Inside Klaus’s soul sea, the golden energy beneath the Pentaface Bead started to surge, a stark contrast to the gentle circulation from a few days ago.
Klaus remained immobile inside the cocoon, with no sign of awakening. Days went by, and the situation in his soul sea continued to change.
On the fifteenth day, however, something remarkable happened. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Klaus’s sword—the one left behind by his father—appeared in his soul sea. The moment it manifested, the door that was halfway opened suddenly widened.
Then, from within the door, the red star flashed, and a wave of powerful energy surged through the door, pouring into the soul sea. The sword vibrated for a brief moment before shooting through the door, heading straight for the star.
The moment it passed through the door, it shut behind it, bringing a sudden calm to the soul sea. The Seal of Slaughter settled, ceasing to release the red energy, and the golden energy also calmed.
But this tranquility lasted only a few days.
On the twenty-first day, the door swung open again, unleashing a sudden wave of terrifying energy that instantly enveloped the entire soul sea.
Roar!
A terrifying roar suddenly erupted from the Pentaface Bead. Afterward, it began to glow with a dark gold hue. At once, the energy pouring from the door started to be absorbed by the bead. This continued for a full twelve hours before it finally calmed down.
By the end of the 14 hours, the bead completely drained the energy that came from the door. The only thing left was the sword—the same sword that had entered Klaus’s soul sea. It now features a dark red blade adorned with intricate markings.
It looked sharp, its edge capable of cutting through the toughest defenses. The hilt remained comfortable, but at the tang—the joint where the blade connects with the hilt—there was now a golden gemstone shaped like a star embedded in.
Then the star glowed, and the golden energy beneath the Pentaface Bead surged toward it. For twelve hours, the star absorbed a great deal of energy before it suddenly vanished from the soul sea. When it next appeared, it hovered before the golden-red cocoon on the outside.
Crack.
A few minutes after the sword appeared, a crack suddenly appeared in the cocoon. The moment it did, a potent energy seeped out and began entering the star gem embedded in the sword.
Another crack appeared, releasing even more potent energy. Soon, many cracks formed, and then the first layer fell away, revealing pure white hair flowing behind an incredibly handsome young man, his eyes closed.
The sword hummed, and the layer of the cocoon that fell vaporized, absorbing into it. The other layers soon followed suit.
Klaus was left seated with all layers of the cocoon now absorbed by the sword.
A day later he opened his eyes.
Deep red eyes snapped open, accompanied by a burst of bloodthirsty aura—the kind that carried the will of death.
It spread through the training hall, even reaching beyond it and enveloping the entire training building. All the grasses around the training building immediately lost their color as the aura swept over them.
Fortunately, there was nobody around; otherwise, they would have collapsed from sheer terror contained within the aura. The aura continued to emanate from Klaus for a few minutes before it finally calmed down.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they had returned to their usual golden hue. An hour later, not a trace of the aura remained around him.
His gaze then shifted to the sword hovering before him and smiled. “Looks like Dad has a few things to tell me once I find him.”
Klaus immediately recognized the sword, its true name, and its nature. He could feel a bond now formed between them. Everything about the sword is now in his mind.
“Celestial Requiem… A good name,” Klaus muttered with a smile. The sword seemed to respond to its name. It shrank and entered his forehead. A sword tattoo appeared for a few seconds before disappearing again.
He took out his phone and looked at the time and date. “Ten more days to go.” He put the phone away and closed his eyes again.
In the next moment, he was back inside his soul sea, a shocked expression on his face.
The soul sea had become larger, and now, instead of nine closed doors, one was open. From within that door, Klaus could feel a powerful energy emanating. The red star was now far back only showing as a small red dot.
The Seal of Slaughter had also grown, filling a larger portion of the sea. As for the Eye of Malevolence, some changes had started to appear. Klaus could tell that these changes would soon become more pronounced.
However, what shocked him even more was the Pentaface Bead; it had undergone whatever upgrade it was undergoing. The runes around it were no more. Just by looking at it, Klaus could tell there was something different yet unrecognizable about it.
He moved closer to it and gently touched it. The moment his hand landed, he felt some information enter his mind. It took just a few seconds, but it left a smile on Klaus’s face.
“Three new skills huh, interesting.” His smile widened.
After withdrawing his hand, he immediately focused his attention on the door, contemplating what to do next. A few seconds later, he began moving toward it, but the senior’s voice stopped him.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Klaus halted and then asked, “Why do you say that, senior?”
“Your soul strength is still not strong enough to resist the pressure. It wasn’t supposed to open until after you began cultivating the Second Paragon Star Diagram. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, it opened ahead of time.
“You can enter after you start cultivating the second Paragon Star Diagram.”
“I see. I guess I should stay away from there for now.” Klaus didn’t want to argue. Had it not been for his past self helping him awaken the Slaughter Aura, he would have indeed exploded.
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The golden energy, along with the Seal of Slaughter, had influenced the awakening. Had he not received a secret absorption technique when he did, he would have indeed died. That scared the hell out of him.
Suddenly, the fire dragon appeared inside his soul sea. It roared and circled around the soul sea for a few seconds before coming to a stop in front of the Pentaface Bead.
“Brat, have you figured out a way to make your dragon absorb the energy?” the senior asked.
“Yes, senior. I can also use the same method to enhance the Slaughter Aura” Klaus replied. “By the way, senior, is the Pentaface Bead also called the Demon Bead?” he asked.
“I can’t answer that,” the senior responded. Klaus smiled slightly. He had to figure things out on his own, at least for now.
Meeting his other self was like a wake-up call for him. He needed to get his affairs in order before the next visit. Although Number Three said he wasn’t ready for anything yet, Klaus knew he had to be ready for anything, after all, there was more to Fruity he hadn’t learned yet.
He formed a couple of hand seals. A diagram appeared beneath the dragon. The golden energy surged and began entering its body. Soon, the dragon was encased in a Golden Cocoon inside the soul sea.
‘Too bad I still haven’t awakened the Forbidden Ice elements yet’ He sighed inwardly. Had he awakened them, he would have been able to use the golden energy to increase their strength and even the Ice Lotus.
Klaus waited a few more seconds, carefully watching the dragon. Seeing nothing wrong, he left the soul sea. On the outside, he formed another seal, and the golden energy soon started to be absorbed by him.
For the next three days, he absorbed the energy. Then, a few hours into the third day, the dragon’s roar echoed across the soul sea.
“Finally…” Klaus smiled. He stood up and left the training hall.