Chapter 262 : Assemble

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Sally, known in the group for being Lionel’s closest friend, spoke again.

“Asami has been leading the Five Demons from the start. The other four would follow her to the ends of the earth if she asked. I don’t care about that crazy woman — but I don’t want to see Lionel die. And I know it’s the same for all of you. You each have your own reasons for wanting them to make it out of this hell alive and in one piece.

Our powers were enough in the beginning, but our impact is fading. We have to get stronger — and there’s only one way to do that quickly.”

Sally stood up as she spoke, locking eyes with each of the other players one by one.

The others lifted their heads, understanding what she meant. Some looked away, hesitant. Others nodded and rose to their feet.

Asia was the fifth and last to stand, a smile playing on her lips.

“Well then… let’s go ask Triple Seven to torture us,” she said, walking toward a tent a hundred meters away.

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A few minutes earlier…

Triple-Seven was eating an apple with one hand and holding his notes with the other.

Next to him, Newtons was carefully observing a hundred floating drops of [Blood Essence] suspended before him.

He spoke first. “What’s your plan to get the group bloodlines to EX rank?”

Triple-Seven kept his eyes on his notes, whose pages were flipping rapidly on their own, before finally closing the notebook with a sigh.

“Asami’s the only one who has a shot at breaking through right now. The others… their innate or supreme abilities are too strong, making the task even more difficult. Like you said, they won’t survive absorbing high-level drops of [Blood Essence] with the limited support they’re getting from the support squad…”

Newtons stared at him intently. “If you let me help, they’d all make it.”

Triple-Seven shook his head. “If they reach that level of power too easily, they won’t understand the value of what they’ve been given — or grow properly from it. Worse, we won’t always be there to babysit them. If they come to rely on us too much, it’ll backfire on them. That’s why the ten support players need to step up as well. They need to be able to recreate the conditions required to help others refine their bloodline.”

Newtons sighed. “You think we won’t be around forever… That we’re just a temporary experiment of Sora’s?”

Triple-Seven shook his head again. “You know what they say in France… Being too kind is being dumb. And Sora’s too kind. Each of us is an investment for the future. And Sora will never ask to collect on all of that investment. But that’s exactly what he’ll need to do if he wants to crush the enemy. We’ve only scratched the surface of what bloodlines can offer, and you’ve seen the massive difference it makes. I can’t imagine how we’re supposed to win this war, knowing the other species have one — or several — trump cards of this magnitude.”

Reluctantly, Newtons nodded. “You’re a pragmatic bastard, brother… That can be depressing sometimes.”

Noticing movement, he looked toward the group of five players from the support squad walking in their direction.

“They’ve made their choice, I think,” he said with a smile.

Triple-Seven smiled back. “See? We're on the right track.”

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A few hours later.

Sora hovered in the air, panting, exhausted. His body was in tatters, missing an arm, and blood poured from every wound he’d taken.

In front of him stood ten Alter Egos, each one stronger than before.

Individually, they were all weaker than him, but their telepathic link and flawless coordination made the fight a living nightmare.

‘And that maniac couldn’t resist joining in,’ he thought, spotting Tian Long supporting his enemies mid-training.

‘A week ago, I wouldn’t have had any trouble handling these Alter Egos. But today… it’s different.’

Thinking of the recent changes, he looked at the Alter Egos who had fused their ultimate skills using Tian Long’s throne.

‘Those bastards got cocky ever since they acquired their new abilities.’

He placed his right hand on his left shoulder, which began to rapidly regenerate. His left arm reformed quickly, followed by the reconstruction of his armor.

‘It makes me want to fuse some skills too… but that would be the worst decision in the long run. I need to leave that task to the alter egos.’

“Enough healing, Sora. We’re not just taking an arm this time. Get ready.” Thirty-Two’s voice triggered a grimace from him.

‘I need to do something about that guy’s attitude…’ he thought, before summoning [Sword Manifestation].

The ten Alter Egos each moved into position from a different angle and activated their skills.

Thirty-Two triggered his new skill.

[Void Slash] [Ultimate – 1★]
[Description: Create a tear in space at any chosen location, slicing through all matter.]

The description hadn’t seemed like much, and Sora had even thought he’d been scammed by Tian Long when he saw 100,000 [Soul Pearls] and ten Ultimate-ranked skills vanish for this.
Yet the lethality and sheer power of the spell erased all his doubts in an instant.

Sora couldn’t perceive any changes in the air or surroundings but he did notice the sudden drop in Thirty-Two’s energy, a clear sign he’d used a skill.

He vanished immediately from his position, only to see a crack appear right where his heart had been an instant before.

‘That bastard really tried to kill me!’

Sensing his environment freezing rapidly, he unleashed his [Sword Intent], everywhere around him, to destroy the elements assaulting his body.

What had started as a simple training session between Sora and his Alter Egos had turned into a desperate fight for survival.

He dashed left and right, targeting the Alter Egos one by one, slowly reducing the pressure on himself. It wasn’t until ten minutes later that he finally eliminated the ten rebels who had been trying to kill him during the spar.

Now face to face with Tian Long, he struggled to catch his breath.

“Do you realize how much synergy there is between your innate skill and my throne’s ability?”

At her question, Sora’s face lit up. “Hehe… So you thought of it too?”

Tian Long nodded. “Hundreds of Alter Egos fusing their skills… and you absorbing all of it by absorbing them... It’s insane.”

Sora shook his head. “And why stop there? After I acquire those skills, I can recreate the Alter Egos — and they can each fuse their 1★ skills and repeat the process endlessly!!”

Tian Long looked stunned by his words, but laughed. “It could work in theory… But you’re ignoring the absurd cost in soul power. Just those ten skills already cost you a fortune. A million for ten. Can you keep up that pace knowing the price for a 2★ skill?”

Sora grimaced as he remembered the [Soul Pearls] he’d spent.

‘I haven’t even hit this server’s limit yet… And if I spend my Soul Power on skills, I won’t get there anytime soon…’

He hadn't hit the limit in Soul Power, Body, Energy or Mental Level. He knew how much training he needed.

“I guess I know what I’ll be doing for the rest of the month,” he said aloud.

Seeing the ten Alter Egos reappear around him, each absorbing a drop of [Human Blood Essence] to return to level fifty, he added, “And all of you are going to help me.”

Sensing the anger in Sora’s voice, Thirty-Two replied timidly, “You said you only needed us for a few hours... I should get back to training…”

Sora turned to Thirty-Two, who was trying to slip away. “You’re the one who ripped my arm off and almost shredded my heart earlier... And now you’re shy all of a sudden?”

Faced with silence from his nervously smiling Alter Ego, Sora's feigned anger faded. “I really like your skill… It dealt massive damage, and I felt my body progressing at lightning speed after that fight. It gives me hope again — hope that I can push [Eternal Body Craft] to the top. Can you help me?”

Seeing Thirty-Two calm down and nod, he turned to the others. “We’ve done it before, and we need to do it again. We need to reach the peak in every aspect of power. And we’ve got until the end of the month to do it.”

Surprised by Sora’s choice, Thirty-Two asked, “What about skill fusion? And farming soul power? Isn’t that even more urgent?”

Sora didn’t have to answer.

Thirty-Two looked up and saw someone appear above him.

“Triple Seven and Newtons?”

“Even Shade!”

As his brothers appeared one by one, Sora smiled. When the last one showed up, he was surprised.

“You’re finally back?” Sora asked.

The last arrival radiated such an oppressive aura that every Alter Ego present immediately backed off.

Unlike his brothers, he wore no armor, no gear, and no shoes. Not even a sword. He was dressed simply: a loose shirt and wide pants.

Seeing the text above his head, Sora wasn’t surprised.

[One Hundred-One – Level ???]

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