Therefore, with the real Miyuki’s appearance, the sense of relief and regaining something lost was indescribable for Renji. Nothing could have relieved him more. 𝘳.𝑐𝘰
There were many such negative emotions.
Sometimes, in the deep of the night, Renji would wonder if he truly deserved their love, or he would rack his brains on how to play the role of?Ashen properly. He worried about making mistakes, revealing a side of himself that differed from their perception of the Ashen they know, fearing they might leave him.
These were just feelings Renji suppressed, as he was just an ordinary person who stayed at home and played games.
Such negative emotions were a hidden danger. Renji might not have shown them yet, but as they accumulated, they would inevitably explode at some point.
However, at this moment, Miyuki’s knee pillow seemed to have a magical power, allowing Renji to let down all his guards and vulnerabilities, revealing his weakest side to her.
Miyuki then tenderly stroked his hair and cheeks, urging Renji not to bottle up everything inside. She was willing to take in all his negative emotions, willing to be his haven.
She seemed to prefer a vulnerable and imperfect Ashen over a strong and perfect one. After all, she was a protector.
Because the protected one was not strong enough, that was the very reason for her existence as a “protector”.
Renji felt all his wanderings, confusions, and fears dissipate with Miyuki’s tender caresses, like a continuous spring rain rejuvenating the parched earth, filling him with energy.
Perhaps it was the too comfortable knee pillow, Miyuki’s intoxicating scent, the softness and warmth of her “absolute territory” or something else altogether, but a wave of sleepiness began to sweep over Renji. His eyelids fought each other, and his vision blurred.
Soon, Renji fell into a deep sleep on the elf’s lap.
It seemed Miyuki was waiting for this moment. The elf wings on her back, like butterfly wings, suddenly enlarged, eventually enveloping both of them completely.
….
Meanwhile, in the real world, within the Skull Altar, Renji’s body, engulfed and pulled into the depths by the black swamp, also began to shimmer with elf light. He acted like a massive pump, drawing the altar’s black mire crazily into his body.
This swamp, representing centuries of negative emotions from the Dragon Nation, didn’t enter Renji’s body directly. First, it passed through the dark green barrier from Miyuki’s protection, acting as a filter and purifier, removing impurities and leaving only the purest Miasma to be absorbed by Renji.
Even the central Skull Curse Gem of the altar wasn’t spared, sucked into Renji’s body. The centuries-old bloodline curse first hit Miyuki, then transformed into a more potent force, infused into the young man on the elf’s knee pillow.
In just a few minutes, the massive Tainted Miasma formed over centuries by millions of people, and the cursed altar, were drained dry by Renji and Miyuki.
As a final manifestation of these powers,
A new ability quietly appeared in Renji’s skill bar, which originally had five skills corresponding to “them.” Now, there was a sixth.
After a long sleep, Renji awoke feeling incredibly refreshed, having never had such a comfortable rest.
As he came to his senses, Renji sat up and saw the elven woman still beside him, sighing with relief and then a deeper sigh.
“Have you left already, Miyuki?” he sighed. The elf before him had lost its glow, resembling a soulless shell as in the beginning.
Clearly, the real Miyuki had also disappeared from this space.
Clutching his fists but soon smiling and shaking his head, Renji felt invigorated and confident after enjoying Miyuki’s healing knee pillow. No unknown or obstacle ahead could stop him from finding his wives now! The next time he sees Miyuki, Renji vows to enjoy a real knee pillow in reality, not just in the realm of consciousness.
‘But for now’
Renji pondered how to leave this space. He had been here long enough; it was time to return to reality, where Nova and the others awaited him.
“Huh?”
It was then that Renji noticed something odd about his body. He quickly checked his panel and discovered…
A sixth skill! 𝘦.𝘤𝘰𝑚
[The Touch of Miasma]
[From: ???]
[Rank: Calamity]
[Skill Effect: When unleashed on an Eclipse, utilize the authority of Miasma to reach the deepest part of their psyche, temporarily “materializing” them into a unique Miasma item, usable only by you]
[(Note: The special Miasma items formed by The Touch of Miasma are absolutely unique; their form, abilities, and rank depend on the Eclipse themselves.) ]
After quickly scanning the description, Renji looked at the new ability icon in his skill bar, a gray-brown image resembling a “crown”. He quickly realized that Miyuki must have done something to him while he was asleep.
One thing he was sure of was that this “Touch of Miasma” was not Miyuki’s ability, at least not the power of the elf knight he was familiar with.
Then, naturally, Renji’s thoughts turned to the false Miyuki who had initially “occupied” Miyuki’s body, the dark-skinned elf with tentacles.
Judging by the name of the skill, it seemed more in line with the characteristics of the dark-skinned elf.
So, Renji looked again at the skill effect, particularly at the words “utilize the authority of Miasma”. It seemed to hint at the identity of the skill’s original owner, marked with “???”.
Tentacles, the authority of Miasma, and most importantly, the Calamity Rank.
If, in this world, there was a sixth Calamity Rank being apart from his five wives, it could only be…
———-
Note: To make it simpler, When you use this skill on an Eclipse (a type of being or entity), you can tap into the power of Miasma to deeply affect their mind. This allows you to temporarily transform the Eclipse into a special item made of Miasma. This item is unique and can only be used by you. Essentially, it means turning a being into an item with special properties for a short period.
𝘳𝘦.𝒸𝑜𝘮