Chapter 176: We Will Meet Again
[Next Day.]
BOOOOM!!!
Sunny blinked, the sound of an explosion echoing through the air as he stared at the pillar of energy surrounding Ellen. He had spent the entire night watching over her, forgoing sleep as he waited for this moment. Now, she had finally broken through, and stepped into the celestial rank.
"Who would believe a 12-year-old could reach such a rank?" he muttered to himself, slowly getting to his feet. A sense of pride swelled in his chest, quickly followed by a rush of concern:
"I should stop her. If not, her body won’t be able to withstand the powers of the Divine rank. She needs to stabilize her current powers first."
He vanished from the tree branch, reappearing before Ellen, right at the edge of her pulsating energy. He pointed a finger at her, sending a gentle wave of spirit energy toward the barrier. The familiar energy passed through it with ease, lightly entering Ellen’s forehead.
"Wake up, dear. You can stop now."
Hearing her father’s voice in her consciousness, Ellen’s eyes slowly fluttered open, and the energy barrier around her dissolved. Sunny walked toward her, waving his hand to collect the remaining Celestial energy stones before they were fully absorbed. He knelt before Ellen, a bright smile on his face.
"I am so proud of you, Ellen."
Ellen’s eyes widened, and she jumped into his arms:
"I... I did it. I didn’t disappoint you, right?" she asked in a low voice, her body trembling slightly with a mix of exhaustion and relief.
Sunny hugged her back, his smile widening. "You didn’t. In fact, you blew me away." He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes.
"I have something for you."
He opened his palm, a brilliant, cut gem appearing on his hand.
"What is this?" Ellen asked, her eyes fixed on the gem.
"Absorb it," Sunny said, handing her the gemstone.
Ellen took it, closing her eyes as she began to absorb the gem’s energy.
’System, what skill did she use against that Mythic beast?’ Sunny asked, his gaze fixed on Ellen’s serene face.
{Constructs: Shaping light into solid objects or barriers (Grand Class).}
’She already unlocked this skill?! How many has she unlocked?’
{Two at the moment.}
{Astral Projection: Using light to project one’s consciousness or create an astral form (High Grand Class).}
’Due to her increase in strength, she unlocked such powerful skills,’ he thought.
’The first can be used for both attacks and defense, but the second is a utility skill, mainly for sending messages or scouting.’ He felt the rising energy around Ellen and slowly stood up, taking a step back.
"What is this?" he asked in confusion as Ellen’s body began to glow like a miniature sun.
{Ultimate is merging with Ellen’s skill.}
’Huh?! What skill?!’
{Ultimate successfully merged with Constructs skill.}
{Constructs has been upgraded into a God-rank skill.}
’I thought it would give her a God-rank skill. I didn’t know it could merge with an existing skill!’ Sunny stared in shock as the light around Ellen dimmed and then vanished.
Ellen’s eyes, which had turned pure white, blinked a couple of times before returning to their original purple color. "Dad... I unlocked another skill," she muttered in surprise.
"Why don’t you demonstrate it?" Sunny requested with a broad smile.
Ellen stood up and turned toward the remains of the python. "I can use light to shape any creature I have killed."
She pointed a finger at the python, and before Sunny’s eyes, a brilliant white light burst from its remains. A moment later, a perfect replica of the snake, its scales gleaming with a brilliant white light, appeared before her. Sunny watched with wide eyes as the snake lowered its head and bowed to Ellen.
’Did she just... summon a Mythic beast with its full strength?’ he asked himself, a sense of awe and horror warring within him. He turned to Ellen.
"How many can you summon?"
"At the moment, I have only two summon slots," she explained. "Meaning I can summon two and store them."
Sunny nodded in understanding. "So if you summon and don’t store it, you won’t be able to summon it again?"
Ellen nodded.
’This power is incredible,’ he thought.
’I have a feeling her summoning slots will increase as she grows in strength. If her summoning slots reach a hundred, another group of soldiers will be formed. But her slots are important, so she should only store powerful creatures.’ He turned to Ellen.
"Can you summon a giant?" he asked with a smirk.
Ellen thought for a moment and nodded. "I think so."
Not wanting to disappoint her father, she activated her skill again. A pillar of white light shot into the sky, surprising both of them.
"What is happening?" Sunny asked in confusion.
"Dad, the giant’s energy is strong," Ellen explained. "It will take time for one to be fully created."
Sunny slowly nodded his head. ’Those giants are stronger than a low-stage Mythic beast. Having one under her control is a huge benefit.’ He smiled.
’Those bastards are immune to all attacks; only spirit energy could kill them. They’re untouchable in the lower world.’
He turned his head toward the Wendigos’ base. "Come on, let’s pay them a visit. By the time we take over that outpost, the process will be done."
Ellen nodded in agreement.
____
[Back to Present.]
Veer stared at the blood flowing across the outpost ground, then at Ellen, and finally at Sunny. "It seems the lower world has created a monster. Two, in fact," he said, standing between the father and daughter.
’If Ellen kills him, she will have a powerful summon!’ Sunny thought, a new plan forming in his mind.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward, appearing before Veer in seconds.
"This?!"
Veer quickly raised his spear, thrusting it toward Sunny.
BAM!!!
Veer stared in disbelief at the chains that had wrapped around his hand. With a pull, the chains forced his hand to the ground, then his whole body.
"What are you--"
He looked up at Sunny, watching in horror as more chains appeared around him, binding every part of his body.
"Ellen," Sunny said, looking up at his daughter.
Ellen pulled out a dagger and walked toward Veer. Her face was cold, her eyes devoid of emotion as she drove the dagger deep into the back of Veer’s neck.
Sunny nodded with a satisfied smile. His daughter had grown up.
"Cough! Haha-haha! We... We will meet again!" Veer coughed out a mouthful of blood, and his body shattered into particles of light.
"Huh?"
".....?!"
Both Ellen and Sunny were stunned.
"A clone?"