BOOOM "I-I broke through again! I am a Semi-Saint now!" "Already? But you just became a Great Sage five years ago." "I-I don’t know! Ever since the Second Mana Apocalypse that ended a week ago, Mana density has become much thicker. I feel like I cultivate as I breathe. Cultivation has never felt easier!" "Indeed, I feel like I am about to break through as well." "You are about to break through!? But you have been stuck at the Semi-Saint Stage for decades now!" "Mhm, I feel like everything that had been holding me back somehow… disappeared. Something changed after the Second Mana Apocalypse." The man replied as he looked out of his window, staring at the crimson sky that hadn’t disappeared since the Second Mana Apocalypse. Yes, for the past two weeks, Yrniel hadn’t experienced any days or nights. It was just this ominous crimson sky that reigned over them all. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 At first, people were scared, worried as to what was about to happen. But the moment they sensed the dense mana in the air and how this density was continuing to increase every single day without slowing down, They started treating the Crimson Sky as a good omen. Something was happening. Yrniel was changing, and it was changing for the better. And these changes… They were far more terrifying than one normally believed. The Semi-Saint Stage Cultivator glanced at the 7-year-old daughter of one of the most prestigious inns in the town, pointing at the crimson sky. "Mother, why is the sky red…?" The little girl questioned innocently. Her mother, who was folding her clothes, smiled at that question and, "You start your cultivation journey today, don’t you? This is Yrniel trying to cheer you up." "Really!?" The little girl’s eyes brightened up. "Yes, you like the color red, don’t you?" "I do! It is so beautiful! The sky looks so beautiful!" "Indeed, Yrniel made the sky beautiful so you will work hard and become the best cultivator." "I will do that!" The little girl nodded excitedly as she took out a cultivation book that her mother gave her. And no, this wasn’t a normal book. It was a Cultivation Method that was previously known as Harakiri. A Path only the Yrniel Heroes and Cultivators from the Order followed. A Path that was notorious for killing one’s potential because of how difficult it is, but now… The Ancestral Order had distributed this Path to everyone in Yrniel, stating that they were about to usher in a New Era, where everyone could be as strong as the Heroes and reach stages far higher than Divine. They even introduced cultivation stages above Divine: Primordial, Transcendent, and then… Eternal. The concept of Laws was introduced—Absolute Laws, Dependent Laws, ways to form these Laws. All sorts of things were revealed. The Cultivation Path, which everyone believed was supposed to end at the Divine Stage, had now become even larger and grander. And the only way one could walk on this Path was to become one of those Harakiri Cultivators, or… the Complete Cultivators. A New Era, An Era where the current Kings and Queens in power, the Incomplete Divines who were known to be Absolute, would become nothing but old-timers with washed-out cultivation. An Era where new, much stronger Cultivators would take over. An Era… of the new Generation of Cultivation. Yrniel would soon plunge into Chaos as everyone would participate in this race for greatness. Kings would be dethroned, lazy nobles would face public rage, and even a common man with nothing in his hands would get a fair chance to change his fate. Something very big was about to happen. And the old cultivators… They looked forward to this change and were intimidated at the same time. … On the other side, at the top of the Sky Castle, Aeliana was sitting in the place Azriel was before he disappeared. She stared at the Crimson Sky, her eyes showing no emotion whatsoever. Yes, for the past two weeks, she had been sitting here, still hoping her father would return. Her father’s little girl still hopelessly believed that her father would return and… She wasn’t alone. Even Yrniel itself was with her, believing the same thing. Even now, Yrniel hadn’t absorbed the energy Azriel had released. The only energy it had absorbed was the one it was forced to, or else it would have dissipated. Yes, the very World was holding the energy, waiting for its protector to return. The Crimson Sky that everyone wondered about—that was all Azriel’s Energy. But… it couldn’t go on for long. Yrniel had already waited for 2 weeks. If it didn’t absorb this energy today, all of it would disperse, and it knew that. Therefore, Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh A Giant Vortex formed in the Sky as Yrniel started absorbing the energy. It had given up, and… It was time for Aeliana to give up as well. Azriel Ruinous would not return. "Aeliana." Nux called out. "…" There was no response. "Are you planning on sitting here forever?" Nux questioned, but once again, Aeliana didn’t respond. "How weak~ I was worried for nothing, eh?" Suddenly, another voice was heard. It was Amaya. Yes, she and everyone else were here as well. They had been silent all this while, but now, Amaya couldn’t hold back anymore. Amaya then glanced at Nux and, "I thought she was like me and was worried for a second, but I guess we are quite different, eh? After all, if I was in her stead, I would have long stopped grieving and would have been planning my revenge instead." "Revenge…?" At those words, Felberta narrowed her eyes. Revenge against whom? She wondered in her head. Was she just saying it for the sake of getting a response out of her? That was one possibility. But, "What are you so surprised about? Are we not going to avenge Lord Azriel?" Amaya questioned as she then glanced at Aeliana and, "I thought we were going after the Seer." "What?" Vyriana’s expression changed. "What did she do?" The Dragon questioned. "Oh, come on now." Amaya spoke in a tone full of mockery, "That woman knows everything, doesn’t she?" Amaya then glanced at the rest and, "Do you really believe… that she didn’t know exactly how her words would push Lord Azriel to his decision?" The instant she said those words, the women’s expressions changed. Even Aeliana’s eyes flickered, and when she saw that, Amaya’s grin widened. "I was thinking of ways to avenge Lord Azriel since she was one of our sisters, but if sitting here for a few years and then forgetting about it was all she is going to do, then I guess I don’t have to bother either." The Devourer then chuckled and, "Who knows? Maybe the Seer also knew that this is how she was going to react, and since she didn’t see any possible downsides, she went with it. How amusing~ Her powers are really convenient, aren’t they?" Once again, the Devourer glanced at Aeliana and, "She even knows who’s just a coward behind all that strong front and can find her targets accordingly. I truly envy that~" And at those words, Aeliana finally reacted. "That is enough." She spoke, glaring at Amaya. A blood spear formed right in front of the Devourer’s neck, ready to rip her apart. Seeing that spear, Amaya smiled. "Good to have you back. Now let’s get to work, shall we? We would need a plan of action, and I really think you will need your new family’s help in this one." The rest of the women, and Nux, smiled at those words, all nodding at Aeliana. None of them—not even Nux—noticed the faint wisp of crimson mist drifting aimlessly through the Outer Space near Yrniel, on the verge of vanishing into nothingness. Flicker But before it could fade completely, it suddenly flickered and disappeared, As if it was teleported away by some foreign, unknown force.