CHAPTER 417: DO YOU REMEMBER THE VOLCANO?

[Level Up!]

[Level 226 - 235]

I smiled as I felt my level rise so quickly. Sharing this journey with the trio, I could sense their strength surging alongside mine. Lyrate jumped to Level 223, Silver to 225, and Knight to 221.

"Well, I guess we’re done here," I heard Lyrate’s voice behind me.

I shook my head.

"I think there’s still one more thing left," I replied.

I spread my hand wide, letting my perception reach every corner of the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma zones. For the first time since mastering it, I activated my minor law of Devour.

The shadows that had been silent throughout the forest suddenly came alive. Tendrils of black darkness burst out of them, slithering through the air and latching onto every dead abomination.

Devour was a combination of vitality, shadow, and absorption. The tendrils wrapped around the corpses we had killed from Alpha to Gamma, sucking the remaining life force from their bodies.

From below me, a pillar of shadow rose, stretching higher and higher until it hovered just in front of me. The stolen vitality flowed through it, gathering above in a glowing green orb that pulsed with raw life energy.

More tendrils shot out, snaking across the zones, grabbing bodies and transferring every last bit of vitality to the pillar. Slowly, the corpses crumbled into dust, drifting into the air as their life force fed the growing sphere.

The vitality orb expanded quickly, and I had to focus intensely to keep it contained, forcing the energy to concentrate. Three minutes later, every last body had been drained.

A sphere of life force, about two meters across, floated before me, glowing a deep, vibrant green. Its light spread over all of us, bathing the place in a warm, life-filled glow.

Cassian hovered beside me, muttering, "This is... just crazy."

"Well, I’d say it’s ingenious," I replied, watching him shake his head.

"I don’t even know how much concentration and Psynapse it would take to do what you just did," he admitted.

I nodded slowly. "Well... let’s just say a really, really crazy amount."

I stepped forward, placing my hand on the orb, and whispered, "Disperse."

The sphere floated upward, spinning gently, then exploded like a burst of fireworks. The concentrated vitality shot outward, spreading across all the zones.

Where it touched the ground, vegetation erupted instantly—trees sprouted, roots burst through the soil, grasses sprang up everywhere. Even the chasms between zones were bridged as roots and shoots filled the gaps.

When the energy reached the soldiers, their injuries began healing, muscles knitting back together, bruises fading. The life force spread over everything, leaving the battlefield alive and renewed.

I turned toward the general and said,

"Well, consider this my compensation for all the help you gave and, of course, for clearing this place of every single abomination."

Cassian looked at me, nodded, and replied,

"I guess we’ll have to depend on you more and more from now on."

"Happy to help, commander," I said.

I took a step and landed on Silver’s back.

"I’ll go talk to Leo. You all can head back to the base," Cassian said.

I nodded, and Silver let out a sharp screech. With a powerful burst of his wings, we shot forward toward the base. Knight followed closely behind.

We arrived at the base and landed right outside Leo’s office. I jumped off Silver’s back.

"Okay, I’ll send you back to the Core," I said.

"No," I heard Lyrate say, turning toward me.

I looked at her, surprised.

"I want to stay outside a little longer," she continued.

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Just... stay outside," she said.

I shrugged.

"All right. What about you two?"

They had no problem heading back, so I sent them off to the Core.

With that, Lyrate and I walked straight into Leo’s office.

Lyrate and I stepped into Leo’s office. The first thing that hit me was the sheer stillness of the place—neatly stacked papers, blinking lights, and maps pinned to the walls. Lyrate’s eyes widened as she looked around, her fingers brushing over the edge of a desk and flicking through a few scattered reports.

"Why would anyone want to sit here all day?" she asked, her voice a mix of awe and confusion. "There’s a whole world outside... to explore, to fight in, to grow strong. How can they stay cooped up here?"

I chuckled at her words. I wanted to tell her that not everyone could be as crazy as both of us.

"Some people like stability," I said. "They find comfort in rules and order. But yeah... I get why you’d feel that way."

Lyrate leaned against the desk, turning her head toward me. "So... what’s all this about? There’s so much I don’t know."

I smiled, remembering my first steps into this world. "If you want to learn more about it, there are libraries, records, and... the internet. You can read, study, and explore at your own pace. It’s not the same as being out there, but it’s a start."

She tilted her head, thinking. "Libraries and... internet? Huh. I guess that’s a kind of exploration too."

"Exactly," I said. "You can learn about people, places, history... maybe even about me since I am kind of a celebrity too."

Her eyes lit up, and she grinned. "Well that will take some time but what we are going to do now."

I couldn’t help but smile back.

"Next, we go after every single abomination zone we can find. We clear them, push our limits, and rush through our levels as fast as we can."

She laughed softly, a sound full of excitement and anticipation. "I like the sound of that. Fighting, exploring... learning through action. That’s more my style anyway."

We exchanged a look, and I could see the same spark in her eyes that I felt when stepping into a battlefield. She was ready, hungry to grow, to see the world and test herself.

I nodded, remembering the younger version of her from before she became queen. She had the same spark even back then, just like now. I guessed it was better that her memories were gone, I really didn’t like that cold, aloof version of her.

I pulled out my phone and called Arkas. His voice came through almost immediately.

"Billion?"

"I hope I’m not disturbing you, commander," I said.

"I’m listening," he replied.

"I was thinking... can you arrange for me to go to that volcano place?"

There was a pause on the line before he answered.

"Are you going to do what I think you’re going to do?"

"Yes. If the Empire is okay with it."

Another silence stretched out before he spoke again.

"No issues. I’ll inform Cassian to take you there."

"Thank you, commander," I said, and he cut the call.

I put the phone away and turned to Lyrate.

"So... are you ready to meet my next summon?"