1365 There was a Reason

Leonel was stunned, not knowing how to take this news. Even the Silver Tablet couldn't do this.

When the Silver Tablet erased the personality of a previously held Ability, it could be absorbed. But, one still had to be very careful about doing so. This was because when absorbed, both Abilities would combine and an average of the two would be taken. This meant that if you absorbed an Ability completely incompatible with yourself, you would essentially be crippling both Abilities, and by proxy, yourself. Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

However, according to Wise Star Order, absorbing the Essence of this egg would be like gaining a second Ability without the side effects. The weird thing about this though was…

Why was it that the elders of Void Palace didn't want this? Why would anyone be opposed to something that essentially broke the fundamental rules of the Dimensional Verse?

'Why?' Leonel asked. 'Are they really so kind hearted to leave this to us?'

'Kind hearted?' Wise Star Order snorted. 'The Rapax aren't fools, do you think they would leave themselves in such a vulnerable position just because? This entire hive is blocked off from existences above the Sixth Dimension. In fact, it's not just this, but even higher level Sixth Dimensional existences have been completely blocked off. You lot are about the only ones that can enter in the first place.

'Secondly, did you not hear what I said about vitality? It's the copious amounts of vitality within the Rapax egg that tricks the Regulator into believing there are two people, not one. This, as a result, allows the birth of two Ability Indexes within the same person.

'However, this vitality must be above or, at the very least, near your own. Like I said, the baby Rapax will be born at Tier 9 of the Fifth Dimension using this ritual, that means you can't be much stronger than this or else your vitality will be too great.

'If your vitality is too high, the Regulator won't sense two lives, it will only sense yours. Once that happens, your two Abilities will fuse instead of remaining separate. That means that it's impossible for anyone that's too high Tiered to absorb this egg at all.'

When it all settled in, Leonel let out a breath. So things were like this… The elders of the Void Palace couldn't absorb this boon even if they wanted to.

"Aina…"

Leonel quickly explained everything Wise Star Order had explained to him. After taking it all in, she seemed to sigh a breath.

"So that's where that feeling was coming from…"

When they had first landed here, Aina had said that there was something incredibly nutritious nearby. She had assumed, along with Leonel, that this came from the eggs and the 'fertilizer' used to upkeep them. And, she was most definitely correct. It was just that she couldn't have imagined that things would actually be like this. This was more than just a little nutritious, it was absolutely game changing.

There were very few things in the Dimensional Verse that could break the balance of rules set.

At the same time, though, this was odd. The Shadow Sovereign ability seemed perfect for Aina. But, if it was really so perfect, her Ability Index would have violently tugged her in that direction. Much like how she always knew the best meals to prepare for herself and the best training methods to use, she would also know when a great opportunity for improvement was nearby.

If things had worked out as they should have, she would have figured out the use of this egg long before Leonel did and given him this information. Knowing this, Leonel would have drawn the appropriate conclusions long ago.

"This is perfect for you." Leonel said. "Your battle style would fit seamlessly with this, I would think. It would also greatly boost your Darkness affinity."

"No, I think it'll be best if you absorb it." Aina suddenly said.

"Hm?"

Leonel rose an eyebrow. It wasn't that Shadow Sovereign wouldn't be useful to him. Given his mind, technically speaking, any additional strength he gained made it less likely for anyone to defeat him. The more tools he had at his disposal, the more options he had to react in battle.

However, Leonel wasn't too eager for this at the same time. And, there was no point for Little Blackstar to absorb the same Ability Index again. That left Aina as the best candidate.

"My body… doesn't seem to want it." Aina said after a while. "I'm not sure why, but the more I think about it, the stronger my revulsion toward it grows. This is the first time I've felt this way. Usually I feel either nothing or positive emotions. I've never felt a negative emotion before. I feel that it would cripple me."

Leonel's gaze flashed. He couldn't quite understand why Aina would feel this way, he didn't have a proper understanding. But, regardless, he trusted her judgment for herself. It hadn't failed her before and he didn't see why it would start now.

"Plus, you spoke about your armor and your goals for it, right? A high darkness affinity is something you'll need if you want to find a way to counter your Scarlet Star Force with Void Star Force."

Leonel fell into silence. Aina wasn't wrong, it was just that he had another solid method of raising his Darkness Elemental Affinity to great heights. But, now that she mentioned it, this method… This method just might be the easiest.

Leonel didn't know much about these Sovereigns, but he thought that it was about time he learned more.

"Alright." He nodded. "Rapax."

Aina's thigh suddenly grew a size as she stamped a foot down hard. She blasted by Leonel, her battle ax shimmering.

By the time Leonel rounded the corner, the Rapax in question had been split into two. However, it was what lay beyond that truly caught Leonel's attention.

The good news? They had made it to the core of the network of Nests like they wanted to.

The bad news? Well… There was a reason they had run into so few Rapax during their time here.