World Keeper

Chapter 371: Avatars

This time when I left, I had not returned to the Admin Room. Instead, I left directly to Earth, moving to the Sky Citadel with the use of my new plane shifting ability. It was… extremely convenient, since I was able to set the destination for where I wanted to go, so long as I was able to properly picture the area and it was a location in another ‘plane’.

But now, with the level limit of Fyor up at six hundred, there should be another outburst of strength in that world. Aside from Dawn, who already has mages that far surpass their own levels, the higher floors may truly come to be ruled by the forces of the other worlds. Not out of violence, but because they are the ones most capable of protecting the inhabitants, at least until Fyor catches up.

Of course, this also means that the mages of Fyor will be able to grow even stronger now, and use this growth to their advantage. Maybe it was time to finally purchase the third tier of runes for that world? I had held off doing so before because the normal balance of levels meant that only those truly devoted mages had gone into the level range of third tier magic… but things had changed now. I also didn’t think that I had to worry about this pushing us over the limits and becoming the second tier, after understanding how large the gap is between each tier.

I gave a small nod at that thought, making my way to sit on the throne as Leowynn wordlessly left my body, presumably to go entertain herself watching Tsubaki. Ryone. Did you find anything in Balu’s list that you think we should really get?

Well, there is the spell recorder. That would be a huge help to a lot of mages! She responded after a moment of consideration. I mean, that thing really doesn’t fit in with the rest of her list. I can’t help but think that she only added it there for us.

But, aside from that… there’s also a mat that helps whoever sit on it gather and condense their ki. That would be a good thing to learn how to mass produce for our monks. Other than that, everything is something that would either not be too useful to us, or Tubrock can make already.

I closed my eyes, thinking about that. Okay. How much does she have the grimoire and mat listed for? Also, is it in our budget to get the third tier of rune magic now?

There was another brief pause. I mean, sure. As for the two items, their total cost listed is at a hundred and twenty points. We can easily afford both.

I’ll send a message to her in a bit to let her know. As for the magic, I’ll buy it when I go back to the Admin Room to do that.

I didn’t expect that I’d be down here too incredibly long this time. I still wanted to train my new level of divinity, yes, but I was not in a rush to constantly get that done. I could afford to be more relaxed than that for a little while.

As I wrapped up the conversation, I sent another message to Aurivy and Bihena, asking them to help me keep up my promise with Thelsa to protect that church. Neither of them seemed against the idea, thankfully, which made me sigh in relief.

Once I had finished the conversation, I thought back to what I had talked about with Terra, about the ability to create avatars out of different energy types. Aside from the perfect self, I was already fully aware of the formula to create the other types of energy bodies. After all, I had been the one to originally create both the martial and world spirits.

Focusing, I extended my hand out towards the large floor of my throne room, urging a strand of my spiritual energy and ki out of my body. As they moved towards the center of the floor, I began to gradually mix them, seeing the golden and earthen lights merging. When they were fully combined, specks of red began to overtake them.

My consciousness suddenly felt split, as if I was constantly working on manipulating my chakra threads. I was able to see a blood-red shadow forming into a humanoid mass on the floor… and through it, I was able to see myself sitting on my throne. Gradually, this mass reshaped itself, forming into a copy of my own appearance. The only differences were that the clothes, eyes, and hair had all turned a deep red.

This had been… a lot easier than I had expected. Admittedly, it was because I had already known how to create a martial spirit. If someone didn’t know the proper formula, it would likely not be such a simple matter, and be far more… explosive.

Back when I had first created both the world and martial spirits, I had used ambient spiritual energy as opposed to my own, which seemed to be why they had been created as independent beings. Now that what I was using was entirely my own power… it felt like an extension of myself.

Part of me began to wonder if I would be able to form a pact with my avatar like other martial spirits. However, I quickly shook away that thought. The strengthening effect of martial spirits largely comes from the two different wills and energies complementing one another. This would still be entirely my own power, and entirely my own will. I would gain access to their ‘blood ki’ abilities, but would not really get any stronger.

As I was thinking about this, I had another idea. My avatar turned, a golden mirror opening in front of it before forming a portal, which it stepped through. One of the components for this martial spirit was my divine soul, so it naturally had my divinity as well.

Once it left, I began focusing on the other type of avatar I could create. Another strand of spiritual energy left my body as I called upon natural energy to merge with it. This avatar I was actually far more looking forward to… I had always wanted to take a first-hand look at the world of the world spirits, and this would allow me to do so without detracting from my other business.

Within the palace of Scarlet’s Watch, the capital of the Bloodhaven Empire, the Bloody Queen sat upon her throne. She was calm, her senses extending out beyond the boundaries of her city. As the Demigoddess of Ki, it had always been her duty to find powerful hosts for a new generation.

There were many people who came to Bloodhaven seeking trade. The spirits of blood were eternal, and could bond with a mortal for a lifetime. Thus, there were no issues with Scarlet having her own people as the empire’s prime export. It was something that nobody else could match, after all. They brought in special goods, and were able to trade for a martial spirit to bond with them.

Naturally, there were many that demanded that Scarlet herself become their bonded spirit. These people… quickly regretted their decisions. As a Demigoddess, her abilities were no longer restricted to detecting ki. No, now she had learned a new way to use her power, the ability to control the ki of those weaker than herself.

When someone became too violent in their demands, she didn’t kill them. She merely sealed their ki, essentially stripping it from their control. To some, this was a fate worse than death. Ki provided a mortal with longevity and prolonged youth, when practiced properly. Many times, she had seen someone age before her eyes after executing this punishment.

Scarlet’s eyes opened wide as she suddenly felt a powerful ki from within her own throne room. She saw a golden vortex in the air, and a solitary figure stepping through it. The powerful aura of blood instantly assaulted her senses, and she knew that this was another spirit like herself. But… how could another one have grown to such levels without entering her awareness before now?

It was only then that she was able to see past the aura, feel the familiar energy within this being. Right away, her tensed body relaxed and she sighed. “Welcome, Keeper.”

“Scarlet.” The Keeper spoke with a small smile. “I hope I’m not intruding.”

“Not at all.” She shook her head, rising from her throne so that she could walk down and stand before him. She no longer had her innocent, childlike appearance. Instead, she looked to be an adult, fully grown into her own body. Though her body was starting to feel quite cramped. “To what do I owe this honor?”

“Actually, believe it or not, I just wanted to visit, see how things were going here.” His response surprised Scarlet, as this was the first time he had ever paid her a ‘social visit’ before.

“I… see. I think. Very well. If you would, please follow me.” She gave a polite nod, walking past her creator so that she could move out towards the balcony. Dale naturally followed behind her, and the two of them glanced out over the railing.

Scarlet’s Watch was named as such because her eyes were always on her city. Her castle had been built atop a mountain, overlooking the entirety of the region. Beneath, glistening red homes could be seen, spirits of different ranks walking through the paved streets. Their bloody aura seemed to have even invaded the world around them, a nearby spring running red while the trees themselves seemed to adopt a reddish hue. Even the sky in the area had suffered a similar change.

This wasn’t a true change in any sense, but rather an illusion that began to appear when so many martial spirits had gathered in one area. Their auras resonated with one another and began to dye the world around them. However, to Scarlet, it was simply a sign that this was home.

“It’s quite remarkable what you’ve done here.” Dale spoke up next to Scarlet, his eyes glancing across the horizon. He seemed somewhat distracted, but Scarlet chose not to pry into his personal matters. “If there’s anything I can do to help, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

A world of green, swimming with blue. No sky, or sea, or land, just a world of color. As a new figure stepped into this world, a silent ripple of power spread out. It appeared to be an exact copy of the Keeper himself, though with bright, golden eyes and his outfit dyed green.

Within the colors, countless small humanoids were flying about happily, playing with each other. Like brushes on a canvas, the colors changed as they flew past.

Three more ripples spread, and then there were four larger figures. One appeared to be an elven woman in a flowing green dress. Another, a demonic soldier with a crown of black fire hovering over his head. Finally, the third, a kitsune wearing a long, golden dress. Anyone looking from behind her could see that her back was hollowed out, revealing what seemed to be a wooden interior.

“My lord.” The elven spirit, the spirit of Earth, spoke first. “This is a pleasant surprise.” From the feelings that they gave off, the spirit of Earth was the strongest of the three, and had thus been appointed their leader under the natural law.

The Keeper nodded his head, glancing around at the prismatic world around him. “This is… certainly not what I expected to find here.”

“Don’t mind it.” The kitsune spirit of Deckan waved the comment off with a smile. “The little ones like to play. So long as we don’t give them a scene to maintain, this is what it turns into.”

The final one, the demonic spirit of Desbar, grunted softly. “It’s disordered, but… it is the way of things.”

The spirit of Earth nodded her head gently. “Please, my lord. If you have need of us, you need only speak. Our minds will hear you anywhere within our lands.”

“No need for such a fuss.” Dale shook his head. “I just wanted to finally see this area for myself. I’m working on a new ability, and it allowed me to come here. I don’t mean to disrupt any normal business.”