Chapter 21, The Human Progenitor
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*BOOM!*
I woke with a bang, my ears blaring making me cover them instantly.
I could feel the heat around me. The burning warmth of what I can only assume is fire, making my skin dance.
"Where am- Who- What is this?!" I asked myself prying my eyes open trying to ignore the ringing pains in my ears.
I had only a few scattered memories hidden in my mind, as if lodged in there forcefully.
"My sword." I hurried, clasping my hip with my right hand as I shifted my body into an upright position.
With my eyes cracked to a squint, I gripped the hilt of my katana, with my other hand holding the crumbling, ash filled stone under me.
I glanced around, "A… church?" I pondered with confusion.
"Where am I?" I pushed myself to my feet, landing well as I could tell there was nothing wrong with me physically.
Prying my eyes open fully, ignoring the dangers of the floating ash getting into them, I scoured my surroundings even more.
I was in the center of a burning cathedral, a decimated church, bodies scattered everywhere.
The altar I previously resided on crumbled, turning to dust as I laid my eyes on the large, decrepit corpse of the crucified giant before me.
It was massive, 20 feet tall at least…
Maybe even larger.
It's left side was missing, its face caved in with what was left of it being a black skull. The long arms one would only assume were incredibly muscular, having nearly no muscle on them, leaving nothing but dead skin.
Its lower half was missing completely, as it only added to the questions that resided in my mind.
"A… [Demigod]?" The title popped into my mind, only adding more to my shock as I had not even a pinch of an idea as to how I knew what this creature was.
Though I was even more shocked as I saw a light appear in the center of the dead beasts corpse.
It was an orb of black gold light. A wondrous smell filtered into my nose as I glared at it.
I continued to stare, the enticing smell making me yearn for it, and not knowing what else to do it in this unknown place, I followed my instincts.
I stepped forward, leaving behind the remains of the altar. I walked over the corpses that too started to brandish orbs of light, albeit much dimmer and blue in color.
I ignored these as I wasn't as entranced.
Within seconds, I arrived in front of the hanging corpse staring up at it, taking in the gracefulness of the shining ball of light.
"What are you?" I asked the question knowing full well I wouldn't get an answer, but that didn't matter to me.
With my bare palms grasping the sphere, I removed it from the open chest of the beast, pulling it towards my own body.
I held it out in front of me, staring at it in starvation as I stepped away from the corpse.
With a swift motion, I devoured the orb of light, letting it slide down my throat as if it was a fluid.
In an instant, I felt my heart pounding and my eyes burning. My ears started ringing madly, with my skin pulsing with pain as if thousands of bugs were crawling around freely inside of me.
I could feel my bones extend through my body, pushing out of my skin creating gaping wounds all over. Though just as fast and my bones grew, so did my muscles and all other physical attributes. My muscles gained a leanness I had always wished for, with my height and overall size nearly doubling.
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My tattered clothes ripped and my hair grew in length and age, becoming white and long, though I could feel my face becoming softer and seemingly healthier.
It felt clearer than ever before, my whole body did.
I felt purified.
Purified of any sin I happened to commit, be it accidentally or not.
It was as if I was forgiven by a greater will.
It was here, at the end of this massive transformation, when I felt it.
The completely overwhelming pain in my spinal cord. The flames of damage breaking my mind, synchronized with the parting of the sky's clouds.
The sun shined on my pale skin as I heard ripping and tearing coming from my backside.
My body was frozen in place with my mind fading in and out. I couldn't even scream as my spine reformed.
My vessel removed my old spinal cord, as if rejecting it, continuing to cleanse my body.
Before I could even process it, a new spine had grown back in, alongside a different set of nerves.
Though this new bone was clearly different from the previous. It grew over my skin, leaving a golden bone poking through my backside, with an abundance of muscles now residing in my back as they had more space.
Now, it was all over. The pain disappeared, and the brightness returned to my eyes.
Though now there was a newfound luster.
My eyes had changed to a greyish-white color, different from their previous blue, though I didn't know.
It didn't matter much either, as the sheer amount of power pulsing through my veins was noticeable. I felt physically, much stronger, and more stable mentally.
{You have successfully inherited a strand of the Embodiment of Invincibility, a deity of unbound power. You have opened the Skill-Tree, [Invincible Existence]!}
{A fraction of the Embodiment's soul has been fully assimilated, increasing your Fate, Talent, and Realm. Your comprehension of the Law of Invincibility has increased by 4 percent.}
A series of words and memories rang out in my mind as panels appeared inside of my head.
I could see and hear both as if it was merely my imagination, but I could tell it wasn't.
"Invincible…? Deity…? What is this?" I asked myself.
The confusion made me falter for a moment, taking a knee and placing my hand on a nearby corpse for support.
{Would you like to absorb this soul?}
The words appeared in my mind as I looked down at the orb of blue light near my hand.
'I can absorb this?' I whispered mentally.
Seeing the prompt, I lacked hesitation and answered through thought.
With that, the ball of light disappeared in wisps of light, a faint power flowing through my body as more words appeared in my mind.
Now, I could see a display of sorts, a screen if that's what you could call it.
On this screen was a multitude of words, seemingly displaying my strengths.
[Status] |Name: Julius Randell(Shiva)| -Titles: [Human Progenitor], [Fledgling Embodiment], [Reincarnate], [Supreme Soul]… |Species: Human (Progenitor)/Law Embodiment| |Aspect: 8 Kreuvian Seas| - Origin Energies: 10 Seas - Form Temperament: Continental - Mental Temperament: 309% |Realm: Resonance|
- [Displayed Information]: Julius Randell, An ageless soul granted power by the All-Father aeons ago. With the power of complete authority over the Life Law, and full comprehension of the Recreation Law, he was able to permanently preserve his soul, reincarnating upon every death of his origin and body. He is a child of destiny, with a Fate more revered than those of gods.
- [Evaluation]: With your luck, you'll be able to find the good within the bad, coming out on top in almost every situation. Thanks the strengthening of your soul for thousands of years, the outer-shell is so powerful you can easily utilize pure Law essence. Another effect of this soul temperament is the fact your origin is nigh-infinite, capable of housing Essences equivalent to millions of universes worth. With the 3x multiplier of overall power and reality altering capabilities, you can sunder super continents with a flick of your fingers.
"Reincarnate?… Destined Soul?…" I muttered with a cursed smile.
"That's… AMAZING!" I roared.
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