1497 The Hunt Begins

Since Varian's disappearance, they could sense his situation. He's alive. But he's stuck in some region from where he couldn't even use Hortus to return.

Miss Calamity, who could've been of a massive help, went into a state of enlightenment after visiting one of the forbidden lands.

Now she's ascending into the divine ranks and perhaps because of the specialty of Hortus, she's also consolidating her rank at a monstrous pace.

In the end, it was up to them to rescue the man.

Isadora and Sarah had an argument on who should be the one to bring him back. Since neither of them wanted to concede, a game of luck was played. And the princess won.

But strictly speaking, Sarah allowed herself to lose.

Miss Calamity had given both of them some very precious resources, stuff that even a king would feel envious of.

While Sarah was using them to unlock the legacy and push herself to a higher rank, Isadora didn't need to go through a process of adjustment.

Since she had already reached the peak of celestial ranks once, all she had to do was retrace the path she already walked.

Thus, the princess easily broke into rank 9s and her power was still rising with every moment, racing to mid rank 9.

Naturally, on the virtue of her higher strength, using the link of 'Synergy' that Sia and Enigma shared with Varian, Isadora was able to sense him more accurately than Sarah.

That's why Sarah 'lost'.

The entrance of Hortus appeared at the boundary of Pala Kingdom.

Not too far from here, hundreds of rank 6 and rank 7 auras could be felt, the shockwaves of their attacks travelling even to this location.

7th Prince's forces breached the border and were met with a fierce resistance by the kingdom's army.

But gradually, they were losing out.

And so far, none of the 'elite' forces picked by the 7th Prince entered the battles. It was only the most common soldiers taking up the attack.

There were some scary rumors going around, hinting that the prince was planning something big.

But it's none of Isadora's concern.

With her long silver hair swaying gently, Isdaora, in a beautiful black dress, appeared near a blackhole. Her shining red eyes spotted a suitable spot near the blackhole.

Since the space-time fabric was severely affected near the celestial structure, it's much easier to tear open the space for long-distance travel.

Moreover, since there's so much fluctuation, the traces of travel would be quickly wiped out.

The ruby red eyes of the princess shined in the darkness and a space crack emerged in front of her.

With a solemn gaze, she stepped into the entrance and disappeared.

Ssss!

With a sound that resembled a paper being torn apart, the space crack closed. The traces of her travel were quickly erased.

It was a cautious plan by Isadora, one which shouldn't have caused any problems.

And yet, as she used her rank 9 powers to the fullest for the first time in over half-millennia, two men stopped whatever they were doing and looked in the direction of Pala Kingdom.

One was Icarus.

The bit of energy in his posession began to fluctuate, vaguely pointing in the direction of Isadora.

Since he declined to participate in the border activity, he wasn't under any obligation to report to any authority.

Even then, he quickly used up a bunch of precious treasures to hide his traces and go into full incognito.

Only then did the new divine powerhouse start chasing Isadora.

She's the ticket to his dreams.

The divine vessel who'd posess the slivers.

But he wasn't the only one after the former princess.

There was one more man who sensed Isadora's presence when she used her full power.

It wasn't as clear as what Icarus felt. But the sensation came without any treasure. It's an innate feeling, one that came from the depth of his being.

His body told him that if he had to become the perfect version of himself, the being he's always meant to be.

That the 'perfect hybrid' was the final piece of the puzzle, to finish the creation that was him.

"Isadora…"

At the edges of Genesis and Mors Empire lay a special world constructed solely for a great being.

To the outside, he's just another genius from a seclusive family. It was indeed suspicious that no one, not even the top geniuses of the Empire's academy knew about his background.

At least, that was the case until a while ago. It was only recently that he was quietly introduced through some rumors.

The name 'Immortal' was spread to the upper circle of the empires, to prepare them for his ruler if he did succeed.

From his part, he displayed great patience.

When he was still a weakling, he remained in shadows.

Back then, Isadora was famous. She was everywhere, growing at a speed that made all comparisons useless and posessing strength that even the most seasoned warriors could not face.

At that time too, his body told him the same thing, felt the same feeling. That innate urge, which came from the depth of his being, deeper than any physical instinct, originating from the soul itself.

But Isadora was much stronger than him back then.

A rank 9. And he, a mere rank 6.

But five centuries was a long time.

As he grew stronger, his powers continued to grow. And with them, his rate of growth.

With him hitting the edges of divine rank, there couldn't be a better time for Isadora to reappear.

If he could become perfect—absorb the vessel—and then step into the divine ranks, even he couldn't imagine the height he could reach.

The only one worthy for him to aim at, to fight and win would be the God Emperor himself.

He'd be a god of gods, taking the step that even the God Emperor could not take.

But not just that.

Even the Primordial Gods were limited by their Avenue.

Yet, he…with a perfect hybrid, he could even go a step higher than them.

"Immortal. Eternal. Invincible."