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He remained on guard despite his danger sense not picking up anything. Watching the starlight scatter, Jake questioned the lack of a notification... as suddenly, some of the starlight began to gather.

Even a goddamn cockroach couldn’t have survived that, Jake cursed internally as the starlight formed a vague outline... one Jake naturally recognized. It was flickering and unstable, but it was there.

Even so, Jake didn’t make any moves because he didn’t feel anything from it. No aura, no soul, nothing. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking at. A final remnant of will, perhaps, taking on the shape of Ell’Hakan? The shattered pieces of his soul regathered to be absorbed by the system?

Lots of unknowns... all of which probably didn’t matter. What did matter was the actions of this being of starlight. It didn’t make any moves but simply raised its head toward the sky, the voice of Ell’Hakan echoing out.

“Despite looking at them so often... they’re still beautiful, aren’t they?” Ell’Hakan spoke as he looked up at the moons. “I always imagined even my ancestors looking up at this same starry sky, having the same thoughts of grandeur I did... I was just the only one given the opportunity to turn desire into reality through the integration of the system.”

Ell’Hakan turned to look at Jake, and as he met the nahoom’s gaze, he knew he was back to normal, no longer believing he was the Celestial Child anymore.

“I can only assume it was the system’s machination for us to be placed in the same galaxy like this... and for a while, I even viewed it as a boon. To have a powerful entity to compare myself against struck me as fortunate, as it would allow me to go further than I otherwise would. My circumstances would become my motivation, and you, my fuel for growth. Turned out to be the opposite. Hopefully, I was at least worthy of fulfilling that role.”

The nahoom looked Jake directly in the eyes. “Do not let my death be a waste. Keep growing stronger, surpassing anyone who came before you. Set a new standard for the definition of a genius in the multiverse, one that no one can ever surpass. That way, I will at least be remembered as the one who dared oppose the apex, my story living on through your legend. Do that... and I’ll at least feel like I had the last laugh.”

“You really do like the sound of your own voice, huh?” Jake couldn’t hold himself back from commenting. “Pretty sure you should already be dead right now.”

“I should indeed, and it’s not me who’s causing this, but someone who left a small gift with me right before he passed,” Ell’Hakan said with a sigh. “A message you will be given shortly as I pass into the night.”

Ell’Hakan’s body began to slowly shimmer, seemingly fading as he smiled for a final time.

“I pass with the knowledge I shall be eternal... for every time you look at the stars or stand beneath the moonlight, you will remember me. Of that, I’m sure.”

With those words, he slowly faded away, the starlight scattering. Right until the end, Jake really didn’t like that orange bastard. He couldn’t even die without needing to have the last say.

Jake knew whatever was happening wasn’t done yet, though, as the starlight rapidly regathered, this time taking on another familiar form that Jake had also seen not that long ago:

Yip of Yore.

But not really. The Ell’Hakan before was actually him, but this? This was just a specter of Records. A memory of sorts, Jake reckoned. Even so, he appeared quite lifelike as his form became far more corporeal than Ell’Hakan had been, the former pinnacle god regarding Jake.

“So both the Patron and his Chosen turned Usurper have fallen... I would lie if I said Ell’Hakan’s defeat came as a surprise,”

the fragment of Yip of Yore said. Jake knew saying anything himself would be useless as the fragment couldn’t actually hear him. It was indeed just there to deliver a message.

“Let me not waste your time, but be direct: act with caution, Jake Thayne. Be careful of the one you call your Patron. Be wary at all times and watch your back... and rather than try to convince you why, let me simply show you why.”

The body of starlight exploded as it formed a scene Jake could only guess was from the final moments of the fight between the Malefic Viper and Yip of Yore. The entire image was very blurry, likely due to some system interference, but Jake still got the gist of it. If he hadn’t, the echoing and fading voice of Yip of Yore laid it out clearly. ʀΝοĘʂ@@novelbin@@

“The Transcendence of the Malefic Viper allows him to turn others into fuel for his own Path. Transmute them into pure Records for him to consume. At the same time, look at yourself and what you are... what you can become. Consider and ask yourself if this is the fate in store for you at the side of the Malefic One. If he doesn’t simply view you as nothing more than another ingredient. Ask yourself if you will be wise and take the opportunity to distance yourself before it’s too late. You have been warned... the rest is up to you.”

Jake saw the starlight image completely scatter, and he couldn’t help but think that both Yip and Ell’Hakan sure liked going out dramatically. They couldn’t just die like everyone else but had to have this kind of dramatic sendoff.

He naturally also considered Yip’s words briefly, and while he believed the dead god had spoken the truth about Villy’s Transcendence, Jake didn’t take his thoughts much further than that. He’d chosen to trust the Malefic Viper. He was Jake’s friend, and he wasn’t going to let the words of some sore loser damage their relationship, especially not with how evident it was that Yip wanted to set up Jake as his method of revenge. Still, keeping the knowledge in the back of his mind would only be wise.

With all of that done, Ell’Hakan and Yip of Yore finally having said their piece, the last of the starlight dispersed, floating upwards toward the stars above, and finally, Jake got the ultimate confirmation that Ell’Hakan – the Celestial Child – was no more.

*You have slain [Nahoom – lvl 303 / Herald of Celestial Cycles - lvl 295 / Foretold Champion of Yore – lvl 311] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level.*

First of all, Jake had to admit that Ell’Hakan’s class and profession both sounded pretty darn powerful. Likely because they had been. He’d been second only to Jake in this generation, so it only made sense both of them had been absolutely top-tier.

He had many more thoughts about Ell’Hakan’s Path but shelved them for now, partly because he was distracted by the rush of experience that flooded Jake’s body. Even if the level disparity between Jake and Ell’Hakan had been small, the fight had still been extremely close, and the Usurper’s Records were naturally quite extreme, making it no surprise that Jake got quite a few levels.

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*’DING!’ Class: [Arcane Hunter of Horizon’s Edge] has reached level 297 - Stat points allocated, +50 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Class: [Arcane Hunter of Horizon’s Edge] has reached level 302 - Stat points allocated, +50 Free Points*

Jake had gained six whole levels in his class from the fight, which was more than adequate… especially when you considered that his class wasn’t the only thing that had gained experience.

*Congratulations! You have successfully defeated the former Chosen of Yip of Yore, who usurped the Path of his Patron after his fall. A new feat has been accomplished. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 296 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 299 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points*

While it was less than his class, Jake didn’t complain. The experience came from upgrading Pride alongside what the notification said about defeating the former Chosen of Yip of Yore, and based on the order of notifications, he’d gotten two levels from upgrading Pride and two from slaying Ell’Hakan.

Two levels for killing another Chosen certainly didn’t seem like a lot, but one had to consider the context. Ell’Hakan was no longer a Chosen at all when Jake killed him, more or less severing all relations he had with the Viper.

Jake had gained a lot of levels already when doing all the Yip of Yore stuff, and this had just been the conclusion of all that. A nice wrap-up of everything, with now both the Patron and Chosen dead.

His final notifications – before he got to all the skill upgrades – were, of course, the race levels. And, if one had a keen eye and saw Jake’s new levels in his class and profession, they would know that Jake had officially broken into high-tier C-grade.

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (C)] has reached level 296 - Stat points allocated, +45 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (C)] has reached level 300 - Stat points allocated, +45 Free Points*

Reaching level 300 felt like a milestone despite not actually meaning anything in the grand scheme of things. It wasn’t like he would get more stats or anything; it just mentally felt like another barrier had been overcome.

It was a satisfying feeling, and as Jake allowed all his boosting skills to drop, the newly gained levels made him already feel a little better. Moreover, he had one more thing to get to… because while he said all the starlight had scattered before, there was still one place where it persisted.

Right where Ell’Hakan and Yip of Yore had faded away, a singular object now floated. Jake drew closer as he felt its powerful aura, and he already knew what it was.

It was his loot from the fight. With Ell’Hakan turning his entire body into energy, most of his equipment was gone, and the only other piece of gear around was the trident down on the ground, but seeing as it had already become void of energy, Jake assumed it had been Soulbound.

That left just this one item. In the same vein where Jake assumed that one of his eyes would become the loot of his killer, it appeared that Ell’Hakan left behind a heart. A heart made of starlight.

[Starlight Heart of the Celestial Child (Unique)] – The crystalized heart of Ell’Hakan, also known as the Celestial Child, former Chosen and Usurper of Yip of Yore. This Starlight Heart was created after his death, containing his Records. Contains remnants of the Bloodline of the [Redacted], granting it unique powers. This item allows you to [Redacted] while held. Additionally, if consumed, the Starlight Heart of the Celestial Child may grant the consumer [Redacted]. May the powers of the moons and stars guide you.

Jake read the description and only had more questions than answers after doing so, along with one burning question in his mind…

Should I just destroy it?

Jake didn’t like the description of the item at all. For it to contain remnants of Ell’Hakan’s Bloodline was incredibly unsettling to Jake, so much so he didn’t even really want to touch it, much less take it with him.

He was also surprised it was unique rarity. At least he was right up until he read the stuff about the Bloodline, as that more likely than not explained the unique tag. Bloodline stuff also explained why every single effect the Starlight Heart apparently had was redacted.

Honestly, Jake pretty much felt scammed as he looked at the item. Intuitively, he knew it was powerful – at least mythical rarity if it hadn’t been turned unique - but he was nevertheless extremely hesitant. Alas, ultimately, he didn’t feel any sense of danger from the item, and it at least shouldn’t have any malicious passive effects if Jake just stored it away. Safely, of course.

Taking out a special wooden box Jake had stolen from the Order at some point, Jake stored and sealed the Starlight Heart inside before putting it in his spatial storage for further investigations later. Perhaps he would even give it to someone trusted to figure out what the item was all about, but all of that was for when Jake wasn’t stuck on a planet that was rapidly breaking apart beneath him.

Having collected his items, Jake prepared to use his ring to escape by teleporting back to Earth. He had nothing more to do on the nahoom planet and was quite frankly looking forward to finally going home…

However…

Reality had other plans.

Right as Jake began to activate the ring to teleport away – the channel to do so taking a few minutes - he detected movement above. It was not from a thunderstorm or anything else like that, but the movements of a person.

Jake instantly activated a Pulse of Perception as he saw him.

A familiar man walked through the skies, carrying a lantern in his hand, and as Jake saw him, he also felt confident this had been the person observing him right as he began to fight Ell’Hakan. As he realized this, that’s also when Jake saw what this newcomer was doing.

The dispersed starlight that had floated upwards when Ell’Hakan truly died all flew in his direction… and as it got closer, the light of the lantern hit this starlight, seemingly giving it new life before the lantern absorbed all of the starlight into itself.

It only took Jake a moment to realize what was happening… that starlight was effectively the final remnants of Ell’Hakan’s body while also containing the final vestiges of his soul… and seeing who was collecting this starlight along with who he represented, Jake felt a surge of anger as he stared up into the sky and yelled.

“Jacob, what the fuck do you think you’re doing!?”

His words echoed throughout the sky, his teleport already having been interrupted. Despite Jake’s damaged state, he also didn’t hesitate to shoot upwards toward the Augur.

Jacob saw Jake coming and simply finished collecting the last starlight as he waited. It only took a few seconds before Jake arrived right in front of the Augur, practically ready to punch his former boss in the face.

“I asked you what the fuck you’re doing,” Jake said in a cold tone. Colder than he’d ever spoken to Jacob before, as he knew what the man was up to.

“You already know,” Jacob sighed as he looked at the lantern. “The Holy Church invested a lot in Ell’Hakan. Just from what happened on this planet alone, you should understand why. His Bloodline is simply too valuable to give up on… so even if the investment will be extreme, and no matter how bad the result, the Holy Church is determined to resurrect him. All they need from Ell’Hakan is for him to fulfill his promise, even if what is revived wouldn’t truly be him anymore.”

Jake was raging inside, staring Jacob directly in the eyes. “That’s not going to happen.”

“The Church wants it to,” Jacob simply spoke. “And I’ve been tasked to recover what I could to make it possible and store it within this lantern.”

He lifted up the item in question, showing it to Jake.

“Of course, direct divine involvement would be required to salvage enough for a resurrection, meaning that as long as the universe remains locked down for the rest of this system event, all we at the Church can do is store what we can in this lantern,” Jacob continued, looking Jake directly in the eyes as he spoke.

Jake was confused with the way Jacob spoke… he was overexplaining things for sure, and while it took Jake a moment, he soon realized…

“You want me to-“

“My task is done here,” the Augur cut Jake off. “And I shall now make my escape before I’m slain and lose the lantern by using a skill that allows me to switch places with my Guardian, who will fight you to buy time while I get away.”

With those words, Jacob’s entire body flashed, and in an instant, a large warrior appeared in his stead. Bertram, who Jake hadn’t seen in quite a while, had taken the Augur’s place just as Jacob had said he would, the former expert in security before the system regarding Jake.

“Long time no see,” Bertram said, giving a respectful nod. “Now if you would be so kind as to kill me.”