Chapter 46: CH-46
Refusing to back down, one powerful step brought me closer, every movement meant to show my resolve. The key to my plan was to make her recognize my value.
"I can get you out of here."
She smiled in amusement. "Escape...? You must be joking."
"Do you even know what this place is? This dimension is unescapable. Twelve Higher Lifeforms forged it. Not even I, at my peak power, could tear it apart."
Her chains rattled faintly as she leaned back. "Do you really think a mortal like you can change that?"
"Not me... but the one backing me could."
She remained quiet.
"I’m not joking. You can test it—hit me with the strongest attack you’ve got." I raised both hands, open and ready.
This was a gamble. I was counting on the system to shield me.
"You’re asking for it, mortal. I’ll destroy that avatar of yours and your soul at the same time."
Her eyes glowed intensely, and her blood-red aura burst forth again, spreading upward until the dark clouds above turned bloody red.
From that swirling storm, a giant sword materialized, its blade aimed straight at me.
Looking up, I could only swallowed hard, and hoped that I was right, because there was no way I could block an attack that could destroy a city.
"This will weaken me greatly, mortal... but if you can truly endure it, then I will believe you."
Hands still trembling, I forced a smile.
"Is this your best? I don’t think it’d even leave a mark. I doubt it would even tickle me. My backer gave me an unbreakable shield that no weapon could destroy."
My bluff flowed perfectly. Now, all that remained was for the system to make it real.
"I see... so one sword is not enough, huh?" She closed her eyes, and suddenly another blade appeared in the sky.
Motherfucker! This was cheating.
Unfortunately, it descended before I could call a timeout.
"ANNIHILATE!"
The swords slammed down, its sheer weight igniting flames that scorched the air.
"FUCK!" I cursed, feeling the searing heat race through my entire body.
BOOOOM!
Flames erupted on impact, engulfing the entire arena in an inferno.
But to my surprise, all those flames passed right through me. The system temporarily altered my existence to let me bypass the attack.
My gamble paid off, and I knew I had to ride this momentum.
"See? Like I said, my backer’s powerful. So how about you give me a chance to save you?"
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, but I could tell she was impressed by my performance.
"Your backer? What’s its name?"
Good. I got her attention.
Now all I needed was an awesome-sounding name for my imaginary friend.
Titan—too generic.
Stormbreaker—cool, but sounded like a superhero prop; too flashy.
Aegis—mythical and elegant, but too underwhelming.
I clenched my jaw and let my imagination stretch, searching for something that sounded unstoppable, mysterious, and grand.
Finally, the words slipped out:
"Deuz Machina."
The name carried weight, drama, and just enough arrogance. Perfect.
"Deuz... Machina?" Her words trailed off, "Never heard of it."
I would be more worried if she actually knew a guy with that name.
"It’s only normal because my backer’s both secretive and powerful. But you’ve seen its power, haven’t you?"
"I did. But that doesn’t explain why you need me—if you already have a backer, why not just ask it for a blessing?"
Her question made sense. Luckily, I anticipated it and got an answer ready.
"Because of this world’s... let’s just call them ’rules,’ I can’t show my true power. If I do, the wrong eyes will catch on. That’s why I need you to bless me with an ability that won’t set off any alarms."
All of it was pure nonsense I pieced together from reading way too many novels—but it sounded pretty convincing to me.
From her long paused, I figured she bought at least part of it.
She tapped her armrest repeatedly while contemplating.
"Very well, let’s make a deal, " she raised her hand and a paper made of skin materialized in front of me .
It was covered in symbols I couldn’t make sense of, but the system translated them for me.
The gist was, she would let me pick any power I wanted from among all her servants.
The catch? If I didn’t rescue her within ten years of my lifespan... I would die.
A classic high-risk, high-reward gamble. Logic said to walk away, but with the system backing me, ten years seemed more than enough time to become unrivaled.
What mattered now was getting my hands on a power I would never be able to get under normal circumstances.
"I can sign this because I’m confident I can rescue you in under a decade. So, how about you tell me which one of your servants is the strongest?"
She let out a deep sigh. "You’re too greedy, you know that? One day it’s going to bite you back."
"Don’t be too hard on me—I’m just trying to figure this out so I can get you out faster."
Eventually, she accepted.
"The top three are the Azure Flame Emperor, the Shadow Emperor, and the Lightning Emperor."
She gestured toward three banners hanging in the distance, each marked with a distinct insignia.
"Can you tell me how their powers work?"
"Just pick one. Whatever you choose will be enough to make you the strongest."
"Can I have all of them?"
"Don’t be too greedy. Taking more than one power into your mortal soul and body is akin to suicide."
Well, there goes my dream of having all the elements, but at least I tried.
Lightning was the safest bet... but damn, the Shadow Emperor just sounded too cool to pass up.
Anything with dark themes was instantly awesome in my eyes. That was why, back when I played MMORPGs, my gear was always gold and black.
As for the Azure Flame, it didn’t even register on my radar. Not that I’m bashing FAR users, but their powers tend to be the most generic—usually reserved for secondary characters.
"I’ll take the Shadow Emperor,"
Right on cue, the prison door creaked open, and a black mist spilled out, spreading across the ground.
Then it stepped out—a figure completely wrapped in shadows, like the darkness itself was holding onto it.
Only its eyes has colors, glowing a shade of purple.
SWOOOSH!
It vanished, reappearing behind me by slipping through my own shadow. I didn’t even have time to turn my head before its dagger hovered inches from my neck.
But just as I was about to have my head decapitated, the figure shattered into fragments, leaving behind a single purple gem floating in the air.
"Take it," she ordered.
"Did you just kill your servant?" I asked, still stunned at how casually she brushed it off.
"Only their bodies remain, not their consciousness so it doesn’t matter,"
Her words were devoid of any sympathy, but I could still catch a flicker of sadness in her eyes.
It wasn’t my place to dig into her past so I kept my mouth shut.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out to grab the gem. The instant my fingers brushed it, a shiver ran up my arm.
[External Power Detected]