Chapter 614: On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor - Chapter Four Hundred And Sixty-Two *Contains Status – Shiro 3* + Announcement/Help Request

Chapter Four Hundred And Sixty-Two *Contains Status – Shiro 3* + Announcement/Help Request

I opened my eyes to see I was still on Shiro’s lap. Her hand moved back from my head, as if she was doing something, and she flushed a little, but managed a smile. “Finally up, Aki? Don’t worry, it’s only been a few hours in the Material. Your sister and Haru both popped in to check you were all right and apparently matters are well in hand.”

A few hours, huh? So I’ve been asleep for about eight hours here? I did feel much more refreshed, the natural aether regeneration of my body matched with the decent amount my Territory was funnelling me, even at this distance. “I see. That’s good, I guess. And you’ve been watching me all this time? Sorry about that.” I noticed Shiro was still sitting a little gingerly, her body clearly still aching, but she chose to misinterpret my comment.

“It’s fine. It’s a bit girly, not something I ever thought I’d say, but honestly, it was kind of adorable watching you sleep, Aki. Besides, I wasn’t bored, I have Tan to talk to.”

“That’s good then.” I agreed, taking stock. “So, my adherence isn’t as low as I thought, but I still have to do something about these Favours. Huh…” As I noticed, Shiro snickered, clearly amused, and one eye flared red, Tan explaining herself.

“Yes, I have supplemented you with my own. It is not a renewable resource, easily obtained, as I am trapped down here, far from my Pantheon and those who venerate me. But this opportunity is too precious to waste. I am not averse to making an investment of time, effort or adherence, even as I did with the princess here.” She paused for a moment, a long silence that stretched out uncomfortably, before she continued. “Do not think your progress will allow you to succeed in your aims.” Her tone was cold, but I could tell she was actually trying to offer some advice. “Yes, your skills have exceeded what I believed possible in this world for many years yet, but in the numberless worlds within the Pantheons, or the scattered worlds of the Reaches, skills with Chirurgery such as yours, while not common, no, they are hardly unknown. And what you seek is not trivial, and for good reason.”

“Tan’s totally throwing out the tsun right now.” Shiro smirked. “She was the one who suggested making sure you have a decent amount of adherence. I think she’s got…”

“… a plan.” Tan cut Shiro off, both eyes now red, hair crimson, though since she was not using Divine Possession, Shiro was still able to quirk her lips into a smirk knowingly. “I am Taṇhā, the Thirst! I do not take half-measures, no more than I did when the Buddha walked on by! If I am to fail, I will fall after giving it my all. My great father demands no less of me! I am not my sisters, hence why I was trusted to deliver the Favour!”

“I’m not complaining.” I assured her. “I’m grateful for the help. You don’t have to go this far…”

“She’s a complicated girl.” Shiro seized back control of her voice as one eye darkened. “I think those that live lives longer than us have a very different outlook on things. Too long, or too short…” she frowned, perhaps remembering her inevitable death at an early age, which now fortunately had been banished by Tan’s intervention. “…and it changes us.”

“You exaggerate, princess. If we fail here, and your world is doomed, I will have wasted a little time, a few blinks of an eye, that is all. But success, that proves irresistible.” Tan shot back, and Shiro snickered, amused.

“Don’t worry, I know Aki is irresistible. At least you realised it faster than I did, Tan. But then, I was too self-centred and self-absorbed to consider others, too full of self-pity.” Her repetitive words were self-deprecating too. “We talked while you were resting, Aki. Tan was most...” Flames scattered as Tan tried to stop Shiro speaking, but she was unable to halt the words that tumbled from her lips. “…impressed by your handing of the Favour.” She finished, and Tan gave up trying to control her.

“What did you think I would say, Tan? I’m not a bitch. Seriously though, Aki. Tan thinks you have top-tier potential. She really wants to bring you back along with me to her Pantheon. How about it? You’re actually strong enough to survive the trip, she says.” She teased me, enjoyment plain on her face. “You, me and Tan, blazing a trail, together. I bet you’re curious about Tan’s real body too. She’s surely a beauty.”

Of course she is. Sure, she’s parroting off Shiro’s own gorgeous looks when she uses Divine Possession, but it’s somehow… more. It’s definitely alluring, the Buddha was a damn fool to walk on by. I guess I’ll never make a Buddha myself. But… “You know I can’t. Hell, if you’d have given me that offer before all this started, Shiro… well, I would have thought you were joking, but a life with you in a strange new world… it would have been a dream. But…”

“Yeah, I get it. Shit, I was mostly joking, Aki. I know you can’t be only for me. You have a lot of girls you love, family and friends. Damn… even I’m unwilling to see Hina, Aimi, Hayato and the gang suffer, and I’ve made a lot of new friends since you made me yours. But honestly… you’ve reached a value that interests Tan enough for her to make the offer.”

“Like that fragment of Akoman, wanting to take Chae Cho-Hee away?” I mused. “Honestly, it doesn’t seem real. I’m not even the strongest being on Earth, so out in the higher Astral, against Gods and Mythical creatures, and mortals with greater strength and knowledge…” Even Ortlinde said I was only good enough for the Einherjar, in the memory I saved. Though that’s not a trivial feat, I believe.

“You are not a fool. I respect that.” Tan spoke through Shiro. “Yes, the peaks are high, higher than you could ever believe. But you have talent, determination, and fortune. If we can claim this world you call Earth, then that would be for the best, but… you are too much of a prospect to waste. While I believe we can triumph, I have been wrong before. I thought the Buddha would look at me. I am comely, and charming, and though my father wished to tempt the Buddha, shatter his inner Dao, I am no fickle woman, I would have stayed by his side in the end, for my pride demands no less. You have a unique gift, one perfectly suited for you. And… I wish to see how far it goes. So I am prepared to sacrifice to see it, just as I was when my father called on me, to tempt the Buddha.”

“She’s such a tsundere.” Shiro laughed again. “But she’s honest with it. Tan may be rather amoral, compared to us humans, but she doesn’t lie often. She hasn’t to you, has she Aki?”

I shook my head. “So, you’re saying…” I began, and Tan cut me off.

“I am saying that I would not stunt your potential, even if it puts me at a small disadvantage in our wager, Akio. I am Taṇhā, I do not fear failure, I merely fear missing an opportunity that seems destined for me. Besides…” she smiled now, a rather alluring one. “…I have observed you for some time now and read many memories of the princess. You always repay favour twofold. My loss of adherence is unfortunate, but I trust you will find a method to replenish me.” She licked Shiro’s cracked lips, and I found myself nodding as Shiro fully reasserted herself.

“So there you have it.” Shiro grinned, ruffling my hair, as I was still lying on her armoured thighs. “We agreed. It’s a shame to miss this chance. Favours aren’t common, you know. Even in the higher Astral, they aren’t handed out like sweets, you know. We definitely can’t waste the ones we have. We might not be able to get so many at once again.”

“I see. Thanks, Tan.” At my words, Shiro started laughing, and as I sat up, I stretched, yawning, feeling better, if still drained. “In that case… time to take stock.” The first thing I wanted to do was check the details of the skills I had obtained by breaking apart and sharing Jarovid’s Favour.

Boiling Blood Rank 1 is a Skill that allows the body, mind and spirit to be strengthened by the application of Aether and various Elemental energies, amongst them, Flame, Wind, Water, Earth, Light and more. This strengthening can be pushed further via Adherence, blood and Aether boiling with power. This will damage Material and Astral bodies with increasing severity, and the effects of healing and regeneration will be decreased commensurately, but the increase in Statistics is likewise similarly explosive. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]

Boiling Blood Resonance Link Rank 1 is a skill that allows connection with others who are increasing their abilities and attributes via destructive Aether, Elemental energies and Adherence. Your Boiling Blood will be strengthened, as will that of the being you resonate with, and you can absorb and mitigate the backlash from the resonating being, reducing the damage they take significantly, while increasing the damage you take in return. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]

That’s quite the boost in Class and Type for what was Body Enhancement. Although… As my Eye shone, Shiro was watching closely, as I cycled up Boiling Blood. It was a natural feeling, and it was Body Enhancement at the core, so it dodn’t take me long to master it, finding it perhaps ten percent more effective, even now at Rank 1, as opposed to the Rank 5 Body Enhancement was at prior to the change. It wasn’t anywhere near as powerful a jump as passing the first bottleneck would have been, but this was before the true power was released. Might as well try it out a little…

A surge of strength passed through me, though even with my newfound tolerance for pain, the sensation of the blood inside me raging, bubbling as if water boiled on a stove, was distinctly uncomfortable, and silver and red blood leaked from my skin. Shiro looked a touch alarmed, but I waved a hand, reassuring her I was fine. Testing my movements, I noticed a significant degree of greater agility and strength, and despite the nagging pain, my thoughts were clearer, faster. Ether Healing was working to repair me, but it was definitely performing more sluggishly than usual, and required a greater intake of aether. Pushing it a little further, I grimaced, gaining a further boost, but then decided to halt my testing for now, as I had too much to do and no time to leave myself incapacitated. Besides, my sis will be worried if I don’t return soon…

“That looks painful.” Shiro observed, as I used a little water element to wash off the blood from my skin, and cleaned my armour as best I could.

“It is. But it can be used just like a better Body Enhancement, so it’s all good, and another trump card for emergencies. The other skill though…” At first glance it seemed useless, without someone to resonate with, but as my Eye glowed, observing Shiro, Tan staying silent this time, long having stopped being concerned at my peeping at Shiro, I was sure there were some uses. “…I think it’s more of a pair. Shiro… can you feel this?” I let the Boiling Blood run again, making a failure of my efforts to clean myself, but as the resonance began I could feel a little tingle, and Shiro opened her lips, letting out a little gasp.

“Pervert.” She insisted, face flushed. “Yes I do feel it. It’s a hot blaze. A little like Tan’s fires, but inside me. It’s a faint connection, another one…” she paused, licking her lips, not unlike Tan would. “…not that I mind another connection between us. But this one’s a bit… shit, I’m glad nobody is watching.” As she rubbed her legs together, which made me flush too, I let the Resonance Link drop. My Eye searched through Shiro, admiring her growth, and then gave me further details of what I was interested in…

Shiro’s certainly improved a lot. But there’s a few glaring things that leap out at me… While Berserk Blessing Of Blood was clearly what I was looking for, it was not what caught my interest. It had been a long time since I had seen such a sight, question marks in amber obscuring half the Class. My Eye flared brilliantly, and letters appeared, explaining, but…

Mediator Of ?????????? is a Class granted to the rare Divine Mediums who have the ??????? ??????? of a Divine Being and form a bridge between the Divinity and ???????? ???????? ????????? ?????????. All Skills and Statistics related to Spiritual bodies, Divine abilities, Ether, Aether, Adherence and ????????? grow significantly more quickly, and Fate and League also increase as this Class grows stronger.

A bridge between the Divinity? It means Tan there, surely. And yeah, I’m especially impressed with the growth of her Silver Cord and Chakra network. That’s also pushed up all her stats a ton as well. Now Shiro can hold her own even without Tan, though obviously Divine Possession makes her a lot stronger temporarily. Now my Eye was Rank 5, and I had distant memories of being past the bottleneck, I strained, channelling aether into it, and the question marks slowly started to resolve themselves into fuzzy letters, as my insight grew, only for my head to rock back, from a slap I didn’t even see coming.

“Ouch, that hurt, Tan. Nobody likes the violent tsun except possibly Yasu!” Shiro was shaking the hand that Tan had used to strike me, as my body was extremely durable, and even Shiro’s fairly awesome stats, second only to Shaeula in terms of the girls, most likely, were not on par with mine without Tan descending. One eye flickered red, half her silver hair darkening, as Tan spoke, eyeing me sourly.

“It is rude to peep. I took issue at this when first we met, did I not, Akio? Allow a woman some secrets, else you will not be well-liked.” She proclaimed.

Well-liked? That’s an unusual thing to say. Guess I was wrong when I thought Tan had got used to it earlier. Rubbing my faintly stinging cheek,Shiro quickly recovered, her Ether Healing numbing the pain.

“So… is that your secrets, Tan, or Shiro’s? Shiro and I don’t have any secrets between us…” I queried.

“That’s such a damn cool line.” Shiro gushed. “Shit, it made my heart flutter there. It’s true though. After all, we’ve shared everything a man and woman can. We’ve been through life and death together, for each other. So, what did you see, Aki?”

Tan gave me a hard look with the eye she was using, so I briefly summarised the Class name and gains. Shiro whistled, impressed. “I see why Aki wanted more details. That Class is… probably as overpowered as Aki’s race change! Levelling… well, Ranking up speed cheats are as classic as information cheats. But then…” she fell silent, and I had the feeling Shiro was in deep conversation with Tan. “Oho…” Shiro laughed in a rather imperious fashion, after a while. “So that’s how it is. I see. I knew I was right.” Her smile was wicked, but she turned to me. “Okay, Tan doesn’t want you to know the details of the Class, and she’s surprised I have such a thing, but she knows the details. She is Taṇhā after all, she has knowledge of such matters, it’s not unheard of in her Pantheon and others. In fact, you’d be able to read the details with your Eye, but Tan is interfering. It’s almost cute. I wonder, does this count as tsun or dere? She wants your promise not to look at it, knowing that your word is important to you, more so than ever.”

“I promise.” I nodded. “I won’t look at any further details of that Class without your permission, Tan.”

“I thank you.” Tan managed. “Though it is presumptuous to assume permission will be granted.”

“Don’t worry, Tan explained to me how it works, though my lips are sealed, I’m afraid. Really, it makes me laugh. But yes, I should be able to level up the Class if all goes well. Although…” she fell silent again, having another brief communication, before she shrugged. “It will all work out, I’m sure. I’m just happy that I’m getting stronger, Aki. No more weak Shirohime, who will faint at the slightest stress. Nope, I’m a proper powerhouse now! So, onto the main course. I have it, right?”

I nodded. “Yes, you do have a skill related to Jarovid’s blood. Let me take a look and see what we have…”

Berserk Blessing Of Blood Rank 1 is a Skill that uses Adherence-laced blood of the bearer as a medium to enhance the Skills of the blessed being. It forcibly stimulates the inherent Ether, Aether and Adherence of the target, allowing Skills to work with greater efficiency and effect, however this is not without cost, as the forcible stimulus causes the energies within to run wild, boiling the blood within, inflicting escalating pain and damage, and reducing the effect of any healing the target receives, though as the damage escalates, so too does the granted strength. [Class: Imperious] [Type: Principle]

“I see. Uh… Anesidora is a far nicer Goddess, it seems.” Shiro frowned. “That’s nasty. Pain is fine, Ether Healing training is the most painful thing out there, so we can deal, but… it even reduces healing? What a shitty skill.”

“At first glance, yes.” I agreed. “But don’t forget, that’s only from a part of a broken Divine Favour, we should be glad we got anything at all out of it. Maybe I could have done a better job, but honestly, I think it’s our great Fortune that we received anything usable. Besides… you should know the power of a decent buff that affects skills, Shiro, more than anyone.” It’s similar to what I expected, but… “Besides, Tan felt that a portion of the power was perfect for you, and… it really is.”

“Yeah, way to keep calling me a buffbot, Aki. Shit, I know I am best suited for support, and being emergency DPS with Tan when necessary. I complain, but… shit, now I’m being tsundere. And that’s just not me. You’re right. Even useless skills can be powerful in the right circumstances, and I doubt this skill is in any way useless. I’ve seen what my buffs have achieved up until now. Hell, our success here was partially down to me!” She puffed out her ample chest proudly. “Tan too…” she added quickly. “She doesn’t want you to forget that.”

“As if I could.” I laughed. “But yeah… setting aside the pain and the damage for the moment, your hard work has Ranked up both your Blessings to the first bottleneck. So… if you can use Berserk Blessing on yourself…”

“Shit, you think I could reach Rank six, making the buffs even stronger? Hell, I’d settle for longer lasting, having to keep reapplying them is a damn pain. Huh… wait a second… aren’t we missing the bigger picture?”

“No, I’ve thought of it, I assure you. Asha’s Tree. It’s already providing us so much Ether that our impossible goals seem doable. Even a small increase in power is likely worth hundreds of thousands more ether drawn in every day. Maybe more. But there’s the elephant in the room…”

“Yeah. The side effects. Maybe I can handle them, I’m used to pain…” At her words I reached up and stroked her hair, comfortingly. “…thanks, Aki. Honestly, I’m fine. Wasn’t I just saying the past is the past, and I like the now we have, all of us together? But yeah, Asha’s Tree is Asha herself, right? No way we can just have it wounded for ether. I know you wouldn’t. Even if she would, Aki, although…” Shiro paused, looking at me with pursed lips, before shaking her head. “Yeah, trust me. We can’t do anything that would harm Asha right now. It’s not a good idea.”

“I have no intention of it, if it can be avoided.” I agreed. “Ether Healing training is hell for me, seeing you all suffer. But sometimes it’s necessary. At least my sis will be fine at university now…”

“Still worried about the horror stories about molestation and drugging at circle events and mixers, Aki?” Shiro sighed. “I won’t say it doesn’t happen, I’m a girl, I hear the rumours. But it’s really not as common as you’d think. Most guys are just like you, Yasu, Shugo, Hayato and anyone else. There aren’t many monsters about.”

“I know. But I worry. My sis is very cute, and can be a bit careless, you know? If anything happened to her…”

“You’d have a hard time persuading all your political friends into getting you off a charge of murder, after extreme torture. I know, Aki. You’re a siscon through and through. But I like Aiko too. We all do. So yeah, peace of mind is good. Besides, it’s helpful in battle too. So, when I felt that hot sensation earlier, the link…”

“Yeah, you are right as usual, Shiro.” As she laughed in agreement, saying that she was always right, I continued. “My first gain was a self-buffing skill, replacing my Body Enhancement. It’s just all-around superior, and I can push myself harder for the same sort of damage as your Berserk Blessing inflicts. But the second skill seemed useless… but as you said, there’s no useless skill, only a skill we haven’t found the right use for yet. So, I have Boiling Blood Resonance Link, and the ability strengthens the effects of my self-buff… as well as yours, it seems. Both good and bad. But that’s not important…”

“I don’t like where this is going, but…” Shiro sighed, her black eyes blinking in annoyance. “…but you’ll do anything if it means we don’t have to suffer, and… I don’t think I want you to change, Aki.”

“Yeah, you got it. It allows me to take a good chunk of the damage your Berserk Blessing causes onto myself through the Resonance Link. That might make it viable, especially if we can Rank it up.” I replied, and Shiro sighed.

“Yes, this princess was right as always. But we don’t have time to test it right now, and if we do, you’ll just worry your sister and the others. But it’s definitely something we have to tread carefully on. The potential of reduced ability to heal concerns me.”

“Worst case, my second body should survive unscathed. But yeah, safety first!” I promised. “Anyway, as for the rest of your gains…” Shiro, like all the human girls, had received the Fae-Bonded class. Now I was a Noble Faeduine, it was as if I had an intimate understanding of the weight of such a bond, and so I was able to grant it rather easily through our existing bond of Lovers’ Link. Even my sis, thank all the Gods. If she was the only one left out who knows what crazy scheme she’d cook up… Shiro was still struggling for Kami-Blessed, as she already had a Divine connection, but the planned pilgrimage might well prove enough to deal with that.

“Other than those details, you just have good growth across the board. Maybe it’s your new Class pushing you forwards as well?”

“Maybe. But I have worked hard too. Praise me Aki, praise me!” she laughed, so I did grandiosely for a few minutes, before we both shook our heads, amused. “So then…”

“Onto you. But… Tan wants to speak to you first.”

“I see. Feel free.” I replied, and Shiro’s hair and eyes burned red, fires flickering, showing Tan was serious.

“Akio, have you ever wondered why such Divine Favours are not given out in great numbers in the Pantheons, if they can be spared in their thousands, tens of thousands, for each world?”

“Honestly, yes. I have had a few thoughts. I think it’s a combination of things, isn’t it? Firstly, most of them are reusable, right? Other than ones broken down after being Conquered, usually on death they go back up, right?” I glanced up to the skies filled with dark aurorae above.

“That is correct. Your means of extraction is unusual. Crude still, but effective. Though the ability to steal favours, consume them… such also exist. But yes, the majority will not be lost.” She praised my answer.

“Then there’s the sheer value of a world. It’s more than just Territory, right? Otherwise a being such as you, Tan, would be an Astral Emperor, and wouldn’t have an interest in Earth.”

“Yes, once more you have intuited the answer.” She agreed again, lecturing me, and now she reminded me a little of Ortlinde, who I had at least a little memory of now. Seeing my smile, Tan ordered me to be serious, and to take her words into my heart. “Territory is strength, but that step to Astral Emperor, to the sixth Rank, it is not merely a matter of ether, of adherence… no, it is something more. I cannot speak of it, but you asked before why there could not be more than one on a world. This is why. While there could be a sharing of Territory, this cannot be shared…”

“And it has something to do with a high League, hence the Kodoku they’ve made Earth into, and Conqueror.” I pointed out.

“Yes. I cannot say more, but it seems you will arrive at the answer yourself. Any other reason?” she pressed.

Is this relevant right now? I’m happy to get conformation of some things, but… oh. I see. “I wasn’t exactly certain, but your words are hinting at it. There’s got to be a limit to what a person can hold, right?”

“That’s why Tan isn’t taking every Favour she can!” Shiro said suddenly, and Tan coughed, a little embarrassed, knowing I didn’t approve of some of her more greedy, amoral actions. But as long as she only preys on irredeemable trash, who am I to judge? My hands aren’t clean.

“The limit is that of the body and spirit, of course. Just as a vessel can only hold so much liquid, can a body only hold so much granted power. Though a vessel can grow, enlarging what it can hold, and power can be made into the vessel itself, freeing up room for more liquid inside.” Her analogy was clean, and I quickly understood it.

“That’s why it took you so long to handle Daizen’s Favour then, Tan?” Shiro asked. “It wasn’t a good fit for your vessel, so you had to change it until it was part of you?”

“That is correct. I can easily fill my body and spirit with powers related to flame and hunger, but an ill-suited power fills more. I am very skilled at burning down the power to a form suitable for me, and I am indeed Taṇhā, a Goddess, so my vessel can hold a great deal indeed…”

“But Aki has to choose.” Shiro finished, echoing my thoughts. It’s as I thought. If I wanted the Favour from Tyr to start with, Ortlinde would have had to improve my vessel, my Astral body, so I’d have ended up with Skills and Statistics along the lines of those Chosen I’ve encountered since. But as Ortlinde said to me, my vessel could hold it now, yet… just as my vessel is growing, so too is the Favour growing. That was Ortlinde’s gift to me, the Seeds that spark growth. She was right. My future potential would have been stunted significantly by taking the easy way. I could still get stronger, anyone can, seeing other Chosen proves it, but… have any grown as fast as me? Maybe so, but I have to be near the top, I find it hard to believe otherwise.

“Yes. Though your vessel is rather special.” Tan licked Shiro’s lips, eyeing me hungrily. “It grows at a splendid rate. Your greatest strength is not your fighting ability, but your rate of progress. For now, you have reached a level not so impressive in the Pantheons, but not weak either, but this was achieved here in this annoyingly abnormal world, far from the resources and opportunities of the higher Astral. I am curious to see just how far you can go, and you drag those alongside you upwards with you. That little Valkyrie who gave you those precious seeds has proved perhaps wiser than ever she imagined. With your Eye, and your drive, and some rather alarming good Fortune…” she paused. “… suffice it to say, you have more flexibility, despite already having a dormant favour and one gifted to you, to accept more. But that will not be without limit, so…”

“You want me to think carefully about Morana’s Divine Favour. Honestly, it’s not exactly my type, but…” I took a deep breath, mind made up. “I want it. No, I need it.” Shiro seemed surprised, so I elaborated. “It’s mainly down to you. Your Berserk Blessing could be another multiplicative factor in our progression. And Morana’s favour was basically a pair with Jarovid’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a way to mitigate the downsides. Though I do wonder…”

“Wonder what?” Shiro asked, proud that I wanted a Favour to effectively form a pair with her.

“Just like Jarovid’s Favour, there’s some damage to it, and there’s a piece that’s probably more suitable for someone else. So I was wondering whether to risk it, trying to break it apart again…” There’s a chance of losing out on a powerful tool, but it would keep my vessel emptier, as I guess Tan would put it, and it would be a chance to empower someone else. I don’t know. Looking at Shiro, who merely shrugged, saying it was up to me, I decided it was time to return to the Material, and finish up our business in Korea. I could go over my own numerous gains in more detail there, and also consult with everyone about what I should do…