WHOOSH
Dorian clenched his fists, feeling a sense of power, of raw might filling his veins. His body was covered in a hard, metallic and crystal shell, shaped like armor.
He was in his Balance Demon form.
As he looked out at the world around him, he felt as if he could feel everything so much clearer. Especially the two Laws he'd studied so far, the Law of Wrath and the Law of Valor.
–
Dorian – Soul Status
Soul Stage: Lord Class (Pseudo-King)
Health: Perfect
Energy: 101,878/101,878
–
"Hahaha!" He laughed out loud as he looked at his stats. His power had jumped enormously. The boost from upgrading his physical form to a Balance Demon, plus the power he absorbed from the Laws of the Universe to enrich his Soul, had pushed his basic energy levels to roughly the minimum requirement to reach Pseudo-King Class.
"I'm still nowhere close to reaching official King Class." He noted but shrugged. To reach King Class, it didn't matter how powerful your soul got. The main thing that separated the two classes was one's understanding of at least one Law.
Taemin, the half-diamond human that studied Diamond Magic, had an abnormally powerful energy level, one that was equal to many King Class Wizards, yet was still Lord Class.
"Actually, that's a good point." Dorian muttered, focusing.
"I'm studying two Laws right now. The Law of Wrath and the Law of Valor. I don't have anything to guide me, but by focusing on the mystical energy that I can sense, I can slowly gain a better understanding for each." He talked his plan aloud, nodding,
"However… during my time in the Ascension Ruins, I distinctly remember sensing two other Laws, two other sources of mystic energy."
Dorian's Jade Memory would not allow him to forget anything. Thanks to this, Dorian could accurately recall the exact type of energy and sensation each of those two Laws.
"Hmm." Dorian paused, going over the sensations.
"Groan…" Dorian's thoughts were interrupted, however, by Helena's moans. He turned around with a worried expression, looking at the tree she was resting on.
Her face was covered with a sheen of sweat. Her appearance was physically withered, as if she were much, much older. Dorian jogged over, looking down at her with concern. His heart twisted as he saw her condition, wanting nothing other than for her to be healthy.
"Damn it…" He muttered, unhappy. If he found Pills that could help treat injuries to the Soul, he could speed up the healing process. But, right now, they were in the middle of who-knows-where. He'd already given her literally every Pill he had that he thought might help, and everything in her own Spatial Ring as well.
After a moment's thought, Dorian withdrew several sets of clothes from his Spatial Ring. He then gently lifted up Helena's body and spread the clothes out, forming a more comfortable makeshift bed.
'Next time, I'm definitely bringing pillows and blankets in my Spatial Ring.' He nodded his head. According to Helena, several of her subordinates had tents and blankets in their Spatial Rings, but she herself hadn't carried anything of the sort.
He softly set her body down, letting her rest. He then looked around, making sure nothing was in sight.
"Alright." He whispered quietly as he turned around and sat at the base of the tree, his body physically guarding Helena.
"I need to let her rest. We can start moving and searching for somewhere to find Soul Healing Pills later. For now… Let's look into these two new Laws." His eyes flashed.
He had already grown much stronger, but there was no reason to stop now. He would grow as powerful as possible. Absolutely nothing would stop him anymore, not when it came to achieving his goals.
'Nothing!' He clenched his fists before forcing himself to calm down.
'Alright. Calm down… now… those two sources of energy… let's focus on the first one…'
'I first sensed this mystical source of energy when I was greedily absorbing every single Artifact I could get my hands on, in an almost mad rush.' Dorian's Jade Memory called to mind the exact moment when he felt the flow of energy.
As Dorian remembered it exactly, from out of seemingly nowhere, Dorian once more felt that same sense of mystic energy. As soon as he felt it, Dorian sensed it resonate with the Law of Wrath.
The energy was powerful and vitriolic. It was overwhelming and at the same time weak, fluctuating between the two. It gave Dorian a sense of need, a desire to take any and everything in sight and protect it as his own.
"Grrr…" Dorian's arms abruptly flashed with dark green light as the Laws of the Universe flowed heavily around him. His Balance Demon form was uniquely suited to allow this energy to meld around him, the energy from the Law of Valor and Law of Wrath that was always present within him not clashing.
"I can feel it… I can sense it…" He muttered aloud, concentrating fiercely. This was the Power of Law.
"The Law of Greed." He muttered, his eyes widening as an epiphany came upon him.
The dark green light that was surrounding Dorian suddenly bursts into the air, stirring the environment around him with greedy energy. The Laws of the Universe seemed to fluctuate.
Dorian felt his soul greedily devour this green light, almost in delight as the energy washed over him.
For the third time, Dorian was experiencing a baptism of the Laws of the Universe.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Did you feel that?" A Shade wearing a full set of grey plated armor turned to his comrade as they scanned through a forest of trees, looking to his left and right. On his back was a large white sword and a set of throwing knives.
"Feel what, Anthone?" The other Shade wore an identical set of armor, with the same white sword and throwing knives on his back. Each of them wore a helmet, obscuring their facial features.
"I sensed something happening for a moment Tinor, distantly in that direction." Anthone said, pointing to a direction in the forest off.
The other Shade, Tinor, shrugged, looking in the pointed direction.
"Your guess is as good as mine. The Duke's got every Hunter Squad on alert, combing the Eastern Worlds. I doubt we'll be the ones to find the target." He said aloud, shrugging again.
Duke Orbit, the Shadow Duke of the East, was known for his slothful and jovial nature. In terms of power and authority, however, he ruled with an iron fist. He had established his own army, with a large, spread out force of 'Hunter Squads' stationed on every single World he controlled. Each Hunter Squad contained several Lord Class Wizards and warriors, the minimum requirement to be accepted, and was in charge of overall enforcement of the law on any particular World.
The Duke had 4 Head Hunters, each in charge of roughly 40 Hunter Squads. Each Head Hunter was a powerful King Class Wizard, adept in Magic and combat.
The Easternmost Worlds were shielded from other Dukes and foreign enemies. Largely as a result, most Hunter Squads weren't ideally equipped for combat beyond fighting against criminal Shades or bandit gangs.
"Still… Let's go check it out. Be prepared to send up the warning signal should we find the target." The Shade's eyes flashed as he moved forward towards the disturbance.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
The sensation of the energy that flowed around Dorian, baptizing his soul, was incredibly enjoyable to feel. It was pure ecstasy to Dorian's mind, as if his soul had been cramped for a long time and was now stretching, becoming fully comfortable.
"Amazing…" Dorian felt the energy keenly, sensations running through his mind.
The Law of Greed. A Law that centered around the concept of greed, a desire for something, a desperate need for something that one does not have. It was a mystic Law, one that was hard to understand, one of the Great Seven Laws of the Demon Race.
Dorian didn't know exactly what all the Law did, not yet. He did gain an innate understanding of the basics of the Law, however, knowledge flooding into his mind.
The Law of Wrath was a full, frontal Law focusing on offense. Conversely, the Law of Greed was similar to the Law of Pride. It focused on enhancing its user's strength, making them more directly powerful.
However, instead of enhancing the body like the Law of Pride, the Law of Greed enhanced the soul.
WHOOSH
Dorian could keenly feel the Law starting to take effect, the energy that flowed into his soul making it tougher and more durable, able to handle more stress and use. The Law also had the side effect of strengthening his mentality and mental toughness. A more powerful soul was associated with a stronger personality and a more powerful will, though this wasn't always the case.
The Law of Greed was the chosen Law for Wizards of the Demon Race, making them able to handle stronger Spells in addition to strengthening their normal Spells.
"Ahh…" The baptism of the Law of Greed finished its main effects in a few short moments, similar to how the baptism from the Law of Wrath had taken place. Dorian, however, chose to focus on its effects for several minutes, feeling the powerful energy run through him and help him understand the Law more.
Finally, after several minutes, Dorian pulled his focus away from the Law of Greed.
He now sent his Jade Memory back once more, centering on the memory of the other Law he had sensed.
"I might as well do both right now." He nodded.
His memories showed him a scene where he was looking on as Arial bravely sacrificed her life to gravely injure Veritas, blocking Dorian and protecting him. She gave up everything to save him.
In that moment, as she faced death, she had truly repented for the wrongs she had committed.
Dorian was not her judge, nor her arbiter. But upon seeing that, his heart had stirred. Without a shred of hesitation, Dorian forgave her for her betrayal and leaving him for dead.
And right there, as that moment passed, Dorian had sensed a source of mystical energy. A Law.
Dorian called to mind that specific feeling once more, using his Jade Memory to great effect.
And, once more, he found that source of mystical energy appear in his senses.
Dorian immediately put his focus on it, like he had for the Law of Greed.
Bright blue light flashed around Dorian as energy from this mystical source appeared and flowed around his arms. This energy was a cool, formidable type of energy, filling his mind and soul with a sense of righteous strength. It boiled with power but held its calm at the same time.
Knowledge flooded into Dorian's mind as he realized what Law this was.
The Law of Mercy.
A concept that centered around forgiving an enemy or target of their transgressions and sparing them, showing them benevolence and forgiveness. A complex Law that was known by very few. In fact, in the entire 30,000 Worlds, the only current group that had active practitioners of the Law of Mercy were some of the cloistered Holy Monasteries in the Western half of the 30,000 Worlds, within the Borrel Autarchy.
"It's like the Law of Wrath…" Dorian muttered around as he came to an epiphany.
Like the Law of Wrath, the Law of Mercy was a Law that focused on attack power. It granted the User's attacks powerful strength and impact, enhancing his Spells or strikes.
WHOOSH
Energy gathered around Dorian once more as the Laws of the Universe reacted.
And, once more, for the second time within the past hour, and the fourth time in total, Dorian experienced a baptism of the Laws of the Universe.
This time, the local area where Dorian was resting seem to come alive with energy. While a single baptism of the Laws would only have a short effect on the surroundings, a second one happening right after the first caused the entire environment to fluctuate with energy.
These waves of energy were hard to detect by even powerful experts due to their abstruse nature. Unless one practiced the same Law that baptism was for, they would not be easily detected. However, anyone that was within the vicinity of the effect would still sense something odd.
As Dorian sat, concentrating intently on soaking in the feeling for the Law of Mercy, he completely missed a few movements in the forest a few hundred meters away.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"I'm telling you, Tinor, I really think I felt something. Something that affected the nearby world through the Laws of the universe." Anthone led Tinor forward as they jogged through the trees. They had been running for several minutes now, headed towards a specific direction.
"Well, I've felt nothing." Tinor responded, the grey armor he wore jostling uncomfortably as he continued,
"And honestly, we've only been searching for a day. There's no chance that we fi-" Just as he was continuing, however, the other Shade held up a fist, silencing Tinor.
"Quiet! I can sense it again! Right there!" Anthone broke into a sprint as he dashed into a small clearing, his eyes wide. A powerful, Lord Class Aura full of Darkness burst around him as he charged at a spot just beyond the clearing.
Tinor ran behind, another Aura of Darkness flowing around him as he followed. A pair of throwing knives appeared in his hand as his eyes grew steely, ready to attack if need be.
Their orders were to subdue their target if possible. The description of the target had been scant. They were only told that the Hunter's Sigil that each Hunter wore around their neck would glow brightly when they found him or her.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
WHOOSH
The baptism for the Law of Mercy was even faster than the one for the Law of Greed. Unlike Greed, the Law of Mercy sank into his soul quickly with little fanfare, not powering it up too much. As an attacking Law, it could only slowly add to the strength of his soul as his understanding of it grew.
Dorian let the feeling of the Law flow over him, however, reveling in the ecstasy he felt each time he experienced this. It was incredibly pleasurable and almost indescribably enjoyable.
In the midst of this, however, Dorian felt more than heard movement happening, just in front of him. He frowned, just barely able to shift enough of his attention away to open his eyes.
The treeline in front of him was rustling as something or someone moved through it, heading right towards him. The creature covered the distance in an instant, moving at a breakneck speed.
Dorian's eyes widened as he saw this. He kept the epiphany of the Law of Mercy still fresh in his mind, however, not wanting to waste any of the experience, keeping his main focus on the Law.
The creature burst from the treeline into view.
"Huh?!"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"It's right here!" Anthone leapt forward, drawing the large sword on his back as he ran past one last tree, going on guard. The air around him fluctuated with power as his Aura burst forth without pause.
Tinor landed on the ground right behind him, throwing daggers at the ready as the duo looked at a being lying on the ground right in front of them.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Dorian stared at the creature that had come into view.
"Is that a deer?"
An odd being appeared in Dorian's eyesight. A deer that appeared to be made out of green grass, with a mane composed of some type of pink plant, and horns made out of the stalk of roses, ending with the various heads of roses that dripped nectar made of light onto the ground around it. A majestic, unusual looking being.
(Image – https://i.imgur.com/vvsN8e3.jpg )(Doesn't Open In App)
In his head, Ausra identified the creature for him.
'This appears to be a Solar Garden Deer, an organism composed of various types of mystical plants that have come to life through the mystical Laws of the Universe, transforming into a single, homogeneous being.'
"Huh." Dorian stared at it.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Anthone looked down at what was before him in disappointment, his Aura retracting.
He then turned and exchanged glances with a grinning Tinor.
"Well, it looks like you found something."
Anthone glared at Tinor and then turned around in frustration.
"Come on. Let's keep looking."
Tinor laughed as he turned around too, shaking his head as he took one last glance behind him.
At where a large, Grandmaster Class Grass Pig had just given birth to a set of triplets. Grass Pigs were a rare beast found in the forest they were searching, especially those at the Grandmaster Class.
This current pig was glaring at the two Shades that had just burst into view, its hackles raised as it snarled at them, covering up its newborn young.
"Hahaha, you know what, Anthone, there is one thing I think we've learned from this." Tinor said as he jogged away from the pig, catching up to his friend.
"Yeah?" Anthone grunted in response.
"It's just like your marriage." Tinor said, still grinning.
"Go on." Anthone's voice was dangerously calm.
"You've got quite the eye for finding pigs."
"You bastard!"
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
'The deer was most likely drawn here by the fluctuations in the world around you from your Law baptisms. Fluctuations like this more commonly appear from the appearance of Natural Treasures or rare Magic Herbs, or when powerful beasts with Soul Spell Matrixes at the Grandmaster Class or above give birth.'
"Oh. Well, that's a relief. I thought someone that was hunting us might've found us or something." Dorian muttered out loud, his heart calm.
"I guess that would be far too convenient, though, huh?" He shrugged.
As he looked at back at the deer, he noticed that there was a large, black arrow pierced into its back. This arrow seemed to have badly injured the deer, shot by someone hunting it.
The deer took a few more jogging steps towards Dorian before finally slipping and tumbling down, falling to the ground dead. The deer must've spent the last of its energy trying to reach the energy fluctuations Dorian was giving off.
Dorian looked at it with pity but shook his head. He could not save everyone in existence. If he tried to save the life of every squirrel and spider, every human and Aethman that he found, he would make it nowhere.
"Oi Salma! Its tracks lead here!"
"Keep chasing it, Jasol! The deer should be close to death!"
In the background, Dorian heard two youthful voices call out, yelling to each other.
His eyes flashed.
It seemed he would still be meeting someone after all.
.
