A talk with god (1)

With a determined expression, Rangyl took a step forward.

The moment his foot touched the first of the final steps, a wrenching groan tore from his lips and Rangyl collapsed to his knees.

If on the third section of the heavenly stairs it felt like he was carrying a whole mountain, now it felt as if he was dragging multiple mountains bound in heavy chains.

He struggled to push his body upward, but felt his bones crackling and his organs rattling violently within him.

'Fucking...staircase!' Rangyl cursed in his mind.

When he first stepped inside this world and found out that he hadn't appeared in the temple like he thought he would, Rangyl concluded that it was punishment from his god. It's just that, at that time, he hadn't been aware of how right he was. No, it isn't that he wasn't aware, it's just that many years had passed since the last time he had climbed the heavenly stairs and he had come to forget its true horror.

Currently, he was being reminded why he hated this staircase so much.

'There is nothing heavenly about this fucking staircase!' Rangyl exclaimed in his head.

Understanding that there was no way he could stand up, Rangyl gritted his teeth and crawled up to the next step.

The moment he placed his hands on the second step, a loud cracking sound echoed.

"Ahhhhh," Rangyl let out a muffled scream as the bones in his arms fractured, crushed by the overwhelming pressure.

Rangyl's eyes shone with determination as he crawled the rest of his body to the second step.

Fortunately, the heavenly staircase was broad enough to accommodate his whole body, so Rangyl didn't have to put the upper part of his body on the third step.

It didn't mean that he was currently safe and sound, far from it.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Rangyl violently coughed, blood coming out of his mouth each time he did so.

As he gazed at the third and final step separating him from the temple, a chill ran down Rangyl's spine.

Just one step separated him from his goal, yet, to the current Rangyl, it felt like he was worlds away.

At that moment, he wondered if going back down would be better.

'No...I can't!' Rangyl thought.

He had been summoned by his god, so he couldn't return even though his whole body was pleading with him to do so.

Gritting his teeth, Rangyl pushed his body upward, landing on the third step.

At that instant, it felt to Rangyl like he was an ant, utterly powerless against the crushing weight of the world bearing down upon him.

To him, the pressure of that last step was akin to, or even greater than, the combined pressure of the preceding 29,999 stairs.

Yet, it wasn't the first time Rangyl had stepped on this last stair and it surely wouldn't be the last time!

Despite the mind-numbing pain coursing through his body, Rangyl painstakingly crawled his way up.

"Haa...haa...haa...haa," Rangyl breathed raggedly like a marathon runner reaching the finish line, sweat and blood spilling everywhere as he collapsed onto his back after narrowly evading the final stair.

'Never....again!' Rangyl vowed in his heart.

As he had this thought, a sudden green energy appeared out of nowhere and permeated his body.

Rangyl was familiar with this energy, so he didn't attempt to chase it away.

Soon, the green energy had completely mended all the wounds on his body, even the internal ones!

Springing to his feet, Rangyl quickly checked his condition before turning and walking towards the door of the temple, completely ignoring the beautiful and mesmerizing scenery around the temple.

He walked to the temple's door and just stood there, not doing or saying anything.

Moments later, a profound and commanding voice resonated from within the temple.

"Enter."

Rangyl nodded and pushed open the temple's door, entering a vast chamber that greatly resembled a throne room, built from a stone as black as obsidian and gold as pure as the sun's radiance.

At the very center of this room, a lone figure sat cross-legged, his back turned towards the entrance.

Despite the room's brightness, Rangyl found it impossible to discern the true form of this figure. Whenever he tried to focus on it for too long, a splitting headache seized him, and his vision blurred.

Rangyl averted his gaze from the being in the room, knelt before it, and remained utterly motionless, ensuring not to make even the slightest sound.

Several minutes later, the being, Rangyl's god, spoke, its deep and regal voice resounding throughout the room.

"Rangyl."

"Yes, my god!"

"How many times has it been now?"

Rangyl felt a chill run down his spine.

"With today's incident, how many times have you transformed into your true form in Imperion?" The being's voice carried a weight of authority.

Rangyl swallowed hard, his fear palpable as he responded, "Four times."

"Four times, you say?" The god's laughter echoed through the chamber. "I expressly forbade you from assuming your true form in Imperion even once, yet you have transformed four times?"

Rangyl wanted to explain that each transformation served a noble purpose, but he clenched his jaw shut.

"Let me ask you, do you consider my warning a mere jest?" The god's inquiry carried a cheerful tone.

Despite the god's amiable demeanor, Rangyl couldn't suppress his trembling fear.

"Due to your exceptional talents, I have placed great hope in you, Rangyl. Yet, each time you defy my orders, I question whether it might be best to simply end you and utilize your body and soul as nourishment for the jukai," the god's previously cheerful voice turned cold.

Rangyl's body quivered, sweat pooling beneath him. His mind raced, seeking any salvation from his god's impending wrath.

Then, he recalled the very reason he had nearly transformed.

Without hesitation, he exclaimed, "I HAVE ENCOUNTERED SOMEONE WITH THE GOLDEN POWER!"

The god, on the verge of saying something, froze. After a few seconds, he inquired, "Where?"

Rangyl sighed in relief and replied, "This individual infiltrated the base I was overseeing!"

"Are you certain you're not mistaking this person's power for the golden one?" The god queried.

"No, I'm certain. It's the power to control cells," Rangyl affirmed.

"Tell me what transpired," the god commanded, sounding genuinely intrigued.

Without delay, Rangyl recounted every detail from Amelia's appearance to the moment of his summoning.

"Hmm, it does indeed resemble the power to control cells," the god nodded, or at least Rangyl thought he saw a nod, "but from your description, it seems to be an ability rather than a bloodline."

Rangyl nodded, "Yes, it appears to be an ability," pausing momentarily before asking, "Would that alter anything, though?"

"Yes, it could change everything," the god nodded, "Extracting a bloodline is far simpler than doing so with an ability."

"Why?" Rangyl began, before realizing his position and retracting, "I apologize, I shouldn't have—"

"It's acceptable," the god waved a hand dismissively, "given the news you've brought, you may inquire freely."

"Answering your question, extracting an ability is tougher than getting a bloodline for two main reasons. First, if it's a bloodline, there could be others with the same power, so if we fail with one person, we might still have others. But with an ability, there might be only one person with it, making it riskier. The second reason however is the true issue, that is because one's ability is situated in the soul, and I don't need to explain to you how tricky it is to extract something from someone soul, in most cases, the instant you try to tamper with soul, it collapse."

Rangyl nodded in understanding, his expression solemn as he wondered, "So what do we do?"

"Fortunately for us, with the help of the heart in your base, we might be able to—" The god paused abruptly.

He glanced downward for a moment, then snapped his fingers.

In an instant, another man materialized right next to Rangyl.

"I felt a disturbance. What caused it?" The god addressed the newcomer.

Kneeling, the man briefly glanced at Rangyl before responding, "The ninth base was destroyed."

Rangyl stiffened, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The ninth base was the one he was supervising.

The newcomer glanced at Rangyl for a moment before continuing, "the ones who destroyed the base had also taken all the riches we have collected."

"What about the heart?"

"It had disappeared."