Chapter 10: Dawn of Battle
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"But enough of that. Those concerns belong to the future, currently I should be thinking of the present, of this moment. And in this moment, a brutal battle, no--- a brutal war, is imminent." He spoke softly to myself and rose to his feet.

The ground trembled with increasing frequency and the surges of power came increasingly closer to his current position with the Realm Gate still to his back.

"Eden herself actually couldn't tell me much about this world besides its origin due to the fact that it was created a relatively short time ago and she has never been here herself. So, this war shall be a chance for me to test my newfound abilities whilst simultaneously comparing the strength of the beings of Cornith to the foes I have faced in the past. It's also a chance to test this so-called Divinity and its functionality in comparison to Mana and Origin Qi. " He placed his palm over the crystal-like orb embedded in the center of his chest and sensed the vast ocean of Divinity contained within.

It constantly released rays of dim light, which were a brilliant gold in color. Divinity continuously pulsated throughout his body with this orb as the epicenter. The Divinity flowed in a never-ending cycle, constantly strengthening and purifying his physical body and Soul.

This orb-like crystal was his Ruhk.

Both the paths of cultivation for Humans and Deva required the formation of an Internal World within one's body. The Ruhk is the intermediary between an individual and their Internal World and can take on many forms. One's Ruhk tethered their Internal World to their body and relegated the flow of the many forms of energy between the two.

It's usually formed at the threshold between the 2nd and 3rd stages of cultivation. But in the case of David and most Humans summoned from Earth since the invention of the Kibo, the moment their bodies are transformed during their summoning a Ruhk would be formed. This eliminated certain stages of cultivation for them while also allowing them to directly enter the stage of accumulating Origin Qi, Mana, or Divinity if they evolved into Devaum.

"In regards to cultivation Deva start with the creation of silk-like strands of Divinity. Those strands are then merged countless times before further refinement and accumulation, cycling through their meridians similarly to blood. They then form their Ruhk and begin using their Divinity to refine their Anima and Divine Armaments in the 3rd Tier. After that they fuse their Authority into a seed condensed from Divinity, that will later blossom into a World Tree."

"Humans cultivate Origin Qi and Mana simultaneously; using the former to purify their Bloodlines and strengthen their bodies, and the latter to strengthen their Soul Sea and Awaken their Anima. In order to enter the 3rd Tier, they must first open their Soul Sea. After that, they Awaken their Anima and continually strengthen it."

"As my Soul Sea has fused with my physical body I am by definition a Deva. And similarly to other Deva, my Authority stems from my Anima. But like Humana who have ascended to the Heavenly Realm, I do not need to cultivate an Independent World and World Tree to support it as I possess a Domain. Instead, I only need to continuously cultivate Divinity in order to strengthen both my Body and Soul Sea, thereby further strengthening my Anima. This in turn will allow my Domain to encompass a more substantial area. For every Tier, I reach I’ll be capable of condensing a single Divine Seal, similar in nature to the World Seals of Worldguards and Contract a Spirit Being as a Servant."

"In less than an hour of cultivation, I have crossed three stages and reached the 4th Tier. Many beings who have currently advanced farther than I have been rushing in my direction with my death being their only goal. But regardless, I must look pretty crazy talking to myself like this." He released a small laugh as his mind continued to jump from one topic to another.

He squinted his eyes and attempted to rub the back of his head out of habit. But his hand bumped into one of his recently grown horns. 

"I'm still not quite used to these things. I wonder if I could get them to withdraw into and emerge from my body at will as my wings do. If I can't at least make them smaller that will definitely pose something of a problem. This probably should have occurred to me earlier, I guess that goes to show how much of an impact my current circumstances have had on me. But, this is all a part of the job description and such minor inconveniences can be figured out later. And besides now's the time for battle, isn't it?" He turned his head in the direction of two women who hovered in the airspace above.

The one to the left had an oval-shaped face, jet-black hair, and crimson red eyes, with sharp brows positioned above.

She wore a pleated black colored short skirt and sleeveless black top with a gray collar possessing black stripes. She had red and black armguards covering her hands and was holding on tightly to a katana with a mostly red sheathe.

She had a nice figure with her skirt accentuating the curve of her behind and revealing her slender legs. 

The girl on the right had a more voluptuous figure with short black hair framing her face and amber-colored eyes. She had bull-like horns extending from the sides of her head and membranous wings extending from her back through the slits in her blouse.

Her blouse was white and possessed two columns of frills going horizontally down its front and a tall collar. She had a high-waisted, pleated skirt on. It had four buttons carrying a golden blemish and possessed a red and black checkered pattern. She was also wearing black-colored stockings which complemented her cream-colored thighs.

There was also a draconic tail extending from beneath her skirt with both the tail and her wings possessing red scales.

They had both directed death glares in my direction and refused to answer my question verbally.

"I guess you wouldn't be willing to tell me your names either then?"

Silence was their only response as they continued to stare at him with guarded stances.

"Okay then, everything will be made clear in due time. So will the two of you be the first to attempt to take my life for infringing upon your master's Authority within this dungeon?"

His words finally evoked a response from the pair as the one on the right gave a pointed correction to his remark, "Mistress. And no, we will only attack if necessary so as not to cause unwarranted harm to the Mistress's territory, causing her to expend extraneous resources. Leave now if you wish to retain your life, I shall not extend this offer to you a second time."

"Very well then, if that is the case I shall save you for last as you do seem to be stronger than all the others." He gave a cheeky response as clenched his fists and positioned himself in a boxing stance. 

Countless figures appeared around him and palpable waves of killing intent bombarded him.

There were giant birds of various species soaring above in the night sky; some were surrounded by clumps of lightning of various colors, others gales of wind, and others still clumps of green flame. 

There were also creatures such as wolves that could instantly rip apart an adult male or shave blocks of steel, surrounding me on the ground. 

Treants also made an appearance with some of them having bark with a metallic luster. 

There was also no shortage of beings who had reached a sufficient level of strength to take on a human form either.

He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to briefly wander to the past as his blood began to boil. 

"Sniff... I haven't felt the threat of death in a long while. I am once more assured that this journey shall be truly interesting." David immersed himself in the ensuing atmosphere for a brief moment before his eyes snapped open and his aura surged as he stated, "Yet sadly, you lot will at most serve as a few whetstones with which I temper myself."

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