After roughly two hours, Arkhen finished his breakthrough. His energy ponds got bigger after this breakthrough, so he could continue refining them to increase his EP, and he also created a new skill.
After taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes which were filled with slight excitement because he indeed managed to create an EX rank skill!
"Hmm?" Arkhen saw Meya lying on her head on his lap and sleeping. "Hey, brat. Wake up."
Meya opened her eyes and rubbed them before turning to Arkhen as she quickly asked, "So what rank of skill you created? You remember the bet, right? If you got higher rank skill, then you will have to do whatever I say."
Arkhen grinned and said, "Too bad for you. I also created an EX rank skill. Since we both created the same rank skill, the bet is nulled."
"Nooo!" Meya screamed with her hands closing her ears. "You are lying! You must have created an EX-plus rank skill!"
"Nope. It's an EX rank skill. Give it up," Arkhen said with a smile.
"Damn it!" Meya said as she pouted and stood up. Sighing in defeat, she said, "fine, screw that bet. Let's go and spar now."
…
"A crow crying atop a tree, calling death to descend."
"A lion roaring in rage, tearing the cage, dying in wage."
"Should you strike early, you will be beheaded. Should you strike late, you will be slaughtered."
"O' The wailing vase of flower, the only empathy in deathly land, the one who cries for others. Show me…!"
"Show me the path out of this Doxaare!
Inside a big dark hall, at the center, a man in a gray robe just finished a ritual as he spoke those strange words in front of a mystical flower vast with moving flowers. Those flowers were issuing faint sobbing sounds.
On both sides of the gray-robbed man were rows of people wearing black metal armor. They looked like knights but wore black armor with emerald designs of crystal and patterns.
In front of the gray robe man, ten meters away were two thrones. Two people sat on the throne, one man, and one woman.
The man was a King, named Thanin. The woman was Queen, named Melika.
The king had a thick dark maroon beard, black eyes, and short dark maroon hair, and wore a kingly fur coat over the leather armor.
The queen wore a beautiful long dress made of material even silkier than silk and softer than cotton. She had dark orange eyes, long hair, and perfectly shaped breasts with a tiny cleavage visible on her blue dress with sunset orange patterns.
Moreover, both of them were not pure humans. They had draconic horns on their head. The queen had curved horns, while the king had spring-patterned diabolic dragon horns.
Their skin was smooth like humans, but they could make their scales appear over their humanoid form whenever they wanted, and also their tails.
After the gray-robbed man finished his ritual, king Thanin asked in a somber tone, "What is the result, Diviner Apollo?"
Both of them, the Queen, and the King had slight worry visible in their eyes.
The gray-robbed man walked towards the flower vase and used some energy on sparkling specs of dust held within his fist before spraying them on the vast filled with wailing flowers.
As seconds passed, the specks of dust started floating after imbuing with the flower's powers. Soon, the specs of dust formed a face.
"This face, this man. This is your resolution. For now, I can only track the general direction of his location, but I can make a compass that can sense his location after a few days," the gray-robbed man said. But suddenly, his face changed as he felt the pressure inside his body.
*Puchi…*
Seeing Diviner Apollo puking blood, everyone was shocked.
"What happened?" King Thanin asked as he stood up in shock. He had paid a big prize to bring this Diviner Apollo here from the 4th realm through his contracts and previous kings that ascended to the higher realm!
"Ho ho… " Diviner Apollo wiped the blood trail on his mouth and laughed with an amused expression as he looked at the face formed by the sands atop the flower vase. "This man's fate is very volatile, and his destiny is constantly changing. Surely, this man has some bigger hand over his head that even I cannot fully comprehend."
"Then… the solution?" the Queen asked, hesitation and worry on her face.
"Worry not. This just made me confirm that he is indeed the only solution you have. If anyone can change the fate of your family, then it is him," Diviner Apollo said with a smile.
"Can you still make the compass that points to his direction?" King Thanin asked.
"I can," Diviner Apollo nodded with a smile while thinking internally, 'Hmm… is he of the same origin as I am? From Planet Earth in the Gravel realm? Interesting…'
"I cannot thank you enough for personally coming here and helping us," King Thanin said as he bowed. "I would also like to request your assistance in the matter of bringing him here."
"I'll see through this matter to the end, but from afar, as that is my way of doing things," Divine Apollo said with a faint smile. Although he wore a gray robe, his eyes had a bright light in the depth, indicating his vibrant and lively.
Naturally, the face that formed atop the flower vase belonged to none other than one and only, Arkhen! [A/N: Arkhen needs a surname. I'll make a cool one later and a way of introducing it as well]
…
"Woah, that EX rank skill is really superb," Meya said with sparkling eyes as she looked at a tiny floating tree, approx one meter tall.
That tree was Arkhen's EX rank skill!
"Hey, is it really EX rank skill?" Meya asked with doubt. "Why is it so powerful in a way?"
"Hehe, that's because my base power is more powerful, and this tree also has an Ethereal-type affinity, Vanquish. That's why it weakens you and also deals more damage" Arkhen said as he rubbed the bottom of his nose with a smile. He was very satisfied and proud of this EX rank skill he created.
[Melferious Shrine Tree: Jiragen]
[-Skill rank: EX]
…