[Lustburg — Inverse World]
Back in Lustburg sitting inside the dimension of his Inverse World, in the copy version of the hanging garden, Lilith was in a rather bewildering but welcome situation.
The path of power from the start of Mana Manipulation to Reinforcement, Cladding, Intent, Zone, and Finally the True Name.
From nothing to the realm of the King, it was a simple yet tedious path that many could not reach or even aim for but it was a path that held no danger for anyone who had both the will and talent to challenge. One may never reach the next level but reaching this realm would automatically promote one to becoming a powerhouse.
The path to the realm of the Demigod, however, was quite different from everything beneath as it was deadly if even the slightest mistake was made along the way. There was no chance for any failure as failure would only mean death and demise.
For some, it was a transition into their most natural state. Others called it an ascension to their true self.
In the end, though, no matter what it was called, there was no denying the fact that it was the most important and the most deadly phase anyone in the King realm had to go through if they wished to advance to the next realm and glimpse into the territory of the gods— becoming a Demigod.
Many stopped on their path after learning of the consequences of failure. Even the Four Witches did not dare to go through it as they were now.
This was why Lilith was all the more bewildered by her situation and the current circumstance of her ascension.
“Well… It seems like I ascended while I was asleep?”
During her experience as her body was being re-constructed by the joint efforts of everyone, she had destroyed her True Name, her truest self, and erased her Truth to find a new way for herself.
Then by reaching the King realm once again, fusing the new name she had sought out for herself had been so easy that it literally happened while she was asleep and recuperating.
It was like her body had forcibly adjusted itself to her power and mental state. Bringing a result that would make any King realm powerhouse red-eyed with envy and jealousy.
When she learned of this fact, Medea cursed endlessly. Persephone looked up at the sky as she wondered about the truth of life even after being the witch that governed over life herself. Freya only gave a feeble chuckle and Kali simply stomped away muttering something incomprehensible about “Bullshit Xianxia protagonist.” or something as she left the premise for who knows where.
Lilith could not really blame them for their reaction. But there was not much she could do about this situation other than to blankly watch everything unfold in front of her eyes. For the remaining two weeks, Lilith simply adapted to the myriad of changes her body had gone through due to Sol’s crazy plan.
By going through the ascension, she had now become a partial energy being. Akin to all other Divine Beasts. She was now able to absorb mana through the core that was generated in her body and could theoretically enjoy an endless amount of mana as long as there was mana that she could access in her surroundings.
This alone was enough for her to become ecstatic with joy and happiness. She always had a huge amount of mana but now it was on a totally different level.
But this wasn’t all. Her body itself was different than her past brittle self.
In the past, she was a failed mixture between a Succubi and a Human. Born from the blood of Neptune and the Nightmare Queen who was also the previous queen of Envilya.
Unlike her daughter though, she had never been able to access the power of [Dreams] that came naturally with her powers as the most powerful Succubi. Though this had never been a problem for her. She had created her own path to mitigate all her flaws.
A path that she could not master in the past due to her mentality and outlook.
This time, however, it was different. She was different. She had overcome everything that was holding her back till now.
“Sigh… I wonder what I should do now.”
There was a problem that had been bothering her for the last two weeks and she was quite lost about what to do about it.
Sitting not far from her was Ambrosia. She had her head resting on the palm of her hands as she observed Lilith's body continuously with her divine gaze. Trying to analyze and understand her and just what in hell she was currently.
What Sol had done to her was something that Ambrosia could never enact even to this day. It was a fact that artificially getting power imposed on a body had a certain limit on the one who was bestowed that power.
Divine Beasts could never become gods. In the same way, it was near impossible for a witch to become a Demigod due to the nature of their existence.
Since Sol had ‘created’ Lilith then her power and potential should also be limited. But the gate of the Demigod realm was basically non-existent for her. Then came the question. What even was her limit? Or, did the concept of limit never exist for her…
“You are certainly the most talented human I have ever witnessed with my eyes. Though— calling you a human right now seems a bit wrong.”
“I know, right?”
Lilith grinned as she snapped her finger, “See, I have been thinking about this for so long but I still can’t find an answer. What should I call my race?”
Ambrosia could only message her head at seeing the ecstatic face of Lilith spouting out some nonsensical words. It was quite hard to match this current picture with the Lilith of the past who was always brooding and silent in her thoughts. Her dignified image was shattered in her mind with no hope of forming back.
“You have been thinking about this… For two whole weeks?”
“Well… I am honestly surprised that it has already been so long.”
Ambrosia nodded. Understanding that Lilith's perception of time had changed from that of a mortal to that of a long-lived race. This was a necessary procedure as it was impossible for the human mind to support the weight of the years that the divine beings would go through in their life.
“So, did you find a good name for your race?”
“Honestly, I was thinking Godslayer. But…”
“You are…quite courageous, to say the least.”
“I mean. Isn’t everyone all about creating some new god or something? So why not a Godslayer? Naming the new race after my own sword art would be great.”
Ambrosia’s smile twitched as she heard her words, “Well, we barely avoided being branded as heretics but if it doesn’t bother you, you are free to proclaim yourself as a Godslayer or anything you like.”
Lilith laughed out loud before leaning down on the monochrome grass that was gently swaying beneath her feet.
“Well, I guess I can’t really choose that name as I am now. Hah, oh well. I will find a good name for it sooner or later. Not like it really matters right now since I am the only one of this race currently.”
“Your behavior has changed greatly. This is quite a concerning matter.”
Lilith smiled at Ambrosia’s words.
Looking up at the grey sky, she stretched her hand as mana began to fill her body.
It was a euphoric feeling. She felt like mana was just an extension of her body as she was now. As if she was being loved by mana itself. Just a call from her was enough to fill her body with more mana than she ever wielded in all her life.
Her strength also went beyond what could be humanly possible. She went from being weaker than a normal human to having enough strength to bend pure metal and create a crater in the ground with her fists without even focusing on the output of her strength. This was with her bare body without any enhancements whatsoever.
This had completely messed up her sense of swordsmanship as she needed to re-adjust herself to her absurd power.
“Do you know. Now for me, even this grey sky seems colorful and bright.”
She felt like she had lived the last few decades in a haze and that haze was finally lifted from her eyes making everything clear and bright. She had sworn that she would not squander this second chance that was bestowed on her.
Life was fleeting and while she might have become immortal, she would never forget about the transience of life.
“For now. I want to have a bit of fun. Not just surviving but truly living this life.”
She wanted to enjoy everything life had to offer.
She wanted to walk outside and talk with people. Play games with her daughter and laugh no matter what was the result.
“Once I create my territory, I will leave the capital for a while.”
She wished to explore the world. It was impossible to visit the other kingdoms currently and since Lustburg was at war she couldn’t go far. But she wished to see more of the place she had ruled over the years but had never truly come to love. For life was just a fleeting dream to her. Transient and ever closer to its end.
Now it was time for her to love it. Climb mountains, swim in the sea, run in the forest.
There were so many things she had to try and now… Time was the least of her worries.
She had all the time in the world to do everything she wished to do.
Ambrosia titled her head, “Will you visit the Astral Realm?”
She could not accept this. Currently, Lilith was considered to be ‘an undead’ by the goddesses. She was not a natural undead so further growth was impossible. Much less becoming a Demigod.
If Lilith tried to establish a territory, then they would be flagged as liars and heretics then everything they did to hide the truth would have been for naught.
Lilith shook her head and looked around.
“Why go to the Astral Realm? I have all the place I could ever need just here.”
She didn’t know if it would work and she would wait for Sol to come so that she could discuss with him about his plans.
But— She wished to create her territory inside the Inverse World.
This promised to be quite an interesting experience.
(AN: Appearance-wise, Lilith didn’t change. Though she looks a little younger now and would look more like Lilin’s sister than her mother. But that’s pretty much it.)
