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Chapter 96: Her Wings? Your Wings? No, My Wings! VII

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He let out a long breath, not seeming angry, but his words sure insinuate wrath, "I have to make myself happy to calm down... Meeting Lucifer will do."

He couldn't help but slightly wince shortly after, 'Is pain finally catching up to me? Or does giving my life force away exempt me from the pain? Well, I guess there is only one way to find out.'

Another theory of his waiting to be tested. It didn't settle well with him how he felt no pain while in his dimension, and there are only two possible answers as to why. It's either the doing of his dimension or giving away his life force.

'If it's my life force, then it's definitely evolving again. It had no such effect before, but now it does...' He would've definitely noticed such an odd thing since he had his rings on all the time.

While preparing for the important meeting, Ian brought out his staff and continued giving away his life force, testing his theory, and indeed, his life force was evolving.

It wasn't long before Ian found himself in a very elegant room still on the underground floor. It was a room he prepared for specifically for meeting Lucifer. He wouldn't want his guest to be dissatisfied after all.

The room was exquisite, having an air of the eighties, tranquil and ancient, a stark contrast to where he usually summons demons.

Even the summoning ritual is different. The summoning circle was inscribed perfectly on a small table, and in the middle of the table was an ancient-looking vial. Ian could faintly see a single drop of blood within.

Other than that, the only other prominent things in the room were Imogen's black wings and the two metallic devices Ian brought with him from Central city.

Ian first wore underwear and comfy white pants but nothing else, he really didn't want his clothes to stick to his injuries, especially the burnt places... Aghh.

Afterward, Ian let a drop of blood fall on the magical circle while chanting an incantation. Lucifer is quite the special case as summoning him is extremely difficult.

Most importantly, summoning Lucifer means him arriving with his real body, his true form, just like now. Seated on a chair right before Ian was Lucifer, a handsome blond man, adorned in a graceful suit.

'I've heard and read that he rarely uses his powers if ever. I can only hope that's true though I'm sure he wouldn't mind even if he saw through what I'm planning... Probably?'

Ian also took a seat though he didn't let his back touch the chair for obvious reasons. He watched with interest as Lucifer picked up the vial, looking at it with what appeared to be reminiscence.

"This is the third drop of blood I spilled that day... A symbol of my failure, But also an antique of the past... Experience, it is a wonderful thing, is it not?"

Ian agreed with a nod, "Indeed, I try to make up for my inexperience with more thinking, but it doesn't always work out... The result of which is my current state."

"Hmm, I can see that." Lucifer caressed the blood vial for quite a while in silence before murmuring loud enough for Ian to hear, "You should know that I never do this kind of thing."

"Yeah, it was quite the surprise when I found out. Who knew that the devil himself refuses the act of deals."

"I do not refuse it. I have no interest in it because it's of no use to me." Lucifer shook his head.

'Predictable... Why would one of the strongest beings in the entire omniverse bother with something like that? Unless he found amusement in it of course.'

"You know of that, yet you still summoned me. You can no return to me what is already mine, I could've gone there and taken it back myself at any point in time... You must have a way to convince me, right? So go on, amuse me."

Ian would like to disagree. He truly believes that the vial was enough for Lucifer to grant him a wish despite all of the latter's words, but his guest wants to be entertained, so who is he to refuse.

"Hmm, let me think," Ian contemplated his words for a bit, articulating them in a way to make them more amusing.

"I've never been to hell, but I've had the honor of meeting many of its distinguished inhabitants. I found each and every one of them to be lovely."

He seemed to be succeeding in his goal as Lucifer looked intrigued, curiosity surfacing on his face pretty quickly.

"I've never in my life seen a society with as much kindness as those of hell. How can I not love them when each time I summon them, they grant me my wish, all for absolutely no cost. It was an act of charity, was it not?"

"If it is indeed as you say, then it is charity." Lucifer agreed and continued eyeing Ian, waiting for him to continue.

Ian let out a chuckle, his vision zoned out for a bit in recollection of their kindness, quite the show he was putting on.

"What was even more shocking to me was that the kindness came from the lords of hell and some of its most powerful inhabitants. If the beings at its top were so easygoing, then what about those beneath them?"

"They'll either be the worst of the worst, or the kindest of them all." befitting his wisdom, Lucifer spoke of discerning words.

Ian nodded, even he was amused by the next part of his tale, "For some reason, the demons were mad... Not at me, but at a friend of mine. His name is Constantine, he's easy to hate, so I guess it's understandable.

Another friend of mine told me they're hunting him. She told me that Constantine's luck went from minus 1000 to minus 100000, and asked for my help... I assured her that he's going to be fine, he'll surely be able to handle it himself."

His words were vaguer. He made them hard to understand and deduce anything from them, but Lucifer was following along as he asked the important question, "They didn't pursue you because of their kind nature, I assume?"

"That, and I've done nothing wrong. They're powerful and wise, so if they think Constantine is the one at fault, then they must be right."

Ian chuckled, and so did Lucifer, "I'm looking forward to what happens next though there is something else I'm curious about... How many?"

Ian understood the question as he let out a smirk, "I'd say more than a dozen."

"Hahahahahahahah, I didn't expect hell to one day face such a situation, haha hahaha..." Lucifer was certainly having a laugh at a few hell lords' expense.

Ian also smiled as he brought out a piece of paper, "This is what I want."

"Hm?" Lucifer looked at it for a second, "Why this? I can just give you new ones, or directly transplant those black wings. All it will take is a snap of a finger."

"In case I want to change them, or if I want more..."

"Ohh, I see. Quite the ambitious person you are, aren't you?" Lucifer stood up gracefully, straightened up his clothes, and added, "It's done, and thank you for the entertaining tale." He then vanished.

"Wha... Yeah, of course it's done. I totally saw it being done." Ian shook his head, speaking sarcastically to himself, stunned at the ridiculous powers of some beings.

Ian eyed the box that housed the device before, but it was nowhere to be seen, the wings were still there though. He made his way towards a mirror and turned around, looking at his back.

"That's fucking ridiculous..." Ian noted, seeing a pair of metallic large slits on his back, on each side of his infraspinatus muscles.

He made sure for the instructions on the paper to specify which position they should be on, a bit away from the dot tattoos on his Trapezius muscles in the middle part of his upper back.

The metallic slits looked like a part of his body, looking almost robotic but natural. however, they look vastly different than how they previously looked, many parts of them were missing.

Well, not anymore as Ian started transferring his life force into the slits, causing several thing metallic limbs to spurt from them, "God, I love my life force, it makes everything so easy."

Creating things to only work with his life force have many benefits. In contrast to his expectations, controlling things such as his staff with a life force is nearly instant as long as the link is established.

He arrived before Imogen's black wings... Then he sent them to his dimension, seemingly uninterested in them for now. His next stop was another room far into the hallway.

The chamber has one thing within with miraculous beauty, seeming to be the most graceful thing in existence. Even the strongest of minds would feel the urge to kneel before it... It was.

...

Chapter 97: Her Wings? Your Wings? No, My Wings! VIII

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The chamber has one thing within with miraculous beauty, seeming to be the most graceful thing in existence. Even the strongest of minds would feel the urge to kneel before it... It was Lucifer's wings.

Two vast white wings with immaculate beauty framed on a wall case as if for show, an absolute heresy, and containment of sacred wings... They're the devil's wings though, so it's justified.

"Perhaps he knows, but just doesn't care." Ian traced his fingers along with the wings' fluffy feathers in appreciation of the fascinating creation.

"It was really easy to acquire you... Quite surprising." Indeed, it was much easier to locate the wings than expected. Ian didn't know exactly why Lucifer would throw his wings away, but it must be something like, 'They're not needed.'

Most importantly, that seemed to have happened recently, otherwise, the wings wouldn't stay in the house of some rich collector who didn't their true value, or perhaps he did which is why he killed himself the very next day after their disappearance, but Ian didn't know that.

"If the inhabitants of hell and heaven were to hear about it, they'd have gone far and beyond to acquire it no matter the price. I have saved the world from war, no wonder everyone is so charitable towards me."

He let out a chuckle, looking amused before turning around, his life force already flowing towards the metallic slits in his back again.

He stood right before the wings, facing the opposite direction, appearing as if the wings were spurting from his back.

It would've been a majestic scene if not for all the burn marks and wounds all over his person, especially the ones on his face.

From the slits spurted thin metallic limbs, already moving towards the wings.

"Messing with the former lord of hell, one of the strongest beings in all of existence may backfire, but it is all worth it... I hope Murphy's law activates this time. I just don't get it, is it because I wish for it to happen that it doesn't? Murphy's law might be much stronger than expected."

His speech didn't disrupt the operation of the metallic structures as they attached themselves all over the wings. They were incredibly thin, blending in with the wings, almost impossible to see, just as he wished.

"Lastly," Ian murmured as he put his entire focus on slowly controlling the wings into the slits, the base of the wings to be specific. From the spits spurted something else, something akin to the tip of a spear.

The two narrow metallic cones' intentions were clear, piercing the wings' bases to establish a deeper connection with them as well as attaining full control of them.

The process took quite a while. They weren't just any wings after all, they were Lucifer's wings, and Ian tried to leave any impact on them before to no avail. In contrast, Imogen's wings were relatively easy to handle.

Things that were meant to happen eventually happen as the wings took root in the slits, getting under Ian's full control, well, relatively so.

It all looked natural as if Ian was their owner all along. It didn't look like something artificially achieved, but more natural. Even their movement looked natural as they flapped under his control.

"I can fly..." You never know how much those words mean until you say them yourself.

It was odd. The wings were barely fluttering, yet Ian was still hovering above the ground, looking absolutely marvelous if not a bit sinister with all the burns.

'I wouldn't expect angels to need such a thing either. Angels needing to flap their wings to fly?

That wouldn't make sense... It's all due to the power I can clearly feel within them, so strong and overwhelming, but it seems obedient?'

Ian took a deep breath as fell to the ground, "Now for the most important test..."

He concentrated even more, feeding the wings directly his life force with a specific intention, and just like that, they vanished as if they'd never existed in the first place.

"Haha... Hahahahaha... Hahahaha!" He couldn't hide his happiness and excitement as his maniacal laugher reverberated throughout the room, befitting someone of his perfect mental health.

The wings were still there, hidden deep within the slits, and he can clearly feel that he can call them out any time he desires.

That was one of the abilities Angels are capable of, and him being able to do the same saved him so much trouble.

'I should get used to the wings for now and feed them my life force, initiating the give and take process... Perhaps, just perhaps, I can take absolute control of them, but the main focus should still be my staff.'

He made some notes to himself before continuing with getting used to the wings, constantly feeding them his life force to get himself rid of the pain as well as heal himself.

It was a miracle he was even conscious at this point, attesting to the miraculous nature of his life force.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, Ian felt the building shake as if something was colliding with it, the source seeming to be the entrance of the underground level, "Right, I lost myself for a moment... a while."

He retracted his wings and hastily made his way to the entrance, opening the tightly shut door, finding a giant vine heading his way, though stopping mere inches away from him.

Instantly, he found himself embraced by two figures, throwing him backward on his back.

Selina with tears in her eyes just wanted to yell at him to release her anger for leaving her worried for so long... Until she finally paid attention to his appearance, causing her to jump back in horror.

Raven mustn't have told her about all of his injuries as they both had similar reactions, "I wha what sh... did I hurt you?!" She was on her knees, her hands shaking, so wanting to hug him but afraid of hurting him.

Ivy on the other hand was much calmer, but also much crazier as she remained clutched to him, hiding her anger deeply within, not at him but at who did this to him. She showed him only her obsession and perhaps even love?

"Accept it." She murmured as her clothes disintegrated by themselves, leaving her entirely naked, trying to replicate the previous time she helped him heal.

However, this time, she went even further as she tried to transfer her own life force to him, and she certainly doesn't have an infinite sea of it as Ian does.

Her actions were a shock to Raven who was standing far back, but not much to Selina who already understands how his power works. her eyes lit up in understanding, instantly letting out a sigh of relief.

Ian on the other hand shook his head in exasperation. From his point of view, they were overreacting way too much, "First, You know my powers. Second, you know my powers. Third, you know my powers."

His words made them confused, but he explained nothing more as he stood up while still holding Ivy in his arms, "Raven, you can continue with your studies. I'll be fine."

He didn't wait for an answer as he entered the underground floor back while pulling Selina with him, paying no heed to another person besides Raven.

"God, he looked so hot, didn't he?" Harley murmured in an almost daydreaming state, "All the burns, the injuries, Ah! so gorgeous..."

"..."

On the underground floor, specifically within Ian's personal room, there were three people. There was Ivy who was looking at Ian with expectations.

Ian on the other hand was hugging Selina from behind. The scene looked quite kinky due to several reasons, the most prominent of which was his state.

"You noticed, didn't you?" He whispered in her ears.

Selina let herself rest in his embrace, and with a nod, she responded, "I did... You're growing more distant." Since he knows that she noticed, she decided to let it all out, let all her worries flow.

"I'm, and I don't feel scared... It feels natural."

"Is that why your actions became more extreme recently?" Despite their odd conversation, the cat felt tranquil in his arms, finding her worries to be meaningless. She almost forgot a great lesson she learned from Ian himself... What's the worst that can happen?

"Yes, and I know for a matter of fact that my actions will only become more extreme from now on." Ian caressed her hair, also feeling tranquil, his mood soothing down further since the previous incident."

"Which is why you want answers." She continued in his stead, feeling his gentle nod on her head, "You know, no matter how much I try, I can not imagine my life without you to be anything but miserable.

The more I mature the easier it is for me to see what my future would've been like if you didn't exist... I was a lost cat with very little knowledge about the world and the dangers it holds, but I'm not ownerless anymore, am I?"

She turned around, looking up at him with her arms wrapped around his neck, "Yes, I expected this... I even wanted this, to help you get your answers in any way I can. That's why I pursued more power, remember?"

She wasn't done just yet as a mischievous smile emerged on her gorgeous face, "So as my owner, wouldn't you find it in your heart to make me something..."

Her mouth was soon on his ears, whispering what appears to be amusing words, "Wow... Just wow, you sure dream big, but that's how I like... I guess we have to also borro... To accept a bit of charity from Olympus."

He was certainly amused, but that didn't last long as he focused on his priorities. He wanted to fully heal himself because despite not feeling any pain, he still felt incredibly uncomfortable.

And so, the naughty Cat's giggles were interrupted by his lips latching to hers, initiating a fiery kiss. he picked her up in his arms, and she fully cooperated, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He slowly moved towards the bed without breaking the wet passionate kiss for even a second, at least not until he reached the envious but obedient Ivy... Her envy was soon thrown out of the window as his lips sealed hers...

And thus it thundered, rumbled, and then it rained... No! It was a waterfall. Even more, it was a broken dam! Zeus was crying! Olympus will surely be weeping.

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Chapter 98: For God's sake! I

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"Wahhhhhhahha!" The sound of weeping reverberated through the coffee. There were only a few people within it at this time though none of them were paying any heed to the cries of need.

The one crying seemed to notice that as she quickly changed her tactics, "Boss! please don't leave me here alone, pleassse!?"

Ian rubbed his temples, somewhat speechless, "Layla, why isn't she learning anything? I mean, she's very useful, but sometimes she can be a little too wild."

"Ahem, I might've underestimated her a bit, but I also underestimated her usefulness, so..." Layla looked a bit embarrassed. She was however still confident in Harley becoming someone worthy of following Ian.

"Wha? I'm already plenty useful, and I'm obedient!" Her words hold some truth. It was truly surprising how much chaos a girl with a bat could bring, and her success rate in missions is nearly one hundred percent.

"If you make any noticeable progress when I come back, then I'll take you with me on my next adventure, alright."

Harley let out a pout of dissatisfaction but still obediently nodded nonetheless.

Ian turned his attention to a man seated on a chair, Multiplex, "Danton, you said that you want to do it yourself. I've taught you the art of distractions, so you should be fine, but just to be sure."

He brought out a vial from his pocket and handed it to him, "Just one drop is enough to do the job. I wouldn't want to lose a guinea... A genuine friend, now would I?"

Ian was stone-faced even as Danton's face twitched several times, but the latter still took the vial as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

All the torture his clones went through for the past month since his arrival in Gotham was forgotten. Anyway, only his clones suffered through the experiments... It was discrimination. Ian on the other hand didn't discriminate, he saw them all as guin... Friends!

"Now! Ralf, Barney, and Mike! I've told you all this before, but let me emphasize it. Make the enemy underestimate you. Don't show them your new powers lest they become more cautious.

I will only be away for about three months, so I expect perfection when I come back... I didn't give you those gifts for nothing after all, understand!?"

"Yess!" They all responded immediately like soldiers though their expressions were a bit different. Barney was very clearly happy, his eyes shining with a bright light.

Mike on the other hand looked depressed while murmuring quietly, "It's not fair, not fair at all. Why do I end up having something like this while he... Aghh, I hate it."

He was discreet but Ian still heard him as he eyed him with a bit of amusement, "Honestly, I'm starting to think that you're cursed with bad luck. Like, I tried many times, but you always end up with shitty superpowers... Or curses."

Barney laughed loudly at that as he smacked Mike's back, "Don't worry about it. At least the one you have now is useful."

"Aghh! wh!" For some reason, Mike groaned in pain, instantly eyeing Barney's hand, noticing its strangeness. It appeared to be entirely made of diamond-like material, extremely hard and painful.

"You son of a bitch! you're making fun of me now huh!" As he spoke, his rage got the better of him as he shone with a blinding red radiance.

Everyone instantly perked up in curiosity, watching without blinking. The only ones who know of his superpower are the three of Ralf, Barney, and Ian of course.

Then there was silence for quite a while before his screams resumed, "Useful you say!? How is this useful in any way? A fucking dragon he..."

His speech halted as he lost his balance, falling on his butt with a thud, "So fucking heavy!"

Indeed, he transformed into a dragon nonetheless! Unfortunately, only his head can transform into a huge red dragon head, and he can barely walk with it let alone use it for anything.

"But you can use fire, right?" Selina asked curiously, hiding her amusement.

"I..." Mike slumped back to the ground, losing his spirit in desperation, "I wish..."

"It's actually super co! Pfftahahahahhahahaah! Sorry sorry, I couldn't hold it in hahaha, but it's really cool!"

Someone who couldn't hide their amusement was Harley as she quickly approached him, her bat in her hand, her intentions with her complement becoming obvious by the second, "Can I hit it? Will you head break? I hear dragons are strong? You won't die, right? Please let me try?"

"What? Hi, he's my friend you can't hit him! He might just break down, but you can hit me... Hahahahaha," The sliver of hope Mike felt when Barney started talking began to crumble the more he listened, "I wanna die."

Just as Harley was about to take him up to his offer, a string of hair enveloped her bat, taking it away out of nowhere.

Its source was none other than Ralf. He was looking quite different, his baldness seemed to have disappeared as he had very long hair and an even longer beard, style in Viking fashion reaching his belly.

His hair was dancing wildly around him as he calmly advised though the experienced in the ground could faintly notice a spark of glee in his eyes, "Calm down all of you. We're here to send the boss out, not to show off our powers."

"..." He didn't say, but his facial expressions were telling it all, Mike was having suicidal thoughts.

'It's such a breath of fresh air...' Ian was kind of proud of the community or family he built, it just never failed to amuse him, and he could see that it will only get more entertaining from now on.

He got everyone's attention with a clap of hands, "Alright Mike, don't be so down now. I should have more control in the process when I come back, and who knows, perhaps I will make you a full-fledged dragon."

Indeed, all of their powers were granted to them by Ian who made use of a glitch in the matrix. Once he eliminated the dangers of the Red Kryptonite, it all became too easy.

All he had to do was to infect people with it, and see what kind of power they acquire though the majority of times, they end up with a negative effect. If the effect is not to his liking, he uses the tweaked green Kryptonite energy to reverse the process.

It's basically a process of trial and error until he scores the lottery, and his staff of all things made things incredibly easy.

In fact, he doesn't believe it'd have been possible if not for it. His control of the two energies was miraculous, to say the least.

"Ralf, Layla, I will leave everything to you. I left you the tools you may need in case of an emergency, so don't hesitate to use them.

Also, all of you, don't forget to continue with your training with Richard... Things should only get more dangerous from now on, understand?"

Everyone nodded with a serious expression. The time for laughs was over, it's something they can do plenty of when Ian is present, but when he's away... Things change.

"Hmm, what? Oh, right!" Ian felt Ivy pinching him slightly, trying to get his attention, seeming to be quite cozy while hugging him from behind, a common occurrence to the group by now.

"Ralf, I told you about the button, right?" To which, the old man nodded, leading Ian to continue, "If in desperation, tap it. Don't ask what it does."

Selina was also in Ian's embrace, leaning back at him from the front, with his arms around her. She added to the conversation, "And remember what you should do when the guests arrive. It's very important."

The meeting went on for a while more before parting ways. The only people going with Ian were Selina, Ivy, and Raven.

A private jet was already waiting for them, its destination was a very distant location.

"Does such a place really exist?" Raven wondered with a pout, "If you told me earlier, then I could've gone there and made so much progress."

"Hmm, taking my advice about knowledge seriously now, are you? To answer your question, yes it does exist, I sent people near there to verify its existence long ago, and you can not just go there and enter. I had to prepare a few things."

"Nanda Parbat was it? How about we take over it, it does sound like an amazing place. I can build like a colossal tree there, and surround it with all of the exquisite plants we've made."

Ivy was already fantasizing about converting the place green, her obsession was truly something else.

"We'll also have plenty of time to make more plants, invent fascinating kinds of flora, and spread it all around the world!" She was giggling just like a little girl, her happiness written all over her face.

Ian has come to discover something about Ivy. She wasn't as annoying as he expected her to be, in fact, she was very obedient and cheerful, especially when talking about plant life.

She was way easier to tame than he expected. Then again, he tamed Gotham in less than a year, so is there really anything else he can not tame?

'I still need to fix her though... The effect the Green has on her is way too strong to the point I can not judge whether she's loyal to me, or if she's just influenced by it. I guess I can only find out when it's time... But the Green huh? How should I do it? Fire perhaps... Wait...'

An odd brilliance emerged within Ian's eyes, his expression becoming strange. A project of his will surely be completed very soon, 'And I need someone to 'voluntarily' take the blame for me...' Sigh, what is he thinking now?!

...

Chapter 99: For God's sake! II

...

Nanda Parbat is a hidden city nestled high in the mountains of Tibet in china; it is said to be a place of healing and enlightenment watched over by the goddess-like figure Rama Kushna and her monks.

The city was Ian's target or his destination. He came in peace with no intention to fight, so surely nothing bad will happen.

The private jet took them to the closest airport to the place. A portion of the way was traveled by an off-road car, but they still reached a steep hill, and grounds that couldn't be traveled by car.

"Ian, can we walk for a bit? Please, I want us to walk along with nature." With her emerald puppy eyes, Ivy bugged cutely. She was truly like a child in nature.

"Sure, that sounds like fun. What do you think?" Ian shrugged his shoulders, not minding it much, but he still asked the two other companions.

"I wanna reach the place soon, but I can afford to wait." Raven also didn't mind.

"A picnic? Sure, why not."

And an interesting picnic it was, mostly with the group following after Ivy as she bounced around and looked at the diverse plant life of the mountains.

Her passion was equally reciprocated by nature as flowers and trees alike danced in her presence.

It was all the effect of her extremely potent powers which have become incredibly strong in the last month. Ian did put a lot more focus on intimate training sessions as of recently.

"I really want to live in a place like this..." Ivy softly murmured, her gorgeous red hair drifting in the air due to the mountain's sweet breeze.

"So do I. It's peaceful, isolated, and perfect for misdirecting blame." Ian agreed though his view was not as pure as her.

"I can make the place poisonous for everyone but us, a death zone which no human can set foot within." His words got her into character, her thoughts becoming extreme.

"Oh? Are we not humans?" Selina asked, seemingly amused.

"Hm? No, you have his mark... Why do you think I became okay with you touching him?" Ivy took the question too seriously as she observed Raven next, "You, on the other hand..."

"Calm down." Ian shook his head as he walked up to Ivy, hugging her to help her regain her composure. It was a very odd phenomenon about her, she sometimes becomes way too emotional, but a hug was always enough to soothe whatever it is that was brewing within her.

"His mark? And what do you mean you allowed me? I think I must've misheard things. You must've said I allowed you, right?"

Ivy's response was just sticking her tongue out before hugging Ian tighter though the latter noticed things were getting heated, so he performed the art of distractions. It's an art that's useful in any field. It's a way of life, I dare say.

"It's getting cold. It will be sunset soon, so let's move." He then let Ivy go and pulled Selina into his embrace, "Let's fly, shall we?"

Selina let out a giggle before also sticking her tongue out at Ivy, much to the latter's annoyance, "Hmph, you only get to do that because you're a weak bitch! You always pass out before me anyway."

She expected Selina to get angry, but strangely, a smirk emerged on her face. She didn't answer but just hugged Ian tighter, her legs wrapped around his waist in a very intimate pose.

She just let Ivy's brain rot with curiosity, but that didn't last alone as she moved, and so did the plants, the leaves, and the bushes. They all moved, flying around her like a hurricane, one that soon settled down, leaving Ivy with two colossal green wings on her back.

Another person with a smirk was Raven. She was used to their antics by now, so she didn't pay much attention to them. Her focus was elsewhere, "Another race? Who knows, you might just win this time around."

She was gloating while soaring into the sky, her purple energy spinning wildly around her.

"So silly," Ian let out a chuckle, his life force already in motion. In an instant, a pair of massive wings spurted from his back, inducing a gush of wind around him.

"She is adorable, isn't she? She's faster than you though," Selina laughed and added, "But I guess that won't be for long?"

Ian raised his brows at her, surprised she noticed, "Yeah, it won't be for long."

His feet lightly tapped on the ground, seemingly trying to jump with no force whatsoever. His jump was unsuccessful because what took place wasn't a jump, but a zoom into the skies.

He reached the moving clouds in a matter of a minute or so before rotating mid-air, making sure to hold Selina tightly.

His vast wings flapped once, and that was enough to leave a blast of wind behind him, flying directly towards his destination.

His flying speed was roughly the same as Ivy though he can fly much faster. The problem was how much air pressure he and Selina can handle, so he stayed within his limits.

At some point, the scenery changed. Instead of the greenery of the jungle, there was only ice and snow.

The mountains were tall, piercing through the clouds, and somewhere amidst them was his destination. His vision soon came upon it, hidden among the mountain tips was the golden city, Nanda Parbat.

Ian was certainly not a rude person. He is in fact so kind that even demons can't help but donate their everything to him, so it wasn't strange for him to land before the gate, expecting a response from the sacred city.

The four uninvited guests didn't have to wait for long before the gate opened. Few monks stood at the gate, signaling for the group to approach.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" The leading monk spoke in surprisingly fluent English. They aren't as isolated as they seem.

"Ian Rose, an adventurer seeking a place of enlightenment and progress." His bullshiting techniques were superb, immaculate even in the eyes of the enlightened monks.

"We..." The monk strangely remained silent for a second before his expression became more welcoming, "We welcome all who seek peace in here, so you are naturally welcomed. Please follow me."

Things went surprisingly well. They even prepared an entire manor for him with a vast courtyard to go with it! They were generous, befitting of the enlightened.

"You always brag about it, never thought much about it, but You really have a gift for attracting charity," Raven pointed out, rather bewildered.

"Such is the fate of the kind," Ian shrugged, not confused in the least, 'The guardian of the place must've sensed something... Was it perhaps scared of Raven? I am harmless after all. Too bad I didn't have to use what I prepared though.'

He didn't dwell on those thoughts for long. Instead, he pulled out all of the group's stuff from his dimension and gave the girls time to settle down.

"As I told you all before. Times move differently here. My speculation is that two months outside equals two years in here, and that's how long we'll stay.

What we lack most are time and experience, so let's use all our time here to make up for those. A wise man once said that charity arrives at those who await it on its sacred road. The stronger we are, the more roads we can access to."

"I assume that the wise man has a name?" Selina questioned, barely holding back her laugh.

"Of course not. How can he be called a wise man if he wasn't called a wise man?" Absolutely shameless behavior, but an amusing one nonetheless.

Once the girls laughed their hearts out, Ian continued, "We'll spare constantly. We'll fight tooth and nail until exhaustion.

We'll learn and study because knowledge can mean power. We'll contemplate life, diving into the ways of enlightenment because tranquility can alter reality."

His speech was magnificent, vibrant with words of wisdom, but even in wisdom, stupidity thrives. Ian's eyes were laid on Ivy and Selina as he continued, "Most importantly, we'll descend into the depths of debauch... We'll train our bodies in the ways of nature... All for the greater good."

It was really for the greater good. He truly believes that. Now, what greater good are we talking about, that's left for deliberation.

...

Chapter 100: For God's sake! III

...

Nanda Parbat was a very strange place. It was a place of peace and tranquility. Rarely can steps be heard, mainly because the monks' steps are silent, and they rarely move in the first place.

It was truly a golden city as most of its structures were made of gold, looking absolutely fabulous. Ian didn't find it too much to his liking though, gold was never to his liking.

The building architecture however was to his liking. It had a sense of peace to it which only help to better his mood. He hid his anger deeply within, but it's still there, waiting to be unleashed.

He always thought himself to be quite the calm person, but somehow Reverse-Flash's actions made something snap within him. He was very much looking forward to the future, to his enemy's future.

Just as Ian said before, what he needs most is time. He understands more than anyone else what he has to do. He has to lay a foundation for the future, and that requires a lot of training.

Spending two years within the place when only two months passed outside was was too good of a thing to pass.

His focus lies mostly in advancing his life force, increasing how much he can output at a time, his control, and its movement speed. His intimate training sessions with Ivy and Selina are what he will be relying on for the most part. The control part is something he has to tend to himself.

Another important part was studying, specifically magic. He wants to explore the gears and cogs of magic and find out if manipulating his life force like magic can produce any effect.

If not, then there is the alternative, a project he was working on, one that needs time but he didn't have much before. Now he does.

The black Rose dimension allowed him to achieve some spectacular feats, one of which was bringing everything from his lab here, basically creating a lab within the manor.

Something that would've taken a lot of time before will become much easier here, 'With how fast the transformation of my life force has become and how much more free time I have, I will definitely be able to use magic by the end...'

His musing stopped as he arrived at his destination. It's only been a month, yet Ian has already started treating the place as his backyard.

He could be seen walking amidst the golden structures toward a vast square.

He was adorned in a traditional ivy blue rope as the upper garment and a white skirt worn as the lower garment, the traditional style of clothing in the place, and it did fit him well.

The city square was quite vast, but there were only a few people within, just about two dozen. There aren't many people in the city anyway.

Each and every one of them was bald and even the ones that have hair had very little of it. Ian on the other hand was immune to a lot of things, in fact, he was letting his hair grow longer, already falling to his shoulders.

No one of them paid attention to him despite his peculiar hair, they just continued performing a certain move set repeatedly almost as if it was a ritual of sorts.

Ian also silently joined them, he very much appreciates the peace of the place, so he'd hate to damage it in any way.

The move set was odd, it was a very slow motion of arms, hands, even fingers, and sometimes legs. Everything was moving in a synchronized manner, movements of beauty.

That went on for a while before everyone stopped. Their steps were now taking them up nearby stairs with Ian following closely behind.

They came to a very high platform, lining up in a line like the organized people they are. To the side of the platform were numerous wooden poles on which they jumped onto.

The poles were quite high, so falling down means certain death. On top of that, they weren't large, making it hard to keep balance on them, yet the monks moved on the poles like feathers, with no hesitation and perfect calculations.

Ian of course participated in silence, moving along the poles with immaculate nimbleness before standing on a very narrow pole on one leg, his eyes were closed and his breathing steady.

Soon, the entire rest of his group joined him, including Raven who rarely leaves her room.

They repeated the same move set from before though this time on the poles, making it many times harder for them, Selina having the least trouble doing it aside from Ian.

Her agility was already amazing before, but after her recent transformation, she reached a new level altogether. A very specific transformation that took very long to get right though she looked no different.

The next thing on the schedule was sparring. It's basically just Ian fighting everyone else in the group at the same time in hand-to-hand combat, and surprisingly, they never ever came close to winning.

Ian was as much of a monster a human being can possibly be while still in the realms of being a human, reaching the absolute limits but being unable to breach them.

What came next is the four flying out of the city into the forest and starting their next practice which includes Ivy manipulating numerous vines to attack them while they evade, mostly working on their reaction time, which Ian considers one of the most important things in any situation.

Next came tranquility, each focusing on their own thing, whatever they want, have fun, study, or whatever it is.

"You really don't think so?" Raven frowned, questioning in an emotionless tone.

"I don't think it's enough. Always assume that your enemy is one hundred levels stronger than he actually is. It's never a bad thing,"

Ian replied, his tone more to the calm side, and like Raven, he also has a book in his hand.

In contrast to the first time he met her, she was much more calm and mature.

He remembers she lost control of her emotions a bit back then though it makes sense considering what was before her was Trigon's scroll.

Now she was more serious and more focused. She took Ian's advice and studied every book she could get her hands on.

She was an introvert by nature, preferring to keep to herself, but there are exceptions to everything.

"Okay," Raven didn't say much, but she took his words to heart, "What do you think about this?"

Ian took the paper from her hand and started looking through it. It was a spell, an odd complex spell. Described in the paper were its every mechanism, how it works, and its effects.

"Why though?" Ian frowned, eyeing Raven strangely.

"What? It's just in case. You told me to always prepare backup plans and this is one." Raven didn't flinch but still spoke calmly, confident in her methods.

Ian let out a sigh, almost wanting to facepalm, "Yeah, but why would you need to sacrifice yourself? Think bigger, this is just weak."

"Is it? Then what might you suggest." Raven crossed her arms, somewhat unconvinced.

"Well, demons are very kind, so you can just convince them to use the spell for you. Perhaps convince Trigon to use it himself? You may have to improve the spell, but it shouldn't be impossible..."

Ian wasn't done. He was stroking his chin in contemplation, words coming out of his mouth like a chatterbox. Plenty of different ridiculous possibilities, "Better yet, just find a way to visit heaven and summon him there. I'm sure he will respond for you..."

"..."

Ian ruffled her hair before shaking his head, going back to read his book. He didn't tell her much. He wants her to solve things by herself, and if she can't, then he'll just have to act. A solution he already had.

They continued to study magic together, helping each other whenever necessary. Raven was more focused on dark arts while Ian focused on main things, but mainly the mechanisms of magic.

Speaking of magic, after a few hours of exhausting wild training sessions with Ivy and Selina, specifically exhausting for the two.

Ian on the other hand becomes incredibly energetic, and he rarely sleeps. His nights are often spent in his lab.

His power made him broken, but it also set a lot of limits on him, studying how to break those limits was the most fun he ever had since arriving in this world, and his research was already seeing results.