Chapter 1628: A Talk With A Venerable

[Venerable Enlightened Senses], a "strange" ability I had developed on my battle against Gluttony. Something I was only able to draw out when I set my mind into winning no matter what, no matter how hard it would be.

In that moment, I felt like my very consciousness expanded everywhere all at once. I was no longer restrained to my body, nor my soul. It was as if I could expand my intent, my very sense of self!

Because my mind was not restrained anymore, I was able to do much more, more than just my nine heads allowed me, or as many damned heads as I could grow through my shapeshifting abilities.

It was something that vastly surpassed all of that and reached even higher. And apparently, Gluttony knew about that. He knew that whatever was I using had a name.

A special ability that it seems, can only be developed by Venerables!

The ability to expand one's soul and mind to unleash as many techniques as their divine power and mana allowed, no longer restrained by casting time, or even thinking.

Before, I had to think when I used any ability. I had to put time within my mind, I had to conjure things, activate them and then set an area where I would want them to reach.

However, this completely changed everything.

All abilities activated at once, all of them.

It created an endless rain of attacks, never-ending!

Gluttony, who was overwhelming me tremendously before, succumbed against an endless and relentless wave of attacks.

There was no time in between them, no thought, no nothing.

It was as if my Senses knew exactly where all attacks should go, and that there wasn't any need to think, it was like...

Like an instinct?

An instinct to attack, to move.

Something that was born from the depths of my very soul.

"The ability I developed..." I said, looking at my own hands. "I think it might be the next step."

"The next step?" System wondered, her eyes widening. "But you haven't even gotten an Ascendancy Law yet!"

"I know... But it's possible. I mean... I think one of the secrets of becoming a Venerable is creating a harmony between body, mind, and soul." I explained her. "And in that very moment, it was as if all became one. Maybe because I was only my soul there, it became much easier to achieve."

"I-I see..." She started to analyze what I said. "In that moment, how did you feel?"

"I felt like... I was water." I explained. "I-I don't know if there's any other explanation."

"...Water?" She wondered.

"Yeah..." I nodded, conjuring a small amount of water using the Ruler of the Ocean Divine Ability. "It felt like I flowed like water, unrestrained. My mind, instead of being centered within a single point, or many little points, was the entirety of this sphere of water."

"..." She continued looking and nodding.

I controlled the sphere of water as I expanded it into waves across the air.

"And like this, my mind expanded. Reaching farther and farther. It was as if I could see, look, taste, ear, and smell everywhere. My mind was in every single place, every inch, every centimeter..." I explained. "Therefore, as long as my mind was there, any spell or divine ability was conjured almost instantly, and without delay or need to ever think about it."

"Huh..." She nodded. "Interesting. What did you feel when you went through it?"

"I don't know... I felt free. Like I was finally releasing all the power I had, completely. In that moment, all my power came out, instantly, without delay." I said. "All my Divine Abilities, all my attacks, all of everything."

"That's how Venerables fight."

Suddenly, another voice echoed behind us, as we were sitting above a grassland hill, someone appeared. It was the Ice Queen, looking at us with a slight smile.

"So you were able to get to Rank 4? You won again." She laughed. "Impressive, this is the first time a Demon King has been able to not only resist but overcome their own sin's impulses and urges by beating them in a duel."

"Oh, it's you." I smiled. "Were you hearing what we talked about."

"Yes, partially." She nodded. "So it seems that you were able to achieve something you shouldn't, huh? I don't know why, but this doesn't surprise me as much as it should. You're a unique existence after all, Drake."

"That Enlightenment Senses ability..." I said. "You had it too, right?"

"But of course. It is the first ability most Venerables achieve, but also the one we grow as we develop." She explained. "Some call it "The Power of Heaven", as it is believed to be the same strength the Ancient Gods held. It is an ability that allows Venerables to be unmatched."

"Unmatched, huh..." I wondered.

"Nonetheless, in the past, no Venerables existed at full strength. Each one died way before the new one came." She explained. "Although we've fought many powerful foes even as Venerables, none could compare to us... But that's about to change soon. Once Fate fully shatters, all Venerables will revive on their own ways. An event never seen before, what do you think is going to happen in Yggdrasil when the ambitions and powers of all those that once stood at the pinnacle of the world clash against one another?"

"War... Total destruction." I sighed.

"Indeed." She nodded. "We and the fox might be our allies, but that's not going to be the same thing for the rest. Even the Flame Venerable, although he acts friendly somewhat, he'll probably try to kill us all anyways. Even those that were believed to be good people will come after us. They will all kill one another so they can reach even further beyond their former ranks. They want to reach the Realm beyond a Venerable, to become the supreme beings of Yggdrasil."

"So it isn't only Oberon, huh?" I wondered.

"Oberon might be the most destructive and ambitious of them all, and the first one ever. But many of the others might share most of his ambitions as well." She answered. "Although I am fairly sure none of them would be willing to destroy the world for their own goals, they would gladly kill."

"..." I gripped my fists tightly. "This Ability I have discovered... Even without an Ascendancy Law, can I further develop it a bit more? In these last three weeks I have?"

"We can give it a shot." She nodded. "But I'll need you to be both attentive and intelligent, my dear friend. This is not going to be an easy training. I'll impart upon you a bit of my knowledge. I want to prepare you for the insanity you'll attempt once this break is over. Fighting pandemonium, a calamity that predates the times of Oberon is an insane thing by itself, but winning, feels completely impossible, even with all your powers."

"So it's useless no matter what, huh..." I sighed.

"No, not really." She said. "Actually, you could win."

"Huh?" I looked into her eyes.

She wasn't joking.

"Gluttony, your Dragon King Powers, your Dragon Bloodlines, your Divine Abilities, your Divinities, everything you have... If you use everything and go even beyond that." She said. "I can see it; I can sense it... It is a change, a chance below one percent, which you'll have to grasp with everything you have, Drake."

"Please, help me... Teach me!" I asked her.

"I shall." She nodded. "We'll make that one percent... a fifty percent."