Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Beginning of Aether

As the air stilled to reveal Ulric’s frame, a moment of silence descended, only to shatter a split second later as they all rushed toward him.

The memories of his recent breakthrough replayed repeatedly in their minds.

***

"Hahahaha... you finally came back!" Lyra squealed excitedly.

Her previous challenge momentarily forgotten, she stood before the dark-robed figure. Her fingers clenched tightly around his back, almost as if afraid he would leave again.

Before he could respond, she continued, lifting one hand before him. The temperature around them dropped drastically as a ball of ice formed, hovering above her palm.

"See? I grew stronger too. Aren’t I awesome?" she gloated shamelessly, causing Aelira and the rest to twitch their lips as murmurs broke out among them.

Nodding thoughtfully, Ulric smiled faintly. He had already sensed the change earlier, but seeing it up close only confirmed his thoughts.

The purity of her ice had at least doubled, further enhancing the potential destruction it could unleash.

With that in mind, one hand reached out, stroking her silver hair smoothly as he gently patted her head.

---

At the side, Amber circled his frame slowly. Her hands brushed against his exposed skin as her eyes widened each time she felt his near-perfectly carved muscles ripple slightly beneath her touch.

A massive contrast to the overwhelming power surging within him.

Sinking deeper into her thoughts, she continued until her gaze inadvertently lowered toward his lower torso. She gulped audibly.

A greedy glint flashed across her brown eyes for an instant.

She didn’t know whether it was because of their shared earth heritage or their deep innate connection, but she found his seed extremely nourishing. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was one of the major reasons her power had skyrocketed recently, placing her at the top in terms of strength compared to the rest.

With every major breakthrough, she couldn’t help but notice how its potency increased drastically.

And now, with his recent advancement, she could only wonder... would it be enough to boost her strength high enough to stand beside him in power? Or at least wield enough strength to protect him against major threats?

With each passing thought, the glint in her eyes grew brighter as a faint blush spread across her face. It was all too tempting.

Sensing the hopelessly lewd look flashing across Amber’s eyes, Ulric chuckled softly. One hand reached out to grab her waist, pulling her close and eliciting a soft gasp.

Feeling his warm touch and the knowing glint in Ulric’s crimson gaze, Amber’s heart thumped rapidly. The blush on her face deepened as she lowered her head slightly in embarrassment.

Could he sense her thoughts?

At the front, Tara walked forward. Her face scrunched up slightly as she inhaled sharply, Ulric’s scent flooding her nostrils.

She could feel something oddly familiar clinging to it, yet she couldn’t quite place it. But it hardly mattered now.

A fiery glint flashing across her eyes, she leaned forward to steal a kiss, pressing her lips against his before sinking into his embrace.

Not willing to be left out, Aelira circled behind him. Her hands wrapped around his waist as her head pressed against his broad back.

Locked in the embrace for a few moments, Ulric slowly pulled away before lining up Amber and the rest before him.

An excited expression plastered across his face, one mirrored by the figures before him, as he narrated everything the old man had disclosed to him in close detail.

When the last of his words echoed out, a brief moment of silence lingered as countless thoughts raced through their minds.

They weren’t sure about many things.

But with this, one thing was certain.

The time was drawing closer. It was only a matter of time before they left to explore the world beyond Tempest... together.

The thought only fueled their excitement as they reveled in visions of the future. It all seemed too promising.

Cutting through the silence, Ulric continued, his face growing slightly solemn.

"It would be best to use this time to push for as much strength and advancement as you can."

Nodding at his words, they sank deeper into their thoughts before suddenly being cut short.

Amber’s voice echoed out, snapping them from their daze.

"Are you leaving again?" she mumbled, her face dropping slightly as she caught the distant look in his eyes. She recognized it all too well.

As her words drifted into his ears, a faint smile spread across his face before he nodded slightly.

Seeing the gesture, Amber and the rest grew a little downcast. He had hardly returned, yet he was already leaving again.

But hearing the last of his words eased them slightly.

"But only for a little while," Ulric muttered, his gaze drifting through the massive window toward the endless horizon as a quiet sigh escaped his lips.

There were still a few things he had to take care of before his departure.

Nodding slightly to the figures behind him, he inhaled sharply before his figure suddenly vanished, appearing almost instantly at the entrance of the Greyson residence as he shadow-teleported.

An ability that previously weighed heavily on him with each use now flowed as naturally as breathing. He mused, relishing the power of the shadows.

Still, even with all that, he was itching to test something else. Pulling up his system interface, he mumbled beneath his breath.

"Blood Death Wings."

Barely a moment after the words left his lips, the air behind his back rippled violently before suddenly rupturing.

Deathly energy streamed out in menacing trails, forming a massive pair of wings, their surface intricate and glowing with entrancing runes.

Appraising them for a moment with his spiritual field, Ulric nodded slightly in thought. Besides growing in size from the last time he had summoned them, he could sense they had become even more powerful. But it was to be expected. With every breakthrough, his innate skills advanced alongside him.

At this point, this was nothing but natural.

With that thought in mind, he crouched slightly, letting the wings unfurl behind him. Then, with one powerful flap, his figure streaked across the sky.

Back inside the lord’s chamber, Amber and the rest watched in awe as their breaths hitched slightly at the sight.

As his figure soared freely across the sky, he drew the attention of multiple figures. But Ulric paid them no mind. He was too caught up in his thoughts.

Previously, even with all his strength, the limit to which he could soar before feeling crushing pressure had been a meager hundred meters.

But now, he could feel the range had grown exponentially. He easily crossed that distance without breaking a sweat.

"Hahaha, nice." He chuckled to himself, feeling the breeze ruffle through his hair. But he supposed it was to be expected.

What had previously stopped him was the pressure. But now, with his control over the earth element extending even to the skies, the pressure barely affected him. It was almost as if he wielded some sort of natural resistance against it.

Still, that didn’t stop him from soaring higher, curious to see if there were any limits.

It was only after he crossed five hundred meters that he finally felt a slight strain on his body.

Pressing even further, he only stopped once he reached a thousand meters, hovering far above the clouds.

He wanted to rise even higher. He felt he had yet to reach his true limits. But it was as if a natural barrier prevented him from going any further, beyond just the extreme conditions.

It was a little strange, Ulric mused, but he paid it no mind. This was already far better than he could have imagined.

If he ever encountered beings that far overpowered him, he could simply flee into the skies to regroup. Hopefully, they weren’t A-rank beings.

As for the threat of projectiles? He supposed the distance would weaken their momentum.

The more he thought about it, the wider the grin on his face grew. The benefits of wielding a flight ability just kept piling up.

He only snapped out of his thoughts once he arrived at the edge of the city. Streaking downward, he landed nimbly atop the city walls.

His presence attracted a few city guards. But once they approached close enough to recognize him, they chose to let him be, not daring to question his presence.

Settling down, Ulric fell into a lotus position. His eyes snapped shut as he began consolidating his breakthrough, his focus turning inward.

His strength had grown so rapidly that he had lost track of it. But now he intended to change that. All while the knowledge of advancement played at the back of his mind. A wry smile spread across his lips.

When one advanced to D-rank, they refined their arts to the absolute peak. Only then could they break through to the next rank.

He could have done the same. Only, he faced a small problem.

When his arts advanced to become transcendent, they seemed to have transcended the very concept of energy itself. Everything had been stripped away.

Without energy, he couldn’t refine his arts. He only had the mystical aether energy. Well, barely any of it, as it had formed merely three drops. Even with the overwhelming potency contained within them, he had a feeling it would take far more to refine his art.

Faced with all this, Ulric delved deeper and deeper into his thoughts and vast reserve of knowledge, pondering over them as he sank into enlightenment, carving his path toward power.