The Absolute: Humanity's Second Chance

"Then that's great. I'll prepare a proper letter to display to Adonis, and proper offers from our side. We will form relations with the city of Avarice, and see how things will unfold from there." Fiona said in high spirits.

"Huh? Hold on, the city of Avarice? Isn't the Shade King at the Shade capital city?" Gregory inquired in confusion, not understanding the words of his daughter.

What did Avarice have to do with the Shade King?

"Oh... I didn't tell you about it..." Fiona also realized her fault, and began explaining the situation within the Shade Stronghold.

Everything from the royal family splitting up, to the independency of each city of the Shade nation.

She introduced the whole situation of the Shade nation to her father, shocking him to a great extent. No, perhaps shock was an understatement of how he currently felt.

"What on earth... is that fool Allianz thinking? How could he decrease his own nation's man power like that..?" Gregory was left speechless after Fiona's words. 'What is that man thinking? At a time like this even.' He thought with a sigh of defeat. 'I give up.'

~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the same time as everything took place within Romania, the city of Avarice also experienced its own ups and downs, and boons of breakthrough.

And since the population was greatly less compared to Romania, everyone benefited greatly at the profileration of essence and laws of the whole city.

And one of the many people to benefit being Lanzelet, the young master that had just challenged Adonis' authority not too long ago. Right now, he had just arrived at his house, and dismounted from his stead.

'A disaster. What a major disaster!!' He thought, his thoughts travelling back to the final clash between him and Adonis. 'I... would have lost.' He finally admitted it.

Now that he had cooled down, and had enough time to process the entire battle, he was now aware of the fact that he actually felt the threat of death during that very moment.

'But the rage within me had clouded my reasoning..!!' He punched the wall of the hallway at that thought.

He could not come to an understanding. How could he have lost? Wasn't he the prideful son of heaven? Wasn't he the most talented genius of this generation?

"...I guess not..." He grit his teeth in repressed anger, as he reluctantly came to that answer.

But at this moment, the profileration of essence within the city finally exploded out.

The world was temporarily cloaked within a multicolored blanket of light, that took him by surprise.

...!!!

He stumbled back and fell on his rear in shock.

As within this blanket of light, Lanzelet felt himself enter a unique space of emptiness. He saw the various essence converge, and clash at insane velocity, as their numbers increased.

The more they accumulated, the faster their velocity, and the higher the chances of collision would take place. And as collision took place, destruction soon followed. Complete, and utter destruction of the profilerated essence.

...!!!

And that, was what attracted Lanzelet's attention through it all. The potency of destruction of essence within this multicolored blanket of light was crying out to him.

And with his genius, he was able to briefly, oh so briefly, glance at the meaning of nothingness, and at the law of destruction.

And all that, was exerted physically as an overall powerful, rare grade unique ability.

"Th–This is... This is..!!" Everything around him slowly broke down apart, as he subconsciously used the ability just after acquiring it.

The ability spread out crimson black waves of rage-full aura, that wiped out the proliferating essence around him.

Not only that, the appliances and decorations around him, slowly disintegrated into dust, after slowly losing their color first.

...!!!

A certain range around him... was reduced to nothing but an illustration of what destruction could bring. Of what he could now achieve!!

"Per–Perhaps God did not give up on me..?! Is this a sign? Is this a sign that I'm still the most talented genius of this generation?!" He marveled at the power of his new ability, excitement written all over his face.

The power he felt within his hands the moment he subconsciously activated the skill, was... divine.

It was a never before felt feeling. As if, as if he had the power to destroy everything and anything within his path.

It was exhilarating!!

"I need to verify this, and now!!" He thought, rushing towards the training grounds of this new estate that he now calls home.

Meanwhile, at the same time as he left, an unexpected entrant appeared.

"Yo–Young master..?! What... What could have happened... here..?" A maid appeared from the other side of the passage, and just so happened to see Lanzelet's back as he turned left at the other end.

But then, she was left antsy and disquieted, when she saw the bizarre destruction that the passage was left in.

Half disintegrated decor, destroyed walls that revealed the internal foundation, cracked up wooden floor... everything was too strange and bizarre for the young maid's mind.

"Ma–Master..!!" She dropped the feather dust she held in her hands, picked up her dress and bolted towards the direction that Lanzelet took. 'What happened to the young master?!' She thought to herself.

She was in panic.

She rushed towards the training ground, which was the first place people would be presented to, whilst passing through the open passage on the left.

And there, she came to a sudden halt as she was presented with yet another shocking spectacle beyond her comprehension.

One that had her widening her eyes in a daze.

She saw, to her shock, Lanzelet cutting down a training post using a unique type of footwork. A footwork that took him off the ground, and into the air like a swan, and back to the ground like a bolt of lightning!!

...!!!

And as his sword tore through the air along its descent, it fluently cut through the training guard post in half, separating it into two identical inverse copies of itself.

"My God..!!" The maid hurriedly covered her mouth, as an even greater shock came after.

She saw the two halves of the training guard post slowly fall down. Yet before they could even touch the ground, they had already disintegrated into ash gray dust, which scattered in the air, along the gentle morning breeze.

"Hm? Oh, Vivien, it's just you." Lanzelet finally realized the appearance of the maid, from the last exclaim she made at his 'still-in-progress' sword technique that he just had an epiphany in.

"...huh? Vivien? I am your escort and teacher, young master Lanzelet. But that's not important, what sword technique was that? It's too ethereal, and too... destructive. Who taught you that? For I know it is definitely not me." The maid called Vivien said.

His words brought her out of her state of shock, and she immediately frowned at him as she sternly interrogated. Her voice was melodic, but her tone low, giving it a devilish tinge to it.

"Don't worry too much, Vivien. This is a sword technique I just thought about, when I felt enlightened by this new power." Lanzelet said, looking at his hands that had reddish black aura drifting within.

"..."

Vivien also glanced at his hands, and felt slightly repulsed by the power held within. She didn't understand why, but she felt the power within, to be against her for some reason.

And never before, had she felt like this. Especially if the feeling came from the boy that she raised since childhood, until adulthood. The boy that she taught everything that he knew.

'What is this... feeling?' She thought to herself, wary and uncomfortable. She was leery of what was to come from this small 'epiphany' of his. Was it a blessing? Or perhaps a curse?

"Ah? Vivien, you're a mage, right? Can you release a water ball spell at me right now? There's something that I want to try." Lanzelet abruptly said, taking on a defensive posture.

"Huh? What, why would I ever want to–" Vivien came out of her thought, and responded to his wild words with a tone of confusion. But Lanzelet disrupted her words with an impatient shout. "Just do it, already!!"

"...Fine!!" Vivien reluctantly responded in annoyance, raising her hand and commanding the Mana around to gather. 'I'll teach you a lesson, brat. You don't just go against your elders just because you got stronger!!' She thought.

She summoned a water ball spell, that shot forth at frightening speed and ferocity. It was something that a normal person would not easily take lying down.

"Hmph!!" But Lanzelet was not a normal boy, especially so now that he obtained terrifying prowess from the Heavens.

He snorted at the incoming water ball, and sent forth a sword wave of reddish black aura, that swiftly cut through the water ball in half, and continued forward towards Vivien's direction.

"Ah..? Ah. My God..!!" And she hurriedly dodged to avoid the disastrous attack, that swept past her and struck the wall, reducing it to nothing.

But ehat was not more dangerous, was that; 'That sword wave... it, it...' She thought in fear, looking back at Lanzelet with fear.

Fear hidden within her shock.