Ashley

Unsurprisingly, all of the skills turn out to be very interesting.

{Destruction Poison Spray – Allows the user to shoot out a powerful spray of destruction affinity poison from their mouth. Destruction mana can be used instead of neutral mana at a 2:1 ratio of neutral mana to destruction mana.}

{Destruction Poison Creation – Allows the user to create destruction affinity poison anywhere within a meter of the user’s body and control it within that range. Destruction mana can be used instead of neutral mana at a 2:1 ratio of neutral mana to destruction mana.}

{Destructive Fangs – Infuses destruction venom into the user’s retractable fangs.}

{Destructive Talons – Infuses destruction venom into the user’s retractable talons.}

{Destructive Sensory Pulse – Allows the user to send out a pulse of nearly indetectable destruction mana within a hundred meters of the user that can be used to detect obstructions within the range. Additionally, the destruction mana will automatically erase any magical defenses attempting to block or destroy the pulse.}

Well, except maybe the fangs. Because I’m still not planning on biting anything.

And on that note, I touch my teeth with my tongue to find that my canines have been vastly sharpened. But just like with my nails, they shrink back down to normal again when I wish for them to.

Hmm.

I guess if push comes to shove and I have to bite something, I can.

Anyways, it’s nice to get a new perception-based skill.

As for this poison creation skill…

I create a blob of destruction poison above my head and proceed to stare at it. Finding it to be the same type of purplish-crimson poison I saw filling the spiders’ nest.

A few seconds pass as I try moving around the blob of poison. Which turns out to be rather easy. So easy I just have to imagine it moving and it does exactly what I want.

I move it around in a circle, but the moment it gets out of the one meter radius, I lose all control of it, and it falls to the floor next to me and forms a puddle. One that begins to disintegrate the ground a bit.

Not bad.

Next up I try to manifest another little blob of the poison above me before shooting it straight towards one of the walls, making it move incredibly fast to splatter against the wall a couple dozen meters away from me. Disintegrating a little bit of the wall in the process before the rest of it slowly slides down the wall to the ground.

Not bad at all.

I focus on my current mana to find that it’s not costing much destruction mana to create this poison. Not much at all.

That’s good.

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Next up is the Destructive Sensory Pulse skill.

When I use it, it costs barely even a fiftieth of a single unit of mana. Which is good, since it’s a sensory skill. And what I get from it is slightly different from Enhanced Perception.

Instead of knowing everything in its range, I just know where physical objects are. Kind of like what I assume a bat’s echolocation would be like. And the sensation lasts for several seconds, letting me know what is moving and what isn’t.

Also, with the skill, I soon realize that there aren’t actually many monsters nearby. Actually, there aren’t any after a few seconds.

By the sounds of it the King of Destruction is going on another rampage and the monsters outside are fleeing.

But no monsters were trying to get in here even before the King of Destruction sent another round of missiles.

I close my eyes and let out a sigh, finally taking a moment to relax now that I’ve fully digested everything.

After a few seconds though, I open my eyes again and turn my head to look at my twin brother, who is still unconscious. At which point I go ahead and identify him.

♢ Blake Sinclair – Level 68 Human – 2051 Potential Skills – O ♢

Nothing new there, other than his level being rather impressive. It’s around the same that my level was before I used Frigid Tempest Call.

Or just one below it, that is.

That aside, he really does have the absolute most potential skills I’ve ever seen of anyone so far. With the sole exception of the Black Enforcer.

The fact that a Primordial chose Blake instead of the Black Enforcer also says something. Or rather, the fact that a Primordial hasn’t chosen the Black Enforcer as a Successor.

I wonder why?

“It’s because of his personality and mindset,” Chaos answers, reminding me he’s here. “When looking for Successors, the Primordials other than myself look for three different things. Number of potential skills. Power or potential use of the potential Successor’s root skill. And the personality and mindset of the Successor candidate in question.”

And the Black Enforcer…

“He cares about nothing but his own family and would betray a Primordial at the first chance so long as it benefits his family, and he would never consider the Primordial who gives him blood to be family regardless of whether they technically would be or not,” Chaos continues. “Erebos would sooner kill him than make him an unreliable tool. Gaia would never look at someone like that without anything but some pity. Justicar wouldn’t give him the time of day. He doesn’t use mana manipulation so Etheria wouldn’t care about him regardless of how powerful he is. And the others are no different.”

Interesting.

Guess it really is about more than just the pure power of the user.

Although that makes sense when I think about it.

On that note, why did you choose me as your Successor?

Chaos doesn’t respond.

Eventually I just sigh and return my gaze to the ceiling. And after staring for a few seconds, I turn my head to look at my twin brother.

I look at his hair, at his clothes, but when my eyes land on a little keychain dangling from one of the belt rings on his pants, my eyes widen, and memories begin to flood my mind.

Memories of the two of us in some sort of store, with multiple guards stationed at the entrances and one following behind us. We’re both wearing some sort of uniform including blazers, with me wearing a skirt and him wearing pants, and we’re both holding that same keychain of different colors. Each handing the one we’re holding to the other to put on our person somewhere.

A small wolf figurine. Small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

The ones from my memory were a blue one and a red one. With him giving me a red one and me giving him a blue one.

Then we both walked out of the store with the guards behind us.

But the things that shocks me the most about this memory are the facts that I was smiling during it while looking at the figurine.

And the fact that I feel water falling down my cheek right now.

Originating from my eye.

When I push to reach for my face, I feel it wet and finally realize I’m shedding a tear for some reason.

My mouth opens and closes multiple times as I stare between my wet hand and the figurine on Blake’s waist. Then I turn my gaze on Blake’s unconscious face.

“Blake…” I mutter, his name slipping out of my mouth without me meaning to say it.

And, of course, he chooses that moment to open his eyes and meet my gaze.