System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Chapter 743: Chapter 743: The Shadow Over Ash

The sky above Ash turned dark long before sunset. A low, deep hum shook the foundations of the estate, rattling the windows and instilling an ice-cold fear in the air.

Ash, Ethan’s branded subordinate, looked up at the firmament with breathless anticipation. Beside him, the group he had been ordered to safeguard watched the heights with pale, distraught faces. Louisa, Ethan’s wife, clenched her hands nervously; her mother, Mary, maintained a rigid posture as she tried to hide her panic, while the maids cowered trembling behind them. Standing a bit further back, Roy, Ethan’s brother-in-law, bit his lip with clenched fists, displaying a clear expression of bitterness and resentment while being closely watched by the shadows.

A colossal fleet emerged from the clouds. Hundreds of Invictus-class warships swept through the skies in perfect formation, flanked by dozens of imposing Impenetrable-class transports. The sheer magnitude of that military force was suffocating—an aerial army capable of crushing any resistance in seconds.

Roy glared at the imposing fleet with bloodshot eyes, silently chewing on his helplessness while the maids stifled sobs of uncertainty.

However, the Death Knights guarding and escorting the group showed not the slightest disturbance. Instead of adopting a defensive stance, the towering armored figures marched in flawless order to the front, thrust their broadswords into the ground, and knelt in unison, bowing their heads in reverence toward the sky.

The air grew as the clouds parted.

Descending majestically at the center of the fleet, a gargantuan vessel eclipsed the sunlight. It was more than ten times larger than any known transport—a colossus of mystic steel and glowing runic arrays dominating the firmament: the Annihilator-class battleship.

Ash swallowed hard and hurriedly bowed deeply alongside the undead warriors, recognizing the approaching aura instantly. Louisa held her breath as the boarding platform of the massive warship began its smooth descent, revealing the imposing silhouette of Ethan returning for them.

Ethan descended calmly down the boarding platform, his amethyst eyes fixed on the gathered group. Behind him, the figures of the two mutilated and unconscious leaders kept under guard by the Death Knights passed unnoticed for a brief moment in the shadow of the young man’s imposing presence.

Ash stared in utter perplexity at the Crimson Sect’s crest engraved on the hulls of the warships serving as escorts. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead as he opened and closed his mouth, unable to process what his eyes were seeing.

"Lord Ethan..." Ash said, his voice trembling as he offered a hurried bow. "Did you... did you manage to subdue the Crimson Sect into handing over their entire war fleet to you?"

Ethan stopped before them and let out a brief, cold laugh.

"There was no need to subdue anyone," Ethan said indifferently, making a slight gesture with his hand toward the main ship. "We simply had no further use for their services. Get on board, it’s time to return to the realm."

Louisa let out a sigh of relief and stepped up beside Ethan, while Mary released a long breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Roy, on his part, averted his gaze while biting his lip in fury; witnessing his brother-in-law’s display of power only made his own helplessness more evident and crushing.

Once everyone boarded the Annihilator-class ship, the massive runic engines roared in unison. The entire fleet turned mid-air and aligned into a majestic escort formation, clearing a path through the clouds as they set course for the realm.

Inside the warship’s luxurious command bridge, the maids gazed in fascination at the passing landscape through the sweeping glass viewports, marvelling at how smoothly the behemoth glided despite its colossal size. In a darkened corner of the chamber, however, the atmosphere remained grim. Ethan sat upon a throne of mystic steel, watching with cold composure as Crul finalized the preparations in mid-air before the two sect leaders, ready to begin extracting their souls before reaching their final destination.

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The ships remained on the surface, blanketing the skies above the ruins of Vel’Kha’Lems’ territory. Ethan did not descend into the catacombs; instead, he waited on the deck while the Death Knights held up the mutilated, bleeding torsos of the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder.

In an instant, the air temperature plummeted drastically. Dark miasma billowed from the depths of the earth until it formed the spectral projection of Vel’Kha’Lems. The powerful lich gazed up at the majestic floating fleet and felt the ice-cold terror that Ethan’s presence always brought him—or rather, the mystery of the unfathomable power backing his young master, which he could not fathom.

Without a second’s hesitation, Vel’Kha’Lems’ projection bowed with profound respect before Ethan.

"Vel’Kha’Lems," Ethan ordered in a cold, dominant voice, looking down at the lich. "Rip out the souls of these two. Execute Soul Extraction and bind their essences to your lich flames so they burn for eternity. I want them to suffer a torment they can never escape."

"As you command, Master," Vel’Kha’Lems answered hurriedly, fearing to displease him.

The lich’s projection raised its withered hands, and a flare of spectral green fire enveloped both men. Amid harrowing, blood-curdling screams that echoed across the surface, their souls were violently torn from their physical bodies and condensed into two agonizing spheres, encircled by the eternal flames of the lich to be tortured for the rest of eternity.

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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

The Melting Tide / The Tidal Horizon / The Sea Mist Ascension

Dao Manifestation Realm

The Incipient Dawn / Laws of the Domain / Reality Shatter

Spiritual Transcendence

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

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Sword mastery levels

Sword Intent.

Sword Aura.

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