Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

While standing in the center of the tower, using advanced ether commands to stay within the walls, I turn my gaze around in a circle to take in their true appearances.

I put up my purple barrier, and suppress all of my ether and mana control so that I can take a small lap around the center of the room to personally welcome each general eye to eye.

The visualizations from the lower realm were one thing, but opening my eyes and perceiving the real thing is far more awe-inspiring.

Raven stands rigid, yet aware, as though she's still in battle.

Her physical appearance has not changed much since the last time I saw her. The only difference is her true core being far larger and luminous; a hot aura resonates from the outside of her body that feels very similar to Zashen's when he was sleeping.

Arie, on the other hand, looks far more mature than when I last saw him come out from the Abyss on the human world to help fight in the war for the throne.

He's begun using divine energy, consolidated a saturated true core, and even ranked up a third time since I last saw him.

He's grown almost a full 10 centimeters, and his eyes shine white with a faint ether glow even when none of his buffs are active. His skin is smoother, hair darker, and the strength and maturity of thousands of demonic beasts seem to be emanating off of him.

This archer gives off the presence of a demon, but another aura is mixed in that makes him feel similar to Raven and Zashen... though it feels older, wiser, and more strange.

Memories of the surveillance footage where he bonded with the bow of an ancient elf that was turned into a lich and experimented on by Noble Demons come to mind... but even as I filter the memories of the two Vermillion Demons in the back of my mind, none of them have ever come into contact with elves... or know anything about them.

Not a single one is present on the Ellipsia Citadel, and the only mention of them other than that was Seraphel's history lesson mentioning that there was an Overseer before the Wyverns that was an elf.

Though... considering the fact that once the system ruler falls to another race, no more planets holding their spawn ever connect to the system again, the appearance of an elf is even more strange.

My eyes turn to Abby next. Her green eyes and hair shimmer far more vibrantly than I've ever seen before. Other than that, her physical appearance looks very similar to what she looked like before compressing her true core and ranking up again.

However, her Soul Energy and the strength emanating from her being have undeniably grown.

I remember Ember sparring with her in the desert before I claimed the throne, as he was trying to push her Immortal Healer's Form to a new level. Even once they were done, and she could stack up against his full dragon form's blows, he did not look satisfied.

There were data reports of her odd cultivation methods within the moon base, and her withstanding the destruction of Kelfar and its moons. However, now, I truly begin to understand why.

Her physique is not normal... not at all... Only one other time have I sensed anything like this before, and it was not long ago.

Beneath the pressure of the sea of corruption, when I broke the last seal keeping Seraphel's true body and High Noble Vibrations bound, a Celestial Grade Physique showed its full power to me.

While it was thousands of kilometers under a blanket of corrupted protection, it was still an awe-inspiring sight... Without witnessing its existence, conceptualizing rules of reality unfolding in front of me, my own High Noble breakthrough never would have manifested.

I never would have been able to reverse-engineer the seals around my own body that allow me to stand in the same room with my teammates from the Lower Realm.

There is a sense of confidence and wisdom that comes off Abby, and I know that countless years of memories have given her that look in her eyes. None of that was mentioned in depth in the data packets or reports that Bri filed, but if anyone would know that feeling, it's me...

I want to open my mouth to ask what she's seen, but my attention cannot be torn away from the main attraction in the Ascension chamber any longer...

A pair of icy blue eyes meet mine.

Maria has changed after her rank-up and breakthrough too, and out of everyone, it is definitely the most noticeable.

Her aura gives off a cold pressure that simultaneously feels as though it wants to freeze the world around it in ice and never let it go, but at the same time, is warm and inviting.

Her Soul Energy core is an alluring anomaly, looking at it with my own eyes is far more intriguing than the simple stats and recordings from analysis equipment that Alveron had to offer.

I get the urge to walk toward her, to see where this bottomless abyss really goes.

It is just as all of the reports say.

It feels as though I'm staring into a dark abyss, but the color is certainly not black. It's blue, but so densely packed my mind can't comprehend it. It feels equally powerful, like the bottomless abyss stores power inside it that could flow out forever.

Though, my stares deep into her chest unknowingly catch the sight of a few other things that have matured during her time away.

Her skin looks flawless like smooth ice, and her curves have become far more pronounced, symmetrical, and more perfect than I ever believed possible.

I blink, and an unexpected flash of old memories comes rushing back to me. I see myself fighting alongside her in the Dark Continent, and our time back working in the Association, and even the first time I ever saw her...

When I move my gaze up again and look into her bright blue eyes, they're the same eyes I saw across the hall at my old apartment before she was even an awakened hunter.

The hundreds of thousands of years of memories I've made my own and the horrific training I've gone through these last few weeks to survive and become strong enough to welcome my generals here without any risk have unknowingly hardened a shield over my mind.

So much so, that during my last stages of training, the sensation of pain was lost to me.

Though, this self induced numbing of the senses melts away all of a sudden, to let forgotten emotions through.

"Beautiful..." escapes my lips before I even know what I'm saying.

A translucent aura seeps out of her at the same time, with refracting rainbow lights shimmering in the light of this cultivation chamber.

As soon as my eyes see it, I'm struck with another emotion—confusion.

There are no energy waves coming off this aura, and its coloring and consistency look extremely similar to the data shown for what Alveron called Source Resin, found in the core of planets connected to the system.

I assumed it would be like her Soul Energy core, and my trained eyes could understand it better; but I don't even get the hunch that releasing my 3rd seal would do me any good in understanding what I see right now.

All of the generals respond to my words of welcome at the same time.

"We made it," from Raven.

"How does this tower work...?" Arie asks as he begins to walk around in a small circle.

"There is so much energy to absorb," from Abby as she raises her arms to feel the dense ether and mana in the air, ready to be absorbed to fuel their soul energy cores.

Then Maria's response comes last while we still both stare at each other.

"Beautiful...?" Her face tints a shade a pink, but my moment of awe has passed, as the simultaneous responses from the other generals shift the mood.

She opens up an item storage portal beside herself and lets a pristine crystal sword emerge, which only makes the Source Resin aura around her more visible and dazzling.

Maria swings it back and forth a few times, leaving small trails of glimmering reflective aura behind, then lets go of the blade to allow it to rotate around her.

"Yes, it is quite beautiful, isn't it?"

Her icy cold expression, and unreadable face returns; clearly deflecting my comment and changing the subject. However at such close range, with my purple barrier in full use right now; I'm registering a flurry of emotions I wasn't expecting to confront at a time like this...

"It is."

I nod, then look away. As soon as my eyes leave her aura, the mental shielding returns, slowing my heartbeat and allowing me to reply to the other generals.

"Indeed. To properly assimilate to the elements up here, doing so with your soul weapon from the first floor up would be wise."

A staff, a bow, and two longswords are pulled out from item storage by the other generals as I continue to speak.

–

As this reunion begins, parts in the Lower Realm begin to shift into place as well.

The four commanders who witnessed this shift between realms in the presence of Bri and Alveron on the group spectate feature have goals of their own to carry out.

Fisher and Lydia work out an eight-day contract with Alveron, as they are the strongest forces remaining under the Rising Emperor left behind.

The two of them agree to stay on Brymia, in special cultivation chambers for the time being.

They will simultaneously work their way to True Cores themselves while keeping an eye on the Prison of Demons on the asteroid in case they break out.

Luna is still being treated in a private room, and her condition is still not getting better.

However, Alveron has sent out a long-range transmission to an allied force a few dozen star sectors away.

This transmission is going to a 1st Class monster that is, in fact, a link of loyalty and could receive instant messaging but tends to keep to itself and tend to its small collection of remaining worlds.

Though it did make itself known to Bri and the generals once in the first Galactic Trade Commission meeting, a request for that very same Beholder to check on Luna's condition has been sent out and is awaiting a response.

In the meantime, Bri brokers deals for even more of the cultivation chambers on Brymia to be used in rotation.

She herself wants to continue her cultivation toward a true core but also wishes to have her brother Rodrigo catch up to her level.

In their time away these last months, Rodrigo has taken full control of the Hunter's Association, dungeon maintenance, and allocation of resources back on the human world.

While he's been given access to a labyrinth to level up and is one of the strongest hunters in the entire world, the galaxy is vast, and he needs divine energy to keep up.

The entire Crimson Army shall begin their red core cultivation in shifts on Brymia as well, leaving over 75% on the human world at all times to maintain order.

–

Just as Bri is signing the final documents with Alveron to schedule time slots and ensure that he will get a good end of the deal too, an unexpected ping in her ear sounds.

It's from a Demon that she hasn't talked to in months since she left it with containment cases full of mana and divine fragments. Pluto was tasked to only contact her again when he is strong enough to begin an infiltration mission specially ordered from the Rising Emperor.