Apocalypse: becoming the hidden Ruler[English]

Lionel stood there for a moment, wondering if the old man would even remember this incident tomorrow. Still, at least the matter wasn’t pursued further.

A short while later, Lionel returned to the collection hall.

“Axel,” he said, clearing his throat, “Mr. Instrument King said he’s letting this slide. But you’ll need to do something for him someday.”

“Of course,” Axel replied without hesitation.

“You got an absurdly good deal,” Lionel continued. “Those two drops of pure primal energy liquid don’t grant special abilities, but they contain an enormous amount of primal energy—gentle and stable. Enough to support cultivation all the way to Level Six.”

“Also,” Lionel added, glancing at the data pad, “the instruments identified three celestial artifacts as the most compatible with you. One of them happens to be the Thunder Punishment Stone.”

“The other two are Azure Wood and Kitahara Ice.”

Axel’s heart skipped slightly. He instinctively looked toward the two corresponding areas of the collection hall. He remembered them clearly—those three artifacts had resonated with his spiritual power more intensely than any others.

“These three,” Lionel said, “are top-tier celestial artifacts. The kind you can’t buy with money, no matter how much you have.”

Like Fire Spirits or Rock Spinal Cords, these artifacts granted additional abilities upon absorption.

“Azure Wood increases recovery by about ten percent,” Lionel explained. “That includes physical injuries and mental damage.”

“Kitahara Ice adds a frost effect to melee attacks or awakened abilities, significantly slowing enemies.”

“And the Thunder Punishment Stone,” he paused, “adds mental damage to your attacks. However, there’s a restriction—it can’t be transferred to weapons.”

Under normal circumstances, absorbing a single celestial artifact would trigger deep awakening, followed by the nurturing of a Natal Treasure.

Yet Axel had already absorbed two compatible treasures—and still, there was no sign of deep awakening.

“Could it be that I need to absorb more?” Axel wondered silently. “Would absorbing the Thunder Punishment Stone finally trigger it?”

That was one possibility.

Another, far more unsettling one, was that the Ancient Tree inside him was already a fully formed Natal Treasure.

Axel didn’t know how or why it had appeared—but if that were the case, then he wasn’t nurturing something new.

He was repairing something old.

“That’s more likely,” he concluded.

Nurturing meant creation. But the Ancient Tree had existed since he was only a Level One Awakener.

If it truly was his Natal Treasure, then all he needed to do was continue repairing it. Perhaps once it reached a certain threshold, it would materialize—and fight alongside him.

As for the other artifacts…

His regenerative abilities were already more than sufficient. Return to Origin and the Old-Fashioned Radio could weaken enemies’ states, making Kitahara Ice less valuable to him.

The Thunder Punishment Stone, however, directly enhanced offense—precisely what he lacked.

After leaving the collection hall, Axel returned straight to the villa district. Before entering his room, he paused and glanced toward the northwest.

“Sergio,” he murmured, “you’ll be waiting for me there… won’t you?”

......

Outside the walls of Mirabelle Province, massive gates slowly creaked open.

Under the cover of night, multiple military squads advanced into the last remaining wilderness of Krythos.

From the air, every few dozen kilometers, teams could be seen moving swiftly through darkness and foliage.

This was a large-scale military operation: the extermination of mutated beasts in the Mirabelle Mountains.

The goal wasn’t deep penetration. Instead, they intended to clear or drive away beasts from the outskirts, forcing them toward the mountain’s core.

“Krythos hasn’t touched the Mirabelle wilderness in decades,” Humphrey muttered as the Obsidian Team lay concealed in dense jungle. “They say there’s a Level Nine mutated beast king in there. Think we’ll piss it off?”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Millers replied calmly. “Test its stance. If it behaves, they let it live. If not… they wipe the mountains clean.”

A sudden chorus of distant roars cut through the night.

Vince and Rosaline, who had been resting with eyes closed, snapped them open at once.

“Quiet,” Vince whispered. “They’re coming.”

They hadn’t forgotten the time a peak Level Five Black-Scale Python had chased them halfway through the wilderness—nearly killing them.

That encounter had forged caution into the Obsidian Team far deeper than in other squads.

Across the vast jungle, elite teams from the Survey Corps, Whisper Syndicate, and Ministry of Defense advanced like silent predators, slipping ever deeper into the Mirabelle Mountains.

Under moonlight, among insect chirps and bird calls, a branch of an ancient pine swayed gently.

Shadows stretched across the pine-needle-covered ground.

As the wind stirred—

Eleven figures appeared soundlessly atop the branch.

The dim moonlight cast eerie reflections across the masks covering their faces.

Then, within seconds, they vanished without a trace.

.....

“I’ll absorb the Saint Sea Twig first,” Axel muttered to himself. “I need to push my Awakening Techniques further. The Thunder Punishment Stone can wait.”

After careful consideration, he finalized his plan.

Aside from his most frequently used techniques—Return to Origin, Explosive Energy, and Mental Barrier—Axel also possessed Group Silence and Alienation. Compared to raw power, his versatility was already terrifying.

Because of that, he decided to completely absorb the remaining half of the Saint Sea Twig before attempting any deeper awakening.

After briefly explaining the situation to Riley, Axel shut himself inside his room and began the absorption process.

.....

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit bar in Everton…

Lilith leaned back casually, swirling the liquid in her glass, her eyes fixed on Sergio, who sat across from her fanning himself with exaggerated elegance.

“Little brother,” she said with a lazy smile, “you look so refined. Didn’t expect you to be such a brooding type.”

Sergio coughed, lifted his cocktail, and took a careful sip.

His face immediately went pale. “This tastes like shit.”

Lilith blinked, then laughed softly. “Oh my. Are you okay? Should I wipe it off for you?”

A chill shot straight down Sergio’s spine. He recoiled instinctively. “Miss Lilith, you’ve misunderstood. I’m here to discuss serious matters.”

Her lips pursed, expression wounded. “Am I not serious?”

“Let’s talk business.”

In an instant, Lilith’s smile vanished. The teasing allure faded, replaced by her usual detached calm. For a fleeting moment, Sergio—who’d never had any interest in her—felt a strange sense of disappointment.

“Deep awakening takes time,” Sergio said gravely. “Now that we’ve all obtained compatible celestial artifacts, Terrence and I estimate we can complete deep awakening within three months.”

Lilith hummed absently. “Mm.”

“We’d like to invite you to go somewhere with us.”

“Oh?” Her gaze drifted, clearly uninterested.

Sergio leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Axel sent me.”

Lilith’s expression shifted subtly—but noticeably. She straightened.

“He told us to wait for him at that place.”

“…Go on,” she said calmly.

The two leaned closer, voices dropping to a whisper.

Five minutes later, Lilith stood up.

“I don’t understand how that kid arranged all this,” she said lightly, “but fine. We’ll wait for him there.”

Then she glanced at Sergio, her eyes sharp.

“But you greenhouse flowers had better prepare yourselves.”

Sergio frowned. “Prepare for what?”

Lilith’s tone was flat.

“Prepare to die in battle.”

A cold sensation crept into Sergio’s chest. He took a slow breath and resumed fanning himself.

“I understand,” he said quietly. “But if we don’t do this… won’t we truly become greenhouse flowers?”

Lilith didn’t answer.

.....

Back in Axel’s room, the Saint Sea Twig continued to shrink day by day.

Ten days later, it finally dissipated completely.

Axel opened his eyes.

“Two Awakening Techniques advanced.”

He entered his inner vision.

The Ancient Tree within him had grown even more verdant. More than sixty meters of its branches had regained vitality, thick with renewed life. Two of the translucent Awakening Technique orbs hanging among the branches had transformed.

> Burning Fighting Spirit

> Tier 3 Awakening Skill

> Instantly increases the target’s maximum Physical Strength, Force, and Spirit by 1500 points, granting a special status.

> While active:

> – Force recovery speed increases by 20%

> – Awakening skill effectiveness increases by 10%