Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2505 The Haloryn

The Hollow Ship kept moving through the Demon Gate, the space around it folding in on itself until the crimson passage finally gave way to an enormous expanse of stars.

However, Nathan barely had a chance to take in their surroundings. His attention was pulled straight to the two women standing on the other side of the passage.

They were so beautiful that he was staring before he even realized it. Both had delicate features and flawless skin. What made them really stand out, though, were the dense rings of silvery-blue energy hovering above their heads.

At first glance, they looked like Angels.

Their halos were made of some strange, almost liquid Aether. The same energy formed enormous Wings on their backs, along with smaller pairs hovering around their ankles.

Nathan couldnʼt recognize anything physical about them. Even so, they looked surprisingly solid, and every slow movement left faint trails of light lingering in the air.

Both women were dressed quite conservatively, their long robes covering nearly everything below the neck. Somehow, that only made them more striking.

Nathanʼs face went hot.

He had never seen women this beautiful in his life. That was saying something, considering the kind of people heʼd met since joining the Grimblades.

Welle there was Xarvenya. But Nathan had never dared to look at that woman for too long. Whenever Sylasʼ wives were around, he made a habit of keeping his head down. He had no desire to find out just how possessive the young man could get when it came to his family.

These women were different, though. Or, at least, that was what Nathan thought, right up until something occurred to him.

His expression changed, and he turned on Alex with a glare Sharp enough to cut.

Alex blinked innocently. ”What?”

Nathanʼs hand shot out, and his finger jabbed straight into one of the worst injuries Alex had picked up during his mysterious 5.000-year adventure.

”FUCK!”

Alex recoiled, clutching his side. Nathan pulled his hand back and rubbed his fingers together as though heʼd touched something filthy.

”Fuck you. I shouldʼve known. I was sitting here worried about whether you were alive or dead, and you were out there building yourself a fucking harem!”

Alex gave him a look of wounded innocence.

”How could you think so little of me? Iʼm hurt, Nathan. Truly hurt. Besides, how long were you worried for? A couple seconds? Whoʼs making stuff up now?”

Nathan rolled his eyes. Though, he couldnʼt exactly argue with that.

If the bastard had really spent 5,000 years inside that Summoned World, he couldnʼt have been fighting every waking moment. At some point, he would have figured out his situation, built some kind of foundation, and started working toward whatever goal heʼd set for himself.

And knowing Alex, that goal had probably involved a lot of sitting around doing absolutely nothing while everyone else wore themselves out.

The more Nathan thought about it, the more suspicious Alexʼs current state looked.

The man was far too good at hiding, manipulating circumstances and waiting for opportunities. After 5.000 years of preparation, would Alex really let himself end up looking this miserable, unless there was some huge benefit to it?

Nathan didnʼt believe that for a second. Which meant the bastard had probably been having the time of his life for most of those 5.000 years. And this blood between his fingers now, as convincing as it was... was clearly fake.

Alex chuckled when he saw Nathanʼs face.

”Anyway, allow me to introduce you. This beautiful lady here is Saniah, and this one is Seuseu. Gorgeous, arenʼt they?”

The two women looked at Alex with matching expressions of complete indifference.

Neither Of seemed in his When

–

Alex tried to slip a hand around Saniahʼs waist, her eyes narrowed, and Nathan got the feeling this was far from the first time theyʼd heard this kind of thing from him.

Alex pulled his hand back with a cough.

”Right, introductions first. You see, weʼre in the Cryst Heaven right now, and these two belong to a Race known as the Haloryn. Their appearance is a little misleading, because despite looking like Angels, those Wings and halos are all manifestations of their Aethen”

Nathan looked at the two women again, his eyes lingering on the silvery-blue energy around their ankles.

”Whatʼs so special about them?”

”Oh, only that they possess some of the most ridiculous Aether control Iʼve ever seen. Their Race has a natural affinity for sensing different forms of energy, and their greatest ability is converting that energy into solid, tangible objects.”

Nathan nodded, though he didnʼt quite understand why Alex was talking as if heʼd discovered something incredible.

Wasnʼt that just what Rune Masters did?

They used Runes to gather Aether, stabilize its relationships with the Mesh of Reality, and make everything from weapons to defensive formations. The Halorynʼs ability sounded convenient. However, Nathan couldnʼt see why it would be all that valuable to someone who had spent so long studying the Omnimous.

Then, it clicked, and his eyes went wide.

”Wait. Donʼt tell me they can do that without Runes?”

Alexʼs grin stretched from ear to ear.

”Yup. Now youʼre starting to get it.”

He waved a hand at the Wings on Saniahʼs back.

”The Haloryn have an innate understanding of Aether that most Rune Masters spend their entire lives trying to achieve. They can sense its different forms, understand how those forms interact, and then give them physical substance without having to go through the conventional process of constructing a Rune first.”

Nathan looked at the Wings again. This tinne, he focused on the faint fluctuations moving through the silvery-blue energy.

”Thatʼs impossible.”

”Not quite. Itʼs just that weʼve been thinking about Rune Creation from the opposite direction.”

Alex got noticeably more animated as he went on.

”Normally, Runes give form to Aether. You create the structure, prime it With Will, and then allow Aether to flow through the relationships youʼve established. The Rune determines what the Aether can accomplish, and the union between the two produces the desired result.”

He raised a finger.

”But the Haloryn donʼt need to begin with the structure. Their Genes allow them to comprehend the Aether itself, including the relationships necessary to give it form. Once theyʼve established that understanding. Runes can manifest according to those relationships without needing to be constructed in the conventional order.”

Nathanʼs breath caught. It was a completely different approach to Rune Creation.

Instead of using Runes to dictate how Aether should behave, the Haloryn understood how Aether needed to behave, then let the right Runes form out of that understanding. In a sense, they grasped the finished whole before ever building its individual pieces.

”Of course, thereʼs a limit to how far they can take it.” Alex continued. ”Their talent determines how complicated those relationships can become, and most Haloryn never develop the comprehension necessary to realize what their Genes are actually doing. But the foundation is there, and thatʼs whatʼs important.”

Nathan finally understood why Alex had gone to so much trouble searching for this particular Summoned World.

If he could combine the Halorynʼs natural comprehension with the methods the Omnimous had given him, there was no telling what kind of technology he might come up with.

More importantly, an entire Race that could approach Rune Creation from the opposite direction would be incredibly valuable to someone like Sylas.

Alex seemed to notice the change on his face.

”Unfortunately, thereʼs one little problem. Iʼm going to need Papa Sylasʼ help, so wish me luck. I think Iʼve done enough now that he wonʼt strangle me.”

Nathan frowned. ”His help? For what?”

He really didnʼt get it.

Alex had just shown he could manipulate the System, sneak into a God-level Summoned World, and spend 5.000 years raising an army right under its nose. Even if the System had restricted his progress, Nathan couldnʼt imagine someone with his talent staying weak that whole time.

Surely he had reached B-tier by now, if not A-tier? And even if 5,000 years wasnʼt long enough to raise an army of S-tiers, it was more than enough time for someone like Alex to build a foundation most Clans would struggle to compete with.

So why was he still this afraid of Sylas? Was the gap between them really that big?

Alex looked at Nathan as though heʼd just asked the stupidest question in the world.

”For what? I canʼt allow my beautiful goodies to be stolen by someone else, can I? These ladies are practically walking treasures, and if I bring them anywhere near the Nethum without proper protection, those bastards Will probably start drooling before I even finish introducing myself.”

He glanced at the two women, whose expressions had somehow gotten even ”So, obviously, we need to give them an impenetrable Gene Lock. Something that prevents anyone from studying their Bloodlines, stealing their abilities, or using their Genes against us.”

Alexis grin widened as he looked toward the silent figure meditating inside the Hollow Ship.

”And I happen to know a genius who just dedicated the last three years of his life to exactly that, all because some asshole decided to stand between him and his wife.”