- 1 year later -

Fire, water, electricity, rock, and liquid metal flowed around Sorin, carving out more and more of the cavern he was in.

He had been pushing harder than ever. He was tired of this place. He was tired of the little food he could get when he snuck out, he was sick of it all in general.

With a growl and a massive surge of aether, the collar around his neck cracked and fell to ground in two pieces smoking from being completely overwhelmed with his power.

The swirling aether slowed to a stop as he opened his eyes that burned with the light of a dying sun...Sorin was done with the mines, weakness, and collars.

He got to his feet and opened his Elemental Sense as far as he could go and began to walk out of the mines. As he went, he began to layer liquid aether steel around his entire body, creating the reinforced armor, he had perfected.

He had worked hard the last year. He trained and reinforced his body even more. He figured out new ways to reinforce the metal that coated his bones. He increased the conductivity of his synapses, spine, and brain. His body could transmit signals all over it much faster and with heavily reinforced joints, tendons, and ligaments, he was able to figure out and remove the body's natural safety limiter.

His muscles now operated with potentially 100% of their full strength with little to no chance of him hurting himself, bringing his body all the way up to Tier 10. His mind due to the collar broke tier 12 and his spirit hit Tier 11 allowing him to destroy the collar.

His artificial gravity skill hit greater resistance and allowed him to resist the collar almost 6 months ago, but he still used the collar to push his mind and spirit.

Sorin pushed his flight skill to Greater flight and now he could push so much aether into it that it claimed he could go supersonic. He wanted to try it, but was underground the whole time.

Sorin reached out his hands to the walls and floor causing more aether ore to flow up and combine with the elements around him. As he walked he set up the molecular structure to align with the design of true steel and he layered the steel hundreds of times with the blades creating a cable like pattern. He would need to get some leather for the metal hilts, but these would work and won't slip due to his skills. He swung them and felt next to no weight, but knew with the elements he added to the steel, they would seem impossibly heavy to anyone under Body Tier 7.

He continued up the tunnels, passing the miners, who stopped to look at the passing silver man with the twin short swords. Even with their collars on, they could feel the aether levels in the tunnels drop dramatically where he passed as an effect from Sorin pushing his absorption skill even higher with the idea to reduce his enemies access to aether. Though it was a good concept, it was not plausible as aether is energy and all things are energy at its foundation, but his core would have to be seriously pressed in order to empty it with his Perfect Absorption skill.

It was night outside as he approached the end of the tunnel. He could see lights fixed to posts and some people milling about. Some were sleeping, but most were always trying to get ahead and get their next quota so they could take time off and still eat.

Sorin continued to walk out then began to head to the flight decks where his own ship had dropped him off years ago.

"Stop! Identify yourself!" A guard with a baton walked up to him commanding.

"Remove yourself from my path, guard." Sorin commanded causing the guard to stagger back.

The guard couldn't see Sorin's face, he only saw the blades, and armor, not collar so was quickly trying to think what he should do.

"Sir, I am required to identify all who would go passed this point." He answered shakily clearly sensing the massive aether pouring off Sorin.

"You dont need to worry about who I am or my business. Those who butt their nose into my business have a tendency to never see home again. Is it your goal to add your name to that list?" Sorin asked coldly.

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"N-no sir." The guard said as he looked down, unable to meet Sorin's burning orange eyes.

Sorin stepped around and continued to walk to the flight deck.

"Get out of here!" Another guard impeded Sorin, this time a massive troll, as he was halfway to the ship at the far end.

"Move or die." Sorin said looking up. The troll smirked and drew a heavy metal warhammer from his back.

"Have it your way." The guard said as he swung down at Sorin, or he tried to. His hammer stopped mid swing.

"You use metal on a metal user? Stupid." Sorin said snapping forward faster than the troll could possible react slamming his right sword into where the diaphragm should be and ignited his blade to a white hot and before the troll could let out any sounds, Sorin slammed his left hand blade with its white hot edge up through the trolls chin through his skull and let them burn before lifting with the blades and throwing the troll from the walk way over the massive cliff beside the flight deck.

Seeing the troll get killed, multiple other guards began running over from their posts on the walkway and other spots at the mine nearby, drawing weapons and powering up their own paths.

Every major element was being brought into play and for all except the air element, Sorin ripped the aether from them with his significantly superior level and control and reversed the aether slamming it back into their cores and pushing more into it shattering their channels and cores in a move that should have been impossible. As soon as the vast majority went down from shock, Sorin darted forward, swords dragging along the catwalk sending sparking flying every direction he became a dervish.

He tore through all the stunned guards who just lost their paths cutting them down before they even realized they were dead. Sorin flicked his blades like a character straight from one of those overpowered anime shows he used to watch and that is when the ones he had cut, fell apart.

He purposely left one wind user alive who he could tell had just soiled himself from fear. At this point an alarm had been raised, but the other guards just watched in abstract horror as Sorin snapped a hand out to the wind path user and ripped his aether from him, absorbing it and crushing his core before throwing him off the catwalk over the edge to his death with a scream as he fell.

*bleep*

Sorin raised his arms in an old favorite manner he had learned from the academy and instead of white orbs, these were purple as they were as hot as one could make them as far as Sorin knew. These were super compressed and filled with aether. Seeing a massive group of guards and one angry well dressed individual jumping up and down furious at their inaction, Sorin smiled and fired.

There was a sound as though millions of pieces of paper were being torn as many orbs of fire blitzed their way across the gap between Sorin and the crowd, before explosions of purple fire engulfed everything. The metal on the catwalk of the entrance to the flight decks melted away within moments. Within the first two explosions, every single aether signature was wiped out from the heat of the explosion or blown off the catwalk. From what Sorin could tell they were all Tier 6 and below and so they stood no chance.

The explosions still continued for at least a half minute by Sorin's figuring, complete overkill, but it made a statement. Once the smoke cleared there was nothing over there. The foreman's residence was completely gone as was that entire section of the mine facilities.

The miners were all watching. Some were happy, others terrified, but most were indifferent with exhaustion, or were just that broken.

Sorin turned and walked down to the only ship on the flight deck.

"Have you ever flown?" Sorin asked one of the two men at the craft who looked at him with open terror. He knew he would need someone with knowledge of these machines to help him navigate.

They both nodded quickly.

"Good. Get on the ship and fire it up before I make your life a living hell." Sorin said venom leaking into his voice and flames beginning to burn around Sorin's blades.

The man stammered some incoherent response, looking at the other then nodded knowing they wouldn't survive this encounter otherwise.

The three entered the ship and the two pilots fired up the ship then took off before they asked him where they were going.

"I need to go to the 3rd Region to house Aegis." Sorin said.

Both of the men looked at eachother.

"Sir, this ship cannot travel that far. This ship is a short range craft. We can take you to the shipping port where the long range cruisers are that can take you across the universe." The primary pilot said nervously.

"Do it. If this is a trick. You will die, before they get me." Sorin said coldly.

"N-never." They said.

"Money. Do they still use cores?" Sorin asked.

"Yes Sir. The standard hasn't changed in all of Emperor Ouroboros's reign as far as we have been told." The co pilot said.

"Good." Sorin pulled out a few cores he had from the academy. He needed new clothes, some leather straps or something similar, and a few other items.

"Does this port have stores or merchants?" He asked.

"Yes Sir. Sometimes exotic items as it's a shipping port and travel hub." The co pilot answered again.

The rest of the trip passed in silence and in just over an hour. Sorin was walking through the streets of an extremely dusty city that more resembled a red version of the streets from Star Wars Tattooine Mos Eisley.

He was free of the mines, now he needed to make his way to find Euryale. Hopefully she would still help him get home.