NOVEL NEXT Chapter 534: Power up [2]
The Competition of Kingdoms had followed one strict tradition since its inception many years ago, and that was providing a mansion for the monarchs, ensuring their stay was comfortable.
King Dracos had diligently followed this tradition even though he didn't necessarily get along well with the other monarchs, even going as far as constructing mansions suitable for another dragon race.
One such avenue was the mansion where the Light Monarch and the fighters resided. The mansion was made of concrete and metal, and it covered over 200 square meters, rising three stories high with towering spires and reinforced crystalline windows that glowed faintly at night.
Inside a beautifully adorned chamber, on a queen-size bed with silk sheets, a little girl of about ten years slept with a peaceful expression on her innocent face, her breath rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
Beside the bed, the Light Monarch stood with a solemn expression as he watched his daughter's face.
"She should have won the fight. What really happened inside that dome?" Thomas muttered to himself, a somewhat lost expression on his face. According to his calculations, even if Kawl was powerful with Lumi's hidden skills, he should've suffered defeat.
"That's what should have happened." His eyes narrowed slightly. "He knew he was about to lose and decided to obstruct our view with that dome. He used a skill he didn't want anyone else to see. I knew there was something special about that kid."
Thomas paused in his train of thought and muttered aloud, his tone frustrated, "If only I knew what happened..."
The only person who could give him the answers was fast asleep. Since yesterday, however, he wasn't worried, as Lumi was very much alive and had been attended to by a powerful dragon healer.
Thomas had been standing in this spot for hours now. He didn't even attend the competition today as there was no need. The only people that made the competition exciting were his daughter and Kawl.
Soon, the sunlight streamed through the windows on the south side of the massive room, followed by a faint breeze that carried a sweet lavender scent.
Lumi's nose twitched at that moment as the scent hit her. Her eyes fluttered; it seemed as if she was having some difficulty opening them, but finally, they opened.
The little girl looked around with a confused gleam in her eyes, momentarily disoriented, not recognizing the room. It was only a couple of seconds after seeing the worried man—whose brows were furrowed—standing beside her that she calmed down.
"Father," she said, sniffed, and two thin lines of tears fell from her eyes.
"Hey, heh, don't cry. You're still young. You'll definitely win the competition next time." The Light Monarch said as he hurriedly tried to clean the tears, which seemed unending.
"No, no, that's not what I'm angry about." Lumi tried to sit up on the bed, and her father Thomas helped her.
"Then what is it?" he asked, wiping her chubby cheeks.
"I... I had the amulet, just like you said, but... but..." Lumi tried to speak between breaths. Thomas stroked her back while saying, "Calm down, say one word at a time."
Lumi inhaled and exhaled, sniffed a couple of times before looking at her father with a guilt-ridden gaze.
"Alright, now go ahead. Tell me everything that transpired inside that dome."
---
Inside the Frostpire Royal Castle, Nox stared at the system screen with a serious expression, his previous excitement reined in.
"Alright, let's go with the Light Construct."
[Ding!]
A new screen popped out before him:
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Original Skill: Celestial Core Construct
Summons a humanoid entity of hyper-condensed light. Follows up to 10 commands per day, nullifies a total of 10 elemental attacks per activation, and relies on mental focus.
MP Cost: 120 MP | Duration: 5 minutes | Cooldown: 10 minutes
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10x Upgraded: Seraphic Ascension: Deus Machina Veritas
A divine construct formed from crystallized radiance. Resizes at will, executes limitless commands, adapts in battle, and auto-learns enemy patterns. Can act independently and wields various light weapons.
Special Skill: Absolute Edict – freezes enemies for 3 seconds.
MP Cost: 600 MP (summon) Cooldown: 15 minutes
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Nox saw the details, and his eyes glinted. This was just like having another summon. Lumi's skill seemed limited to only 10 command at a time, but in the upgraded version, it was no different from a sentient being—and the number of orders it could take was limitless.
Furthermore, it could also change size, which was a game changer. Towering allies were good and struck fear into the hearts of enemies, but they weren't compatible with all battlefields.
The size manipulation effect of the skill eradicated this flaw.
"Let's test you out," Nox's eyes glinted as he activated the skill. The same phenomenon that had occurred when Lumi used the skill back in the arena repeated itself.
Following a burst of radiant white sparks, the light construct began to take shape, its form majestic and imposing. It grew gradually and only stopped when its head bumped into the ceiling of the chamber. Even though the construct was over 3 meters tall, the ceiling of the room was relatively far from the ground.
The light construct was much more muscular compared to Lumi's version for some reason, and its mask was golden, engraved with runes. Nox didn't know what they meant.
Its stiff features were much more discernible compared to its previous appearance, now that Nox had upgraded it.
"Shrink," Nox commanded. The construct nodded, and its body slowly shrank until it stopped after reaching its new master's height.
At such close range, Nox was able to take a better look at the construct. For each second the skill remained active, mana was absorbed. Nox had a pretty large mana pool, so he didn't mind.
For the next few seconds, he decided to play with his construct.
"A skill that can create a construct with intelligence..." Nox muttered after a series of commands.
During this time, he discovered that the construct was mute, and its skin was solid. Nox didn't know how to gauge its strength, but he figured that for the skill to be at the Ultimate Tier, the construct's combat power would be just as overwhelming.
Because of the limited space, he didn't test its combat abilities yet and instead moved forward to the final skill left.
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Original Skill: [Purple Starlight Flame] (Advanced)
Summons a brilliant purple flame infused with cosmic energy. Burns through elemental resistance and weakens dark barriers.
Effect: Applies Starlit Burn – 5% max HP true damage over 5 seconds. Reveals hidden enemies.
MP Cost: 90 MP | Duration: 10 sec | Cooldown: 15 sec
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10x Upgraded: [Celestial Starlight Inferno] (Ultimate)
A mythical, sentient flame born from collapsed constellations and divine essence. Devours matter, magic, and spirit—and grows stronger with each soul or spell consumed, increasing in size and intensity.
Effect: Ignores all resistances, burns concepts, and cannot be extinguished.
Special Effect [1] – Heavenfall Nova:
Calls down a massive starlit comet. Traps enemies in stasis, detonates in waves, and creates a Cosmic Deadzone where casting and regen are disabled.
Special Effect [2] – Starshard Remnant:
Enemies slain by the Inferno leave behind a Starshard Remnant, an AoE hazard that explodes after 3 seconds for massive true damage.
MP Cost: 300 MP/sec Cooldown: 1 hour
[Do you wish to claim this skill or bestow it to a pet?]
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