Chapter 322: Let The Ball Roll (3)
[A/N: This Chapter is long af.] đ
The first eruptions of power came from the twins⌠then Katherine⌠then everyone else who had grown tired of the calm facade on display in the Eternal Masque.
And⌠not all of their actions were stemmed from productive thoughts.
In fact, most werenât as only half of them truly were moving with a purpose.
This was all because of Nia, before they all separated, she proposed a simple agreement.
Half of the harem would go on their journeys to pursue their goals, and the other half would stay near AshâŚ. much like Katherine brought up before.
They no longer needed to pursue cultivation in the normal sense, aside from ranking their powers up⌠so, why wouldnât they intend to spend more time with Ash?
And surprisingly⌠she chose to travel along with Vaeloria.
She thought if she finished everything quickly, she could return to Ash without a single worry left in her heart. Not just that, her goal was perhaps the easiestâŚ
So, she would help Vaeloria destroy some things before coming backâŚ
And with all of them finally begun acting⌠chaos truly began.
â-
Aurelia and Aurora remained in the eastern section of the realm, untouched by the chaos rippling through the other sections.
The cultivators around them paid the commotion no mind.
Outbursts like these were hardly unusualâflareâups of power and pride was normal. Everyone knew the tension would eventually cool; it always did.
Well⌠thatâs what they thought at the least.
Here, the masquerade clung stubbornly to its ploy of grace.
Silk masks glittered, dancers kept their measured steps, and conversations flowed like nothing was amiss. Yet beneath the elegance, whispers spread through the crowdâspeculation about the factions behind the distant explosions.
Still, no one dared break the rhythm or acknowledge the cracks forming in the illusion.
Aurelia stood looking at the crowed, she nudged Aurora and spoke.
âNow then,â she said, âletâs begin.â
Her eyes glowed with molten gold as she extended her hand toward the distant horizon. Flames gathered at her fingertipsâ they were subtle, refined, and impossibly controlled.
The Eternal Masqueâs night sky shimmered above them, as the stars continued to hang as chandeliers.
Aurora watched her mother with interest as she had her own ideas beginning to form.
âSo, youâre targeting the Smoldering Kin first?â
Aurelia smiled. âRight⌠Theyâre the ones tied to the Fourth Dimension.â She said as she flicked her wrist.
âLike I said before, the Flame Parasites are merely their rivals⌠and their favorite punching bags.â
A thread of flame shot across the realmâso thin and elegant that it traveled unnoticed until the moment it would reach its target.
FWOOOSH!
â-
The Smoldering Kinâs section of the Eternal Masque sat on a raised obsidian platform.
They wore mask of different features, but the leader he had a mask carved in volcanic motifsâand his presence radiated a heat that made nearby guests keep a respectful distance.
And⌠they were already tense.
The tension of the smoldering kin had been bubbling since the moment Aurelia, disguised in a different face and voice, had whispered her carefully crafted rumors into the right ears.
They stood together speaking as they all watched select figures spread out amongst the crowd.
âKeep your eyes on the Parasites,â the leader spoke, his voice like grinding coal. âI heard theyâve been gathering building allies for a strike.â
Another scoffed. âOf course they have. They think we donât know what theyâre planning.â
A third leaned in, mask glowing faintly. âThey think they can distract us long enough here, so they can invade our home universe.â
The others stiffened and frowned at such nonsense.
âParasites will always be parasites,â someone muttered. âTheyâve already plotted against our dimensional flames for cycles⌠but I highly doubt they would be dumb enough to take such a risk tonight.â
They all turned subtly toward the Flame Parasitesâ section. Usually, they wouldnât know where or whom they wereâŚ
But with Aureliaâs help⌠they had them in right before their eyes.
Masked figures draped in flickering, corrosive patterns, their movements sharp and predatory.
Using the subnexus⌠she learned about the remarks of each of these members. The Smoldering Kin and Flame Parasites both were here to gain allies.
Aurelia knowing this⌠had simply poured oil on an already burning fire.
One of the Smoldering Kin narrowed his eyes.
âTheyâre watching us tooâŚ. Somethingâsââ
FWOOOM!!!
BOOOM!!!!!!!!!
A blast of flame detonated in their midst.
It wasnât ordinary fire⌠no, Aurelia she was the Goddess of Flames. Much like how Ash could attain any race at a glanceâŚ
She could manipulate her fire to hold any property.
And this flame in specific, it carried the Parasitesâ signature corrosive twistâ a spiraling, acidic burn that ate through masks and armor.
âAGHHH!!!!!!!â
Several Smoldering Kin shrieked as the blast ripped through their ranks, hurling bodies backward and scattering molten embers across the polished stone floor.
The music only swelled in response, as though the musicians had been waiting for the eastern side of the hall to erupt.
Guests standing nearby activated their defensive artifacts with casual flicks of the wrist, shimmering barriers blooming around them like second skins.
They didnât runâŚ. Why would they?
Fleeing would defeat the entire purpose of attendingâbeyond forging alliances or provoking new rivalries, half the appeal of such gatherings was witnessing how these clashes resolved.
And besides, every attendee here possessed strength enough to survive far worse.
So, when Aureliaâs flames roared to life, the crowd simply watchedâintent, unblinking, calculating.
Some watched maybe⌠a little too intently.
ââ
Across the hall, every Flame Parasite went still.
Eyes narrowed behind their masksâŚ.
âThat wasnât us,â one hissed, voice thin with disbelief.
âSomeoneâs framing us,â another growled, already shifting their stance.
But before any of them could reactâ
Aureliaâs second flame was already streaking through the air.
This one mimicked the Smoldering Kinâs own dimensional heat.
It was compact, shimmering flame that bent gravity around itself, pulling the world inward as it flew.
It struck the Parasitesâ cluster with merciless accuracyâslamming directly into the one who had spoken of being framed.
CRACKâ!!!
BOOOOM!!!!
Space folded in on itself, then detonated outward in a violent collapse. The implosion crushed several Parasites instantly, their bodies dragged inward before bursting into fragments of light and ash.
The survivors staggered back, masks cracked, with fury burning in their eyes.
âDi⌠Dimensional Flames?â
âPathetic!!!â
The two factions erupted simultaneously.
FWOOSH!!!!!!
CRACK!!!!!!
Corrosive flame whipped across the ballroom in sweeping arcs, eating through the air with a hiss that made even seasoned cultivators tense up.
Dimensional heat followed, warping space itselfâ bending platforms, causing pathways to twistâŚ
The two factions caused the entire eastern section to ripple nonstop.
High above it all, Aurelia hovered with a serene, almost playful smile.
Her fingers moved in the faintest, most delicate gesturesâbarely-there flicks that nudged trajectories, redirected blasts, and ensured every faction took equal damage.
She wasnât fighting; she was simply being a conductor.
Aurora watched her motherâs handiwork, eyes narrowing with interest.
âHmm, how about I give it a shot?â
Aureliaâs smirk deepened, pleased.
âHehe, thatâs what I like to hear. Go onâshow me what youâve got.â
The musical symbols in Auroraâs eyes spun like turning gears, reflecting the ballroomâs fractured light.
She glanced at the guestsâthose who still stood calmly behind their shimmering barriers, observing the chaos as if it were part of the entertainment.
Then her voice shifted inward, soft and mental.
âHey, Elysia⌠where should I begin my journey?â
[Hmm⌠do you see that woman in the purple and black dress? Scan her.]
â
[Isis Tiamara
Age â 4,230 Years Old
Race â Eternal Cycle Dragon (Dragon Bloodline of Infinite Continuum (Transcendent))
Rank â Early Transcendent
Remarks â Previous Champion of ElarisâŚ. Daughter of the Ninth Dragon Progenitor. Currently looking to enter the Third Dimension in search for her mother.]
â-
âIsnât Elariââ
[Correct. I think you should help her⌠This wonât advance the creation of your system, but it will save your father some time.]
Auroraâs lips curved into a bright, almost innocent smile at the whisper in her mind. She turned toward Aurelia, voice light and melodic.
âMother Aury⌠it seems Iâll be heading into the Third Dimension.â
As she said it, her gaze slid toward a member of the Eternal Sins. If Aurelia had taught her anything, it was that chaos is more enjoyable when you let others walk willingly into their own destruction.
Hum
Hum
Hum
She released three soft notesâsimple on the surface yet seamlessly woven into the ballroomâs escalating music.
AndâŚ. they werenât notes at all, not truly.
Just as Aurelia could sculpt flame with a thought, AuroraâGoddess of Musical Creationâcould bend sound, rhythm, and the very fabric of creation itself.
And if Isis Tiamara was searching for a way into the Third Dimension⌠then why not start with the only beings she saw who belonged to that realm?
Her melody curled through the air, subtle yet irresistible, reaching toward the Eternal Sins like a hand plucking a string.
â-
A man of the Eternal Sins stood at the fringe of the chaos like a shadow carved out of the ballroom itself.
His arms folded neatly behind his back, obsidianâblack mask veined with thin crimson lines that pulsed faintly, as if it was alive itself.
Dimensional heat clashed with corrosive flame in front of him.
Smoldering Kin burst apart in showers of molten sparks. Flame Parasites imploded under crushing gravity.
Platforms twisted, cracked, and collapsed. All while the guests watched with predatory interest.
To him, it was mildly entertaining.
And nothing more.
The Eternal Masqueâs starâchandelier sky flickered above. Their glow reflected in his dark, glassy eyes as another Flame Parasite was folded into a singularity.
âPredictable,â he murmured. âThey always drop the façade eventually.â
Thenâ
Hum. Hum. Hum.
Three notes drifted through the air.
They were soft, almost gentleâyet they threaded through the battlefield like silver needles, weaving themselves into the music without disturbing a single beat.
The manâs head lifted a fraction, the crimson veins on his mask pulsing once.
The notes didnât just reach him.
They touched him.
His posture shifted.
Not muchâjust a slight straightening of the spine, a faint tilt of the headâbut for a being of his rank, a Dimensional Overlord, it was the equivalent of a startled gasp.
His pupils constricted⌠and something ancient and violent stirred in his bloodlineâan instinct buried deep within the Eternal Sins, tied to wrath, judgment, and the primal authority of Lucy, the one known as the Herald of Sins.
A thin crack split down the center of his mask.
A low growl rumbled from his throat.
âGrrâŚâ
The notes echoed again, threading through his mind like barbed hooks.
Then⌠his control snapped.
CRACK!
BOOM!
He tore off his mask, revealing a face marked with swirling black sigils and eyes leaking a crimson essence. His aura surged outward in a violent shockwave, sending nearby guests stumbling back in terror.
He threw his head back and laughedâit was wild, unrestrained, and ecstatic.
âHaha⌠HAHAHA! The Eternal Sins are DONE with the games!â
His voice boomed across the realm, reverberating through the endless ballroom pathways.
âIn the name of the HeraldâWE SLAUGHTER!!!â
He lunged forward, claws forming from condensed wrath essence as he struck at the nearest guest, the force of the blow easily tore through the manâs defensive artifact.
SHK!
In a single heartbeat⌠blood sprayed across the polished stone.
Auroraâs humming reached the othersâmore Eternal Sins. Their eyes widened⌠then one by one, their masks cracked.
One by one, their auras flared.
And one by one, they joined him.
Wrath. Greed. Pride. Lust. Envy.
Each sin awakened in a different Eternal Sin, and the masquerade descended into a new level of carnage.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
Guests fought back, unleashing talents, skills, and artifacts in a desperate counterassault.
But the Eternal Sins answered with overwhelming force, moving with erratic, feral precisionâless like powerhouses of the realm and more like unleashed calamities.
ââ-
High above, Aurelia and Aurora watched from their vantage point.
Aurelia let out a low whistle. âOh, thatâs not bad at all. Though personally? I wouldâve made them turn on each other too.â
Auroraâs eyes sparkled with prideâand a hint of mischief she hadnât possessed days ago.
Below, the Smoldering Kin began to retreat, with the Eternal Sins entering the equation⌠the situation had become something far beyond their rivalry with the Parasites.
Aureliaâs smile sharpened.
âWell, time for me to take my leave.â
Flames curled around her body, reshaping her silhouette.
Her bones shifted, her aura dimmed, and in seconds she resembled a battered Smoldering Kin warriorâcracked mask, scorched armor, dark bronze skin marked with ash.
She glanced back at Aurora.
âRemember your lesson, darling. Power is inevitable for us⌠so try not to be so serious. Enjoy yourself while stirring a little chaos.â
With a wink, she vanished into the fleeing Smoldering Kin, blending seamlessly as they escaped toward the dimensional gates leading to the Fourth Dimension.
Aurora watched her go, music symbols spinning softly within her irises. Then her gaze drifted toward Isisâsomeone whose journey had been anything but simple.
âDaughter of the Dragon Progenitor⌠but youâre not so simple, are you?â
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
