
The elders froze at his unexpected response.
They gave a diplomatic answer. 'Yes, we are surrendering, but no, not because we are weak.' It's just a face-saving measure and any normal diplomat would've taken it as a yes. But who the hell is this guy? He's proposing another match!
After a few hours of rest and recuperation, they faced him again, this time with all the treasures and elixirs they could muster.
Varian didn't bring anything extra. He just seemed excited to fight, much to their puzzlement.
Before the match began, however, he gave them a warning. "I've never come across anyone who could match my growth. Whether it's my peers, seniors, or the powerhouses, once I surpass them, they could never catch up. So, don't hold back. If you're defeated by me now, then you can never win in the future."
It was an arrogant statement. Elves had plenty of geniuses every generation and once in a while, there were great geniuses who'd go on to become the elven elders. Some went even further and become the exclusive leader of all elves through their sheer strength.
"You're strong and talented but too arrogant." Shaking her head, the water elder froze his blood in a snap.
"I am just honest." Varian's body shone and the space cracked.
A tsunami of aura drowned the elders and everything exploded.
— — —
"I-It hurts."
"My head is burning…"
"My stomach…ah,"
The eleven elders got up like they were waking up from a deep sleep, even though their painful groans didn't stop.
Then they saw the familiar ceiling and froze.
Wait, wait, this happened already! They were beaten by Va—
The elders saw the smiling young man on the throne. The fight was over faster than before. They tried harder than earlier, even using all their precious treasures and elixirs.
But he…why did he seem stronger than before? Even though they all increased their strength through various means, it's still dwarfed by the increase in strength he showed.
Their guesses were true. Varian had indeed grown stronger from the fights. He got plenty of injuries too. It's just that his regeneration had grown too fast that they dismissed it as superficial injuries.
Now, Varian was content looking at his quick and unexpected growth.
[Status
Mystic Rank 1: 20/100
(The perfection of body control. Every cell is a house of energy. You can survive in space, destroy planets, and use your aura to do incredible things.)
Famine Rank 1: 30/100
(The incarnation of hunger. You can devour your enemy's aura and blood to restore your own aura and blood. Your base plant has undergone a transformation and now provides you with enormous vitality and regeneration. As a plant morpher, you can draw energy even from the soil, water, and sunlight.)
Spirit Rank 1: 40/100
(The master of body and the driver of mind. Spirit's power touches a domain beyond the superficial.)
Space Rank 1: 20/100
(Space is no longer a fixed point to you. Even your enemy's attacks can be twisted using your power of space.)
Time Rank 1: 15/100
(Time is different for you. You have reached a point where you could even skip attacks.)
Energy: 30/100
(Your lightning path is now slowly letting you gain insights into the function of energy at a fundamental level. You cannot manipulate energy in itself yet but by using lightning as a medium, you can use enormous energy and make even a tiny lightning bolt dangerous enough to destroy a city.)
Matter: 30/100
(Your water path has gone further and allowed you insight into the nature of matter. You cannot manipulate matter as of yet, but thanks to your understanding of it, your water power has increased dramatically. You could cause a world-ending flood and end a civilization.)
Remarks: In the Sage Avenue—Mystic, Spirit, Famine, you'll have to make a choice in the direction you'll pursue when you hit the peak of Rank 3.
As a Mystic, you can focus on the inside and step towards a perfect physical body. Or you can focus on the outside and develop the mystical force to exert your strength.
As a Spirit, you can dive into the depth of your being, knock on the door of your soul and light up the soul fire or let your soul become one with your being and reach the true potential of soul prowess.
As a Famine, you can become an Assimilator—devouring to grow or you can become a Symbiotic—making mutually beneficial relationships with other beings.
Your actions and choices will determine your transition.]
The silence was uncomfortable and the elders felt like the air had grown sharp to the point their skins tingled.
Finally, the lightning elder stood up and bowed. "Y-Your Majesty, we gratuitously accept your rule."
Varian kept staring into the air with a smile as if he was watching something interesting.
For the elders though, it meant he was angry and deliberately ignoring them.
"Forgive us for your arrogance!"
"We are happy to be under the successor of devas."
"We elves would like to be ruled under your grace."
As Varian didn't respond, the elves kept singing praises like there was no tomorrow.
When he still didn't talk, they looked at each other in despair. After this fight, they were certain they couldn't win him. Seven powers shouldn't appear in any celestial but they appeared on him.
When these seven powers worked together, his strength underwent a fundamental shift. Facing such a monster, they were like lambs to be slaughtered.
And there's one more thing that scared them. In either of the matches, Varian never tried to kill them. He's always holding back and only doing the minimum violence. So, they had no idea how strong he really was.
And now they pissed him off for some reason. Maybe he'll slaughter their race. Once that fear caught them the elders discarded all dignity and knelt in front of the throne.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
"Ah? Huh?" Varian looked away from the status screen and saw the six elves kneeling in tears.
"Please take us under your rule. This is our greatest blessing." They smiled in tears.
Varian touched his face with a puzzled expression "I know I'm handsome and inspiring but moving another race to the point of kneeling and begging me to rule them over…I didn't think I was this charismatic."
