Chapter 521 - Third Ascension Ceremony 2

The three Avatars were stunned by this, gazing at each other uncertainly. Even the Horned Demon Inheritance – who was the 'slowest' among them – was beginning to see what Draco was getting at, and he didn't like it at all.

The three remained silent to his inquiry, yet this already told him everything he needed to know. As such, his eyes curled into crescents, enjoying their discomfort as he brushed away their misconception.

"So, as I said, from the very onset, I was the one who decided the rules pertaining to your existence, not the AI. I am the primogenitor of this bloodline whether you like it or not and at 99% purity, I fully control this bloodline!"

Draco shrugged. "Of course, there are imperfections like my inability to use as much raw power as Lucifer and co did when doing things, but we all know the reason for that is because of my genetic makeup."

Lucifer, Amaterasu, and the other 9 may have looked human, but they were not human in the sense that our scientists understood. The kind of blood, cells, and DNA they had were of a vastly different framework than the modern human, and this bizarreness was shown in how Eva, Draco, and Local Lord had strangely colored organs, blood, and overpowered cells.

Draco and Eva may not have their raw power, which was why they had to do things like visualize a generator in their bloodline and overclock it for power, but they had the advantage of simplicity and control that the members of the Lineages had unearthed over the centuries.

Draco gazed at the three Inheritances before him with a smile. He guessed that in Lucifer's time, these Avatars had likely been his favorites which was why he had set them as the main three when creating Draco.

Lucifer must have subdued them with raw power, leading them to recognize him not because they had truly respected him, but because he had been too powerful for them to resist. This should probably be true for the other Primogenitors too, as it would explain why their avatars had caused so much havoc on earth, leaving behind so many 'mythologies'.

Understanding this, Draco had recognized the need to take a different path. It wasn't the case where he believed Lucifer's decision was incorrect or had done something immoral, no... he simply lacked the means to do the same.

However, coercing them and convincing them was on the table. The best way to do that was to let them understand some underlying truths about himself compared to Lucifer, mostly enlightening them about some things his Primogenitor could have done, but had chosen not to, which the current Draco planned to rectify.

"You see, my subconscious controls my bloodline. It's the same for Eva and should also be true for Local Lord and all others like us, be it in reality or in the game. This means I do not have conscious control over you, which is why you can sit here and act like this."

"However, once you acknowledge me here, you will grant me conscious control through a loophole. The alternative would be for me to practice continuously until I gain full control over my subconscious mind, which will ultimately put me in charge of you anyway."

Draco placed his hands on his knees and laughed. "Do you understand? It will be the same outcome for me either way. You have always belonged to me and will continue to belong to me whether you want to or not. This ceremony is just a method that the super-intelligent AI has derived to give me quick control over you, a shortcut if you will."

When they heard this, the three Inheritances became very fearful. Even the arrogant Black Dragon was standing there with horror on its expression, slowly understanding what Draco was about to do.

(Author's Note: This is his bloodline/inheritance Black Dragon, not the same as his soul Black Dragon.)

Draco was excited by the fear and continued. "That's right, you've realized it. Once I gain full control of my subconscious and my bloodline, I will be able to freely alter it at will!"

"After all, isn't that what Lucifer did to create you three? He locked all his other weaker bloodline manifestations behind a wall and left you three, which had to be the strongest at the time, as the main focus for me and the rest of the Lucifer Lineage to use, under the name of our 'Inheritances'."

"Now let me ask you, does it have to be you? The way I see it, I can place whoever I want to the forefront, and you can either stand at the back or behind that wall. Replacing you as main Inheritance with something else should not be impossible."

Draco then rubbed his chin with a glint in his eye. "Otherwise, seeing as I don't have full control of my bloodline, why do you think these avatars behind you acknowledged me so easily the last time I came? Do you think they don't have pride? Or self-esteem? Hehe."

"No, they are just like the employees of a big corporation who have suddenly been told that their CEO had resigned and will be replaced by his nephew. Predicting your current behavior, they had quickly submitted to me at the time, hoping to take your place."

When Draco revealed this, the various avatars behind the three main Inheritances trembled slightly, but they remained kneeling and refused to lift their heads up. If before, they had been standing ramrod still because they had wanted to seem respectful, now they had literally turned into statues.

The Black Dragon, Horned Demon, and Dark Angel shivered and turned around, gazing at their 'followers' with shock, fear, and anger. Seeing that they even refused to look at and deny these claims, their hearts sank as they understood what Draco was getting at.

Draco smiled thoughtfully. "In truth, I don't think Lucifer predicted this. Not only did he not expect me to meet you guys so early in my life - thanks to the AI - he also didn't expect such changes in how deeply Eva and I could change things around with finesse instead of brute force."

"For that, I would have to thank the 'sub-human' genetics in me, which act as a bonding agent and provide stability in exchange for power output. Without them, I would not be able to enjoy these advantages."

Draco then clapped his hands with a smile. "Now then, what shall it be? Would you prefer retaining a semblance of spiritual will by submitting yourselves to me voluntarily or do you want to preserve your pride and struggle against me, forcing me to spend a few decades or centuries mastering my subconscious to take full, absolute control?"

Getting them to agree now would save time and effort, which was beneficial to him, and would give the Inheritances the ability to maintain some self-control, which was beneficial to them.

Should they agree, there was also the option for Draco to offer them some more freedoms later down the line in exchange for their learning about things the Lineages might have been unaware of.

In essence, it was the difference between choosing a Pseudo-Democracy or a straight Dictatorship. At least in a Pseudo-Democracy, there was the illusion of choice and a small pathway for one to pass.

The other option was cutting off all retreats for them.

Even a pig without any IQ should know what choice to make.

No matter how unwilling, the three main Inheritances slowly lowered themselves into a kneeling position, lowering their heads towards the throne behind Draco. They had properly submitted, so Draco nodded at them.

"Wise choice."

He walked over and sat on the throne, then began speaking.

"I am the Omega, the end of all times. I represent destruction, deception, and death. My will is law and my existence is fundamental. I am the Abyssal Prime."

Every single avatar in the entire area spoke out in unison, even the main three: "You are the Omega, progenitor of us. You represent our will, hopes, and existence. Your whims are blessings and your detractions are curses upon the world. You are our Abyssal Prime."

Satisfied, Draco exited the strange realm slowly, his last words reaching the ears of all statues. "I shall work towards freeing you all soon, so that you may join me in the real world."

.......................

In the strange realm of Eva's where the layout was similar to Draco's, the scene was vastly different. The area was eerily silent except for a few brutal sounds, and the atmosphere was filled with tension and terror.

The statues behind the three main Inheritances were all kneeling and shaking in their boots, afraid to even raise their heads. The Goddess Statues was also kneeling, however its beautiful visage had been ruined.

There were bloody splotches all over and it had two black eyes that made it look like a panda. It knelt there sadly, almost in tears like it had been bullied by a monster.

To the left was the giant sun that formed Eva's Light Inheritance. It couldn't exactly kneel, but it was bobbing up and down excitedly, like it was deeply approving and cheering for something.

As for the last Inheritance, the Void, it looked exactly like the energy lifeform Eva had transformed into when using the Void form.

At this time, Eva herself wore a cruel expression that looked absurd on her face. She held the head of the Void form, using it to repeatedly smash against the pedestal on which it had formerly stood upon with maximum force.

Every time she smashed its head, she would pause and ask: "Do you submit?"

… no need to be speechless, the dynamics of Eva's bloodline were fundamentally different from Draco. Draco had his bloodline sealed until only a few months ago, so how could he have any familiarity with any of the Inheritances?

As such, his bloodline inheritance had schemed against him, the lesser avatars trying to use this unique chance to promote themselves while the major ones had their own thoughts in mind until he had slapped them with the cold hard truth.

Even though it might create some bad blood, Draco's promise when he had left would be enough to alleviate tensions a little, and should he come through, they might even favor him genuinely.

… of course, there was also the chance that they would try and rip him to shreds for what he had done today, but only time would be able to tell.

On the other hand, Eva had her bloodline unlocked since her birth and she had two timeline's worth of time to get familiar with them.

The Light Inheritance was the strongest and should have been the hardest to break down, but it had submitted to Eva right away.

After all, when Eva used her bloodline what did she use the most? Was it not her Light Inheritance? Her affinity with her Light Inheritance was not small at all, so the relationship between the two was extremely harmonious.

It also had to do with the nature of her Light Inheritance. It was an offensive type that f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y cleansed what it felt was darkness and evil in the world, forcing its subjective opinion to be the objective.

Eva's personality and the way she handled things were exactly to the Light Inheritance's taste, so why would it say no or cause trouble? In fact, it was likely the most excited about this overall.

Eva had naturally refused as she didn't want to make the same mistake as Amaterasu. She would soon enough be the mother of an actual child in the real world, and as for the game world, were there not Rila, Rosella, Rila, and all the others for her to baby over?

Nevertheless, that demand had made a strange glint appear in her eyes as she had gazed at this statue, for she had finally realized the culprit for the real Amaterasu's unlikeable traits.

Lastly, Eva had gazed over at the other side to the Void Inheritance that had openly been itching to break away from its statue and rip her into pieces, a virtually senseless beast-like thing that screeched and roared continuously ever since her appearance in this realm.

Eva had taken this all in and had sighed. She hadn't bothered to coerce them like Draco despite being aware of the same truths. After all, her experiences had been different from his, so the effect of her words would not have been the same on these three.

As such, Evaterasu had simply swapped places and given Riveting Night full control for this 'negotiation'. Immediately, the madwoman who had struck fear in all souls had returned, and what happened next was obvious.

The Goddess Inheritances had eventually submitted after being taught a lesson, and currently, Riveting Night was joyfully 'working' on her Void Inheritance, which was beginning to weaken its position after suffering for so long.

As for the Light Inheritance, it was extremely excited to watch the show. It liked Eva so much precisely because of Riveting Night, and seeing its idol back how could it not jump around and cheer?

Soon, the Void Inheritance's resistance had weakened to the point that it just remained silent when Riveting Night asked it whether it would submit once more, a sort of silent consent.

It couldn't outwardly say it due to its seething hate, but its newfound fear had overwhelmed its hate and it just wanted all of this to end so it could have some peace. However, Riveting Night was not easy to please.

She began using even more force to torture the Void Inheritance right after that, even as the statue started begged for it to stop this time. It wasn't until she had beaten it to her satisfaction that Riveting Night sought to pause and ask once more.

This time, the Void Inheritance assented fearfully, making Riveting Night nod in satisfaction. She then tossed it onto the pedestal and walked over to her throne and sat on it.

She then gazed at the kneeling avatars and began speaking in a cold tone that brooked no disagreements.

"I am the Alpha, the beginning of all times. I represent creation, truth, and life. My will is law and my existence is fundamental. I am the Celestial Prime."

The kneeling avatars all reiterated: "You are the Alpha, progenitor of us. You represent our will, hopes, and existence. Your whims are blessings and your detractions are curses upon the world. You are our Celestial Prime."

Satisfied, Riveting Night left the bloodline realm slowly, leaving the three main Inheritances as they were.

...........................….

Draco and Eva appeared in their respective Private Rooms shaking off their confusion as they saw the same general type of prompts appeared before them from the system.

｢System to Player Announcement

Calculating total stat allocation… ｣

｢System to Player Announcement

Upgrading current class skills… ｣

｢System to Player Announcement

Assessing current player physique… ｣

｢System to Player Announcement

Inspecting class equipment… ｣

｢System to Player Announcement

New class analysis complete. Display?

Y/N ｣

They obviously chose yes.

｢Abyssal Prime - Divine Class (Rank 3)

Skills: None

Exp gain rate: 1%

Rank up difficulty: ?

Class weapons: All

Class skills: Any Draconic, Demonic, Devilish and Angelic.｣

｢Celestial Prime - Divine Class (Rank 3)

Skills: None

Exp gain rate: 1%

Rank up difficulty: ?

Class weapons: All

Class skills: Any Light, Divine, Abyssal, and Creation.｣

Draco and Eva both glared at the reduced experience. From 10% at Rank 1 to 5% at Rank 2 and now 1% at Rank 3?

Didn't that mean that starting with Rank 4, they would be earning experience in decimal percentages?!

What kind of bullying was this?!

The AI was truly confused hearing their thoughts. Did these two not remember that just 3 months ago, they - at a mere Rank 2 - had slaughtered an entire sector of the sea's monsters with one attack?

Were they suffering from selective amnesia, forgetting everything about playing around with a Field Boss that had been 3 entire Ranks above them, despite a suppression that should have made their attack be 99% less effective, while greatly strengthening the wronged Sand King?

If the AI did not control their experience gain, wouldn't these two monsters reach Rank 7 by tomorrow, even without the need for the Great War? Now that they were even more powerful at Rank 3, it was simply common sense to limit them further.

Draco and Eva calmed down when they saw why the AI had lowered it drastically this time. Seeing as the Rank Up difficulty could not be calculated, the White-Haired Duo guessed that the AI hadn't yet found the next step for their classes for Rank 4 and above.

It would need more exposure to the bloodlines over a period of time, which it could not even number yet. However, with Local Lord's bloodline in its hands, it should be able to make progress soon enough.

This was not a problem for Draco and Eva, as they planned to work on the Tower of Babylon in the interim. By the time they were done with conquering that tower that supposedly led to Divinity, they could think about Ranking Up again.

The duo noticed that their friend's panel was flashing, and were pulled into a conference call with Sublime Notion.

The administrator loli pushed up her glasses and gazed at the two with a smile. "Esteemed Guildmaster and his walking c.o.c.ksleeve, I have some news to report. The toy that you have oh so graciously forced upon me, has become mostly stable since the increase of land and the upgrade of our status."

Sublime snickered. "In fact, the growth has been so good we're already on the verge of upgrading to a low-tier kingdom from a fledgling one. I have naturally halted this in lieu of any developments you want to add or amend?"

Draco laughed lightly, but Eva gave Sublime a murderous glance and cut a finger across her throat. Immediately, Draco and Sublime's faces changed as they realized that this was not something Evaterasu would do, but definitely Riveting Night!

Realizing she had chosen the wrong time to make a tactical attack, Sublime shivered as she thought of the consequences of provoking Riveting Night. She could only smile weakly and say;

"Darling sister Eva, your beauty truly shakes the heavens and rends the earth. Obviously, a high-grade intellectual like yourself knows that I was referring to myself and not you, surely?"

Eva harrumphed. "Save it. Three hours spanking, three hours being nice to people, and three hours watching shows with happy endings."

Sublime's face showed horror. Her expression then became vicious as she crushed her glasses and laughed maniacally.

"SCRAM! There is no way I am going to do that. It was nice knowing you, may we never meet again, ahahah!"

Gone crazy, she cut the call and quickly began to make preparations to run.

To this, Eva smiled playfully, before she left the Training Hall slowly, counting down under her breath as a dark aura manifested around her with each step.