Ch 178 – Deep Foundations and Immense Battle Strength

"Honey, why are you taking so long?" A woman with long black hair, sharp eyebrows, and wearing a long white robe asked. Lying on her lap, one can find a sheathed sword many meters long, its white sheath was covered with sky-related motifs ranging from clouds to the blue sky, and such.

Beside her, a man with rainbow-colored hair and rainbow-colored eyes, wearing a formal black and white suit stared back at the woman beside him. He chuckled lightly, before staring at her with loving eyes and said: "Don't worry honey, you should trust more in our kid that he can take care of himself, he's already 10 years old! And besides, it's not like I can just magically make the traffic disappear."

Hearing the man respond, the woman rolled her eyes and responded: "But you can do that. Aren't you Ashton Aeterna? The legendary mage of the Aeterna family that can wield all elements like a limb? They even call you ridiculous titles like the Elemental King!"

Laughing lightly, the man, Ashton Aeterna remarked: "But my dear, aren't you the same? The legendary Sky Aeterna, whose sword can pierce the clouds and split the sky into two with her legendary Skyward Sword forged from metal that fell from the sky?"

"Shut up!" The woman barked, before facing away and hiding her blushing face.

Yes, the two of them were indeed the parents of Nox Aeterna. The legendary husband and wife of Earth whose names are famously known throughout the entire world. They were heroes, champions, and legendary hunters that holds strength comparable to Demigods when they work with each other!

Ashton Aeterna, the current second-generation family head of the Aeterna family after his father passed away when saving the world from a dragon that escaped an S-Rank dungeon. He was known as the Elemental King due to his immense skill in manipulating any element like an extension of his limbs, he can show finesse that can even astound S-Rank mages who specialized in those elements and he can even exert skill far above them!

He is a powerful Mage whose power is comparable to his fame and prestige. He wields strength far beyond what normal mages can attain, and many rumors were already circulating that he will be the next one to enter the realm of Demigods.

On the other hand, his wife, Sky Aeterna, also has the same level of prestige and fame as her husband. She was the wielder of Skyward Sword, a sword forged from a mysterious meteorite that came from the skies above by her father, a legendary S-Rank blacksmith. She is the creator of the legendary sword art called 'Heaven's Sword', a sword art that can be considered the number one sword art in the entire world. She can pierce the clouds and split clouds with a swing of her sword, and she has received the legendary title of Skyward Sword Empress. A befitting title for a woman whose blade points towards the sky, a blade that wishes the even split the heavens into two!

And so, as Ashton Aeterna quietly drove his car forwards, the two breathed out a sigh of relief when they found themselves near their family estate already. Continuing to drive, Ashton Aeterna stopped the car in front of the gate and saw it open automatically.

Even though Nox Aeterna has already severed Ashton Aeterna's connection to the house, he still didn't feel anything amiss. That just shows Nox Aeterna's immense skill that even the legendary Elemental King didn't notice anything wrong.

As Ashton Aeterna slowly droved the car inside, a pair of rainbow-colored eyes gleamed in an unknown area, and the car fully entered through the gates. Seeing that, Nox grinned lightly for the first step in his plan was done.

"Huh?" Ashton muttered in confusion as he stopped the car and slowly felt something was amiss. Not only him, but Sky Aeterna also felt an ominous feeling erupt from within.

Considering she was a fighter, she has a more developed sixth sense compared to her husband, so she didn't doubt that feeling and knew something was up. "Danger!"

Hearing her suddenly shout, Ashton Aeterna's eyes widened in shock for a split second before they turned serious and battle-hardened. Without waiting for anything to go wrong, many support spells were casted on the two in an instant and their bodies disappeared from the car within moments.

Seeing the two hastily escape from the car, Nox Aeterna snickered lightly before waving his arms. Out of nowhere, the two heard loud thumps from the ground and saw multiple figures rushing directly toward them from all directions.

"The golems?" Sky Aeterna muttered in confusion, but she didn't have time to be shocked before one of the golems struck out with a beam of blue light toward her.

Not wasting any more time on contemplation, she directly took action and crouched. As her aura turned sharp and unparalleled, she grabbed the handle of her sword and with one swift motion, drew it out in an arc and intense sword energy flew forwards like a crescent beam.

In response, the golems did their best to avoid the strike but many of them still fell and were destroyed by the attack. Those who lived continued to rush forward, and their numbers still seemed endless for the two. But they remained confident and calm, though shocking, the two were battle-hardened figures and are at the peak of S-Rank. Dealing with golems such as this won't impose much of a threat for the two.

As more rushed forward and neared them, Ashton Aeterna moved his mana in a complex manner and fire blazed outwards in a circular manner. The temperature quickly rose, and the golems were destroyed by the burst of flames that struck them ruthlessly.

But the two didn't stop there. After Ashton gave enough room for Sky to slightly rest for a bit, he flew up towards the sky as emerald green wind surrounded his body. Snickering, Sky crouched down and closed her eyes. Feeling the numerous mana signatures around her, she opened her eyes with a glint and grabbed the handle of her sword.

"DIE!" She spun while drawing out her sword, and powerful sword energy burst outwards.

On the other hand, Ashton manipulated the elements and dealt fatal blows to the golems surrounding them. Though he did feel some heartache seeing the golems his family owned be destroyed by his own hands.

'What could have caused them to turn on us? Not even I have a method to deal with my son's masterpiece! That means the one that wants to deal with us is definitely a powerful figure, but who?' He questioned in his mind while killing the golems by hordes.

He wasn't the only one who felt confused about the situation. Even though Sky was definitely not as smart as her husband, she was still a cunning fox and knew the true danger this situation held. She doesn't know who they were, their true strength, and what they were capable of doing.

They might waste too much energy dealing with the golems, which would prove detrimental when the true powerhouses of the mysterious attacker strike. They might get tired if they took too long, which would be fatal for them.

This wasn't just a fight against golems, this was also an intense mental battle between the duo and the mysterious attacker.

But alas, they were facing Nox Aeterna. He has been alive for over a thousand years already, and even though the cloning process was imperfect, the fraction of skills he gained from his original body was enough to deal with those two.

The danger those two held is that they can exert Z-Rank battle strength if they worked together. But using his immense experience, he can quickly devise a way to split those two apart and deal with them easily.

'Laws, though vast and endless in numbers, are all connected to one another through their mystical properties. Fire opposes water, but fire can also be used to assist water. With enough understanding, nearly every Law can support each other! My foundation is deep, and my law comprehension is immense. Though my comprehension over the Law of Illusion is only at A-Rank, using my multiple Z-Rank Law Comprehension like the Law of Dream and Sleep, I can exert effectiveness far beyond what measly S-Rank hunters can deal with.'

Nox's eyes gleamed lightly, and he stared at the two below him with a sinister grin. Even though from their perspective, they were dealing with countless golems, they were actually only dealing with a few and are already being dragged far away from each other. Strength isn't merely calculated from raw power or soul rank, no, it is the culmination of countless factors!

Even if the two can exert Z-Rank battle strength when working with each other, that was only when they were working with each other. Once they're divided, Nox Aeterna can easily deal with the two of them like stealing ice cream from a child.

He has been alive for over a thousand years, his memories were endless like the boundless sea. His experienced formed from being alive for so long definitely brought him a level of wisdom akin to a wise sage. Battles weren't just decided by battle strength, they were also decided by wits and intelligence!

As a Demigod, every fight he took against fellow Demigods was full of underlying schemes and mental struggles. Any Demigod is definitely not stupid, because if they were, they'd be quickly killed by other Demigods before they grow any stronger!

***

"Nox?" Ashton cried out as he flew away from the horde of golems rushing towards him from the ground. In the distance, he saw his own son standing in an open field, his brilliant rainbow eyes that were originally full of innocence now held incomparable coldness and ruthlessness.

"Though stupid at first glance, deciding to fairly fight against a peak S-Rank figure like you, father, would prove to be more beneficial for me," Nox muttered lightly, and Ashton halted his movement as he saw the previously endless horde of golems rushing towards him were gone.

He widened his eyes in shock, unable to believe that he was actually in an illusion the entire time. He moved his head, and he stared at his own with a cold gaze: "Who are you?"

"Didn't I tell you, father? I'm your son, Nox Aeterna. Now enough dilly-dallying, I still need to kill mother after this," Nox Aeterna muttered, and with a boom, his figure suddenly appeared directly in front of Ashton.

Ashton felt a heavy punch land on his chest, and he puked out blood as his body crashed down towards the ground. The multiple barriers of protection just barely managed to block the strength of the punch for him to remain conscious. 'Wh-What is this monstrous strength!'

"Hmm, Demigod-level Law of Strength comprehension definitely increased my own physical strength to an absurd level," Nox Aeterna commented as he landed on the ground with a thud.

As Ashton hurriedly healed his wounds and appeared far away with a teleport, he stared wide-eyed at his 'son' with fear and shock. From that one strike alone, Ashton knew that his son wielded physical strength comparable to peak S-Rank hunters!

Seeing his own father appear far away, Nox Aeterna lightly laughs before he continued: "To think that wasn't even me going all out."

Chuckling, Nox Aeterna stretches out his hand and he wielded his Demigod-level comprehension over the five elements of fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth, to construct a magic circle that roared ferociously with energy.

Sensing the profundities of the magic circle, it made Ashton Aeterna halt in shock and stare at it without moving. It was as if his own mind went blank and the only thing that he could think of was the grandness of the magic circle.

Before he could regain his rational mind, mana was poured in towards the magic circle and it shone brightly. As a pillar of the five elements mixed and intertwined with one another, it struck and dealt a deadly blow to his father's body.

But the pillar of white light continued, and it arrived directly at his mother's body who was still under the illusion. It pierced directly through her chest, and she coughed out blood before falling unconscious.

'By my estimate, once I enter S-Rank, I can definitely use my own immensely deep foundations to contend with Demigods! My estimations were actually way off the mark considering I have never gone all out! Hahaha! To think I'd attain Demigod-level battle strength so soon!'

Dismissing his thoughts, he walked forwards while two bodies floated beside him in a near-dead state. He then waved his arms, and the two bodies landed inside the living room of the family manor.

Without wasting any more time, Nox Aeterna pressed both of his palms toward their heads and used his multiple attainments to cast a complex spell on the two. Slowly, a warm ethereal energy healed their bodies, bringing them out of their near-dead state. Then more mana was poured directly into their souls, then their mind, and eventually their entire body.

The mana then slowly manipulated multiple Laws in tandem, until eventually, both his mother and father had their eyes open at the same time.

"Fufufu, two S-Rank puppets by my side! This is truly the absurd abilities of a cheat! To have such high comprehension over so many laws in such a short period of time. Though my own method of directly entering the dreams of Z-Rank beings is definitely not something anybody can just do even with my cheat, so I should instead praise the true source of this rapid rise of mine…" Nox Aeterna's eyes gleamed.

And so, he continued under his breath: 'The source of my rapid rise, Freidrich Braun, you truly are a figure one should fear and praise in awe!'

AN: This chapter has 2334 words.

(October 16, 2022 – 326th day of writing)