A veil of tension hung over the town. The gang war that everyone had expected to happen ever since the defection of two slumlords to Barosa’s side had yet to shown signs of waking from its slumber, even after nearly a week.

  Both sides were hostile and guarded at all times but despite the animosity, there had been no killings. No true aggression against each others’ territories.

  Things had largely continued as normal, which only made people more nervous about what was to come.

  Cedal looked over at the two who had decided to take residence in his house. A smart decision, he thought. His place was further away from Barosa’s territory, after all. And if he was being honest, he much appreciated the extra safety in this dangerous time.

  Though he did not understand how they could train calmly as if an all out town war wasn’t at their doorstep.

  The looming war had been cold so far. But even he could feel it inching ever closer.

  Barosa held the clear advantage. The more time that passed, the more his drug spread and the more his grip on power grew.

  Stalling was to his benefit, which meant people started to see Otto as a coward for not striking down this challenge. Some of the none soul-seeded had even begun to defect to Barosa’s side, though most did not have the option.

  Cedal thought himself one of the lucky ones, comparatively. He was not Soul Seeded, nor addicted to Barosa’s herb. He merely needed to keep his head down and not offend the winning side, and he would live to see more days yet.

  But the same could not be said for the two of them. It would all work out in their favor if Otto died, which he suspected was surely their paramount desire. But until he did, their fate was tied to his.

  Otto could force them to fight through thorns under the threat of his unique power, and if they refused and he somehow managed to overcome the odds regardless, take revenge for their betrayal.

  Cedal just could not understand how they kept their composure. Even if they were strong, war was war. Anything could happen.

  He shifted his glance between them, as something else crossed his mind, and not for the first time. He could be wrong, but he felt as though something had changed between them.

  They hadn’t fought or argued a single time since moving in with him, but they were quiet and kept to themselves. Cedal was tempted to ask, but could not muster the courage to do so. Instead, he simply sat quietly in his own home, keeping to himself as they did.

  ---

  Banda poured more purified aura within his soul. The hazy outline of it had become much clearer now. Much more distinct.

  Its appearance bore a close resemblance to himself, albeit with less detail and a glowing monotone azure color.

  The last of the aura trickled in, and he opened his eyes. His soul was now twice as strong as when he first advanced to the Aura Gathering stage, though he felt he was not yet close to its peak.

  On that matter of strength, Banda had since read the method of advancement Scar had given them. Advancing to Rank 2 involved forming a Core, what would become the center of his aura and cultivation to come.

  He needed ignite his aura into a blaze, much like the effects of the Cloudfruit, and condense that mass of aura into sphere. A familiar and natural process based on the cultivation he had experienced so far, but there were two great differences that concerned him.

  The first was that he would be struck with something called a Heavenly Tribulation. Lighting from the heavens that allows his advancement. Banda was unwelcoming of this. He had been assured the ‘lightning’ was actually a mass of Aether rather than the power that crashes from storming skies, but that did little the alleviate his displeasure.

  The second, was that he must ‘face his Inner Demon’. Another him inside of him who was not him. Banda was unconvinced of the truth of this. There was only him, no others. This was nothing more than a trick, if not of humans then of the heavens itself.

  But that was not the matter for when he reached the peak of the first rank. He had more immediate things to concern himself with.

  Banda turned his focus to the weapons and armor scattered on the floor around him. Having achieved a hundred successes of every type of rune as the runebook advised, he was now ready to attempt the true runes of low-grade.

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  It was quite simple, and functionally the same as what he had known thus far. Rather than carve singular runes, he needed to carve them in multiple. A pair of two or a triplet of three, as that was the limit before the runes shattered upon themselves.

  There were specific ways to carve either a pair or a trio and they all had to be carved in one continuous attempt without the slightest flaw.

  Each additional rune doubled the effect. For a triplet, it meant a fourfold enchantment compared to the single runes he had carved so far.

  This was the full potential of Novice runes, but it came with significantly greater difficulty. Carving two runes in succession was three times as hard. Carving three was nine.

  But Banda would doggedly endeavor at this task, even if it were a hundred times more difficult, as the result was worth every effort.

  He still had no interest in human weaponry. His aim instead was to solve an aspect of his combat he had found lacking lately. The effectiveness of throwing rocks.

  This was not a problem he had as a demigod due to his sheer strength, but rocks had failed him against the konru and they were almost useless against the wight. Banda did not doubt that they would fail him again.

  His solution was simple. He would carry his own stronger rocks. Or rather, metal shaped like rocks. Small clumps of steel, to be most accurate.

  Ordering them from the town blacksmith was easy enough, given how cheap and effortless they were to make. Turning them into real weapons would be less easy.

  Banda intended to carve as many triple Runes of Power on as many clumps of steel as possible to create projectiles that would strike a target with immense impact. He would still make use of whatever he found along the ground for weaker monsters, and use these where simple rocks weren’t enough.

  Banda held out his clawed finger. His nail gleaned white with the power of his soul as he started to carve a double Rune of Power on a sword.

  Halfway through, the rune shattered and the sword split in half. Banda’s eyes sharpened with heightened focus as he tried again.

  ---

  Eres stood in perfect focus with her Sense technique stretched to its limits, as she slowly pushed her range farther, inch by gradual inch.

  It was the only thing she had done these past days. That, and contemplate all the possibilities that laid before her as she strove to find the path best for her.

  From what Scar had revealed to them, Otto wasn’t able to spy on them at all times, but she assumed the worst. That meant he knew of her Avatar, the extent of Banda’s Feral Form, and even his Behemoth Form.

  That he hadn’t abandoned all other goals to target her meant he was not aware of the nature of the Vestal Warbride Physique. She was spared from the absolute worst scenario at least, but brought about further questions.

  It was the height of foolishness to let threats as great as them live. The Soul Seed art was not absolute, and they had already proven able to progress quickly through cultivation. It was simply far safer to eliminate them before they had time to grow, which could only mean he had a purpose for them.

  Otto did mention he might have another task in the future, and Eres suspected this was no simple monster extermination this time. There must be an opportunity near.

  Eres had no true basis for her belief, but there was no doubt in her mind. After all, ambition of the capable was often mistaken as foolishness.

  It would be best if she obtained the information on what Otto sought before he died, but Eres would not make that mistake again. She knew better than anyone that she was not immune from the consequences of poor decisions.

  The priority was to break free from the hands around her life. Opportunities would come and go. She would find this one if possible, and if not, she would find the next.

  Pebbles and thorns. That was all everything else was in her path. She merely needed to step forward, again and again until the Tablet of Destinies was in her hands.

  She would take the throne as Queen of Heaven, no matter who stood in her way.

  ---

  Barosa faced off against Otto for the first time since their encounter at the wall. His own bold smile was returned with lazy and sly nonchalance.

  They had finally met face to face on neutral ground for negotiations. A flowery word for threats, one he held the upper hand in by all measures. Though one could not tell as much by Otto’s complete lack of any concern.

  Barosa had to admit he was impressed by Otto’s ability to fake confidence and act as though everything was going according to plan. But that confidence would be crushed today.

  “Take your thralls and leave without issue.” Barosa gave his terms. A blunt demand with no room for compromise. “I’ll do you the favor of not even taking a toll for the trouble.”

  “I thank you for your favor.” Otto words had a subtle trace of laughter. “But I’ve gotten used to this town. I just can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  “We could always settle things here and now.” Barosa’s face remained the same but the atmosphere around him grew heavier.

  “That’s always an option…” Otto’s smile cracked a bit wider. “But there’s no need to fight. How about you take your herb fiends and go back to where you crawled out from? You will have to pay a toll for that, I’m afraid.”

  “Then that is the end of this.” Barosa called an end to the negotiations. There was no point, as Otto did not come with the intention to preserve his life. “This is war.”

  “Danger!”

  A peak Rank 1 hunter shouted as he rushed over to the two groups at a standoff. The man was stopped by underlings of each side, but neither the threat of that nor his exhaustion seemed to matter to him.

  “A monster wave… heading right for us! It’ll be here in an hour.”

  Barosa and Otto both reacted to the news. Not with their expressions, but with the lack of hostilities directed towards each other.

  “It seems we’ll have to delay our conflict.” Barosa spoke first and Otto calmly listened. “Perhaps you will be more reasonable after we survive this disaster…”

  Barosa turned to head back to his territory as Otto did for his a moment later, his bold smile seemed more ominous than ever.