Chapter 244: The Power Of Inverse Pandora

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Louis remained silent for a moment before he decided to test his new skill.

Inverse Pandora possessed a peculiar power, and he began with Fragile Shell.

“Inverse Pandora: Fragile Shell.”

TRUUUM!

The skill inverted at once. What would have decreased his defenses and increased his speed transformed.

“…?!”

His skin grew incredibly harder instead of brittle. He felt heavier and stronger.

“What is this? It really worked?”

[You have used [Inverse Pandora] on [Fragile Shell]!]

[Fragile Shell] has been inversed, becoming [Super-Hard Shell]!]

[Super Hard Shell: Level 8]: When activated, increases Vitality, Strength, and Physical Defense by 40 percent, but decreases Movement Speed by 20 percent.]

“Incredible…!”

Louis realized it could serve as a powerful buffing ability.

He moved on to another random skill.

“Inverse Pandora: Ice Dragon/Heaven Dragon Bloodline.”

FLUOSH!

Something deep inside him shifted. The ice within him turned to burning flames, and the heaven element inherited from his mother became demonic.

[You have used [Inverse Pandora] on [Ice Dragon/Heaven Dragon Bloodline]!]

[Ice Dragon/Heaven Dragon Bloodline] has been inversed, becoming [Fire Dragon/Demon Dragon Bloodline]!]

[Fire Dragon/Demon Dragon Bloodline: Level 5]: Replaces Ice/Heaven Elements with Fire/Demon Elements and enhances the power of those elements by 50 percent. Learning spells from these elements becomes far easier.]

“Not bad. With this I can expand my arsenal much more effectively…”

He continued with a third skill, unable to resist how entertaining it felt.

“Inverse Pandora: Nightmarish Roar!”

[You have used [Inverse Pandora] on [Nightmarish Roar]!]

[Nightmarish Roar] has been inversed, becoming [Heavenly Song]!]

[Heavenly Song: Level 5]: Whoever listens to your Heavenly Song becomes inspired and relieved of pain, healing their injuries, clearing their mind, and increasing their stats by 25 percent for a short time.]

“Amazing…”

Louis smiled faintly and deactivated the ability. He glanced at Mirai, who still seemed undecided.

“How are you doing?”

“Ah, well, there are these options…”

Mirai listed them for him.

Aside from the usual demon and chaos spirit paths, three other interesting evolutions appeared.

Abyssal Demon.

Succubus.

Entropy Specter.

“They sound strange… I am definitely NOT picking succubus!” Mirai said, crossing her arms.

“Hm, maybe it would have been interesting,” Louis replied.

“E-Eh? You want me to…?” Mirai blushed and covered her face.

“I am joking,” Louis said with a smile.

“D-Don’t joke about such things!” Mirai complained. “Now help me choose! Which one is better? Should I commit to the Shadow Devil path and become an Abyssal Demon or go for this weird Entropy Specter one?”

“Hmm…” Louis rubbed his large scaled chin. “It depends. Entropy Specter seems capable of calculating probability and disrupting fate. Meanwhile, Abyssal Demon focuses on soul damage, domain creation, destructive magic, and teleportation between planes.”

“Yeah, I wish I could become both,” she said.

“Probability and defying fate sound interesting, but they feel too vague for you to rely on,” Louis answered. “Choose something that will definitely give you the strength you need.”

“You’re right…!” Mirai nodded and selected Abyssal Demon.

FLUOSH!

In that instant she became a cocoon of black shadows. Louis waited an entire day, hunting small prey and practicing skills while she transformed. When she finally emerged, she had hatched.

“I’m… done?”

Her small body had grown to match her true height. Unlike before, when she had been pitch-black and ethereal, she now appeared more humanoid.

Her skin was dark gray. Long hair made of black nebulous shadows framed her face, each strand dotted with shining golden stars that served as eyes.

A single crimson eye gleamed on her face, with no other features except a second red eye on her chest.

Her legs and hands split into dozens of tentacles formed from the same nebulous shadows as her hair.

She radiated a terrifying aura of power. Even though morning had arrived, it felt as if night had suddenly fallen.

“How is it?” she asked.

“It is incredibly intimidating,” Louis muttered. “Incredible. So this is the power of demons…”

“Heheh, I guess I’m strong!” Mirai celebrated.

“Alright, now that you have finally evolved, it is time we get going,” Louis said. “Let’s move. We have to hunt the remaining monsters corrupted by the gold.”

“Yeah!” Mirai nodded.

Louis channeled his Soul Treasure, which he could control far more precisely than before, and let it guide him toward the monsters infected by the gold.

There were not many left, and most gathered in Yang Heaven Mountain.

Along the way they made several detours, hunting a dozen monsters that revived after death as golden creatures capable of corrupting minds and attacking souls.

Some even tried to immortalize Mirai and Louis, attempting to turn them into gold, but both were far too strong and crushed the attackers instead.

After another week of travel and hunting, the pair finally reached their destination. Louis felt certain they had eliminated every monster corrupted by the Golden Judge within the Realm except for the final threat ahead.

“Here we are… it took us some time, but we have finally made it.”

“Yeah, this Realm is larger than I thought! And we have been flying most of the time too, haha.”

“It is as big as Japan… or so I thought. But as my Cultivation Realm advanced, the size grew without me noticing until now. It is now as large as the American continent.”

“Makes sense! So that is why so many more habitats and monsters keep appearing.”

“Yeah. Anyway, let’s move.”

It was the morning of a new day. After hunting and devouring plenty of Rank 2 and 3 monsters, they felt ready for higher-level grounds.

Louis’s level had risen several times by then, and his evolution threshold sat around 30 percent full. He hoped that stronger prey would fill it faster.

As they approached the mountain, which at first glance resembled any ordinary peak, something suddenly changed.

FLASH!

“…?!”

“…!!!”

Both sensed a startling shift in the atmosphere. They gasped as the sky turned gold and Yang Qi essence surged everywhere.

What had looked like a normal mountain with a normal forest transformed into a mystical pseudo-realm within the realm itself.

“H-How is this possible?” Mirai wondered. “I thought we were already inside a Fantasy Realm?”

“Well, technically there is no rule preventing another realm from forming inside one,” Louis said, scanning the surroundings with his large golden eyes. “But this goes beyond a simple special area. The cultivators mentioned powerful Martial Beasts and Mythical Beasts here, yet they never spoke much about the environment.”

“What?”

“It means this change must be recent, something they have not discovered yet,” Louis replied. “And… yes.”

Inside his soul, the [Corrupted Immortalizing Liquid Gold] glowed brightly, reacting to more of its scattered parts.

As he suspected, roughly a hundred fragments had gathered here, slowly merging and spreading strange energy that distorted the realm.

If Louis had not deliberately begun hunting and leveling as a dragon, he might never have noticed in time. By the time he did, it could have been too late.

“Is it the golden tear you possess?” Mirai asked. “Is it reacting?”

“It is,” Louis nodded. “It appears the atmosphere and entire space here are being deliberately warped into a Spiritual Soul Realm. Those Golden Fragments are modifying this place, attempting something.”

“Y-You think the fragments are trying to revive by unifying?” Mirai asked.

“Perhaps,” Louis nodded.

“But why?” Mirai pressed.

“Obviously so that Entity can revive, or rather… a part of the Venerable that Oberon killed,” Louis said. “This place has been distorted in a very specific way. There is a Core at the mountain’s peak…”

“Wait, like a dungeon?!” Mirai asked.

“Yeah, like a Spirit Realm Dungeon, a hybrid of both,” Louis answered. “It seems this monster’s remaining soul is desperately trying to return, using my own Realm as the catalyst. I will not allow it.”

“We cannot let it happen,” Mirai agreed, ready for battle. “We have to stop it!”

“We have nothing else to do but find out what it is planning. Let’s go.”

Louis stepped forward and Mirai followed. The moment they entered deeper into the dungeon, the [Corrupted Immortalizing Liquid Gold] reacted instantly.

Inside the forest they were targeted at once.

The monsters here acted as if guarding the mountain, exactly like creatures defending a dungeon.

“ROOAARR!”

“SHYAAAAH!”

“GROOOH!”

Three powerful Rank 4 monsters appeared: a Giant Mountain Wolf, a Mountain Hydra, and a Ghost Flame Bear.

“T-Three Rank 4?!” Mirai panicked. She was still only Rank 3.

“Hoh, finally something worth our time!” Louis spread his wings as his Draconic Energy Aura surged. “Come at me!”

“GROOAARR!”

The three monsters roared in unison. Species that would never cooperate now fought together, clearly controlled by the Dungeon Core to defend it.

RUMBLE!

The Giant Mountain Wolf charged first, faster than the others. It struck Louis with giant claws and a mighty roar that unleashed sharp wind attacks.

SLASH! CLASH! BOOM!

Louis endured the blows with his massive body, glaring at the wolf with cold indifference.

“Dragon Claw.”

CRASH!

A single swipe of his dragon claw splattered the wolf across the ground.

This was the raw might of a dragon, even at Rank 4.

And Louis had not yet used any Abilities, Magic, or Cultivation Methods in this form. They remained as limited as before.

This power came purely from what he had cultivated as a dragon.

However.

FLUOSH!

The Giant Mountain Wolf revived, transforming into a glistening golden beast overflowing with spiritual and soul energy.

“AWOOOOO!”

It howled loudly, attacking Louis’s mind and soul before charging again. Its golden claws had doubled in size, now nearly ten meters tall, and released slashing attacks aimed directly at his soul rather than his body.

Meanwhile the Hydra and Bear closed in, but Mirai kept them occupied with Chaos Lasers, Demonic Fire Bullets, and Abyssal Shadow Tentacles.

This gave Louis the opening he needed to finish the first corrupted monster.

“Golden Judge, I have come to finish Oberon’s job and avenge him.”

Louis opened his jaws.

He knew the golden beast was now immune to light.

So he chose a different approach.

“Inverse Pandora: White Breath.”

“Black Breath!”

Instead of a glistening white breath of light, he unleashed a pitch-black breath of darkness and abyssal chaos. It struck the wolf midair while Louis dodged the claw attacks.

BOOOM!

“Gryyyaaack!”

The wolf let out an agonized howl. A massive hole tore through its stomach. It crashed to the ground, bleeding liquid gold.

Even then it resisted, hissing and firing dozens of golden laser beams capable of destroying souls and turning victims into gold.

Louis conjured a Telekinesis barrier. He harnessed Cinderheart Pulse, then inverted it through Inverse Pandora into Frostheart Pulse, alternating heat and ice over and over.

After several seconds of exposure to fire and ice, the beast’s body shattered like glass and died on the spot.

CRAAASH!

Louis turned his gaze to the charging Hydra.

“Sorry! It ran at you!”

The Hydra stood about seven meters tall, but Louis easily towered over it. His sharp eyes gleamed as he slashed its heads with a Dragon Claw, dodged its deadly bite, and kicked it into the ground using his Self-Taught Dragon Martial Arts.

BAAAM!

“GRYASH?!”

The Hydra groaned, vomiting blood and smashing through several trees. Louis then kicked away the Ghost Flame Bear that had nearly reached Mirai and conjured a long Icicle Spear, thrusting it forward.

CRAAASH!

The Ghost Flame Bear was impaled and killed instantly. Mirai prepared her magic at once, opening dozens of red eyes across her body and firing Chaos Lasers as the bear revived in its corrupted golden form.

“I got this! The Hydra’s coming!”

“I know.”

A bright radiance surged behind Louis as the Hydra returned, now sprouting golden feathered wings made of metallic feathers. It rushed forward while firing dozens of mind- and soul-destroying lasers.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Louis defended with Telekinesis Barriers, then slammed his tail against the ground, leaping higher and propelling himself with his wings.

He combined Cinderheart Pulse, Dragon Claw, and Black Breath, crushing the golden Hydra into the earth and tearing it apart.

The beast tried to turn his hands to gold, but Louis ignored it. He used Nightmarish Roar to disorient the creature, weakening the Bear as well.

After that he finished the Hydra with a hammer strike from both hands.

CRAAASH!

Louis quickly melted away the corrupted gold scales and skin that had formed over his red flesh. The burns hurt, but he sealed the wounds with Dust of Purification and regrew skin and scales, now far more effective after the skill had leveled up.

“Mirai, how is it going?”

“I got it!”

Mirai fought the Bear, keeping it busy with magic while she prepared something stronger. She opened a large jaw in her stomach and drew out a giant black sword.

“Chaos Spirit Blade!”

This was one of her newest skills, a literal sword forged from her own hardened Chaotic Spirit Energy.

SLAAASH! SLAAASH! SLAAASH!

Three slashes were enough. She cut the giant Bear into three pieces and killed it on the spot. Golden form or not, it could not resist her power.

“We did it!” Mirai celebrated.

“Yeah, well done,” Louis said, patting her head.

Ding!

[Congratulations, you and your ally have slain a [Giant Mountain Wolf: Rank 4], [Ghost Flame Bear: Rank 4], and [Mountain Hydra: Rank 4]!]

[You earned EXP. Your EXP has increased by 150%.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Your [Young Adult Dragon – Level 68/100] has increased to Level 76/100!]

[An available corpse is in front of you.]

[Do you wish to devour the corpses?]

[Yes] [No]

“Mirai, let’s eat them quickly.”

Louis and Mirai had learned that consuming these gold-corrupted corpses allowed their Spirals to digest the gold completely and convert it into pure energy and power, erasing the Venerable’s lingering presence.

Their own Spirals of Fate, evolving and very much alive, treated the corpses like exquisite high-quality elixirs that strengthened their souls, stats, and skills far better than most other beasts.

After they divided the meal and ate, Louis felt a surge of power.

[You have consumed the corpses.]

[Evolution Threshold]: 30% -> 45%

[The Skill: [Inverse Pandora: Level 2] has Leveled Up to Level 3!]

[You learned the Skill: [Celestial Box: Level 1]: The unique power of the White Pandora. By channeling Draconic Energy, you can summon a celestial golden box that brings forth random blessings, stat boosts, and beneficial effects for you and your allies. The higher the level and the more Draconic Energy used, the greater and better the benefits.]

“A random buff skill? Interesting.”

It seemed different from what normal Pandora Dragons received. He assumed…

“Wait.”

He paused and used Inverse Pandora on the new Celestial Box skill.

“Inverse Pandora: Celestial Box.”

[You have used [Inverse Pandora] on [Celestial Box]!]

[Celestial Box] has been inversed, becoming [Cursed Box]!]

[Cursed Box: Level 1]: The reversed form of Celestial Box. By channeling Draconic Energy, you can summon a demonic cursed box that brings forth curses, specters, ghosts, and evils against all foes within sight, torturing and weakening them.]

“So this is what a normal Pandora Dragon likely possesses…”

Louis smiled and looked at Mirai, who had finished eating.

“Shall we get going?”

“Yeah, I want to reach as deep into the mountain as possible.”

The duo nodded and pressed deeper. As they advanced, they discovered golden pillars radiating powerful energy and forming a barrier.

“So there really is something sketchy happening here!” Mirai said, annoyed.

“Yeah…” Louis replied. His dragon claws gleamed as he infused them with the power of Cursed Box. “But not for long.”

“Cursed Dragon Claws.”

CRAAASH!

He destroyed the golden pillars one after another, spending the rest of the day shattering them and deactivating the barrier that had tried to stop them.

On the way to find shelter they were surrounded by dozens of Rank 3 Mountain Eagles. They fought and defeated them easily, even in their golden forms.

The monsters relied on numbers, but Louis and Mirai’s teamwork proved superior.

After consuming the eagles and leveling up, Louis dug an underground shelter. They rested there with Mirai after sealing the entrance.

They slept peacefully enough.

Yet part of Louis remained awake, always wary of whatever the force creating this secret Spirit Realm dungeon might be planning.

…

The next morning arrived. As Louis dug them out, they were attacked again by Mountain Eagles, Mountain Martial Mantises, and giant Mountain Dragonflies.

All were Rank 3, but the bosses of the group arrived with them, each leading a small army. The creatures had waited strategically and struck the moment the pair emerged.

“Uwaaah?!” Mirai panicked.

“Mirai, calm down! They are coming! Raise your barriers and fight! Unleash all your magic!” Louis ordered.

“Yes!” Mirai answered, still panicking, but she fired lasers, fireballs, infernal pillars, giant tentacles, and more in every direction. “G-Go away! Go away! Go away!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The charge of the mind-controlled beasts halted midway, unable to advance through the barrage of absurd magic Mirai unleashed.

Louis seized the opening and charged, cutting heads with his Dragon Claws. When the monsters revived as corrupted golden creatures, he unleashed Cursed Box in rapid succession.

“Cursed Box!”

“OOOHHHHHHH!”

A box of cursed energy appeared before him, releasing countless specters, phantoms, living curses, and pestilence.

Even the resilient golden forms trembled and collapsed. Combined with Nightmarish Roar, the effect proved deadly.

At the same time he activated the normal Celestial Box skill and the inversed Nightmarish Roar, now Heavenly Song, to buff both himself and Mirai. Their stats rose while their enemies grew weaker.

Mirai summoned her sword again, chopping and slicing through the weakened foes. Louis did the same, adding Black Breath for devastating damage and Super-Hard Shell to boost his defenses and physical strength. He needed less speed when the enemies came straight at him.

They held their ground until the monsters grew exhausted and their numbers dwindled. The Rank 4 bosses finally charged when they saw their soldiers falling one after another.

Giant Mountain Eagle.

Giant Martial Mantis.

Giant Mountain Dragonfly.

The three terrifying creatures rushed Louis and Mirai together. The Eagle unleashed cutting winds, the Mantis released slicing sword Qi attacks, and the Dragonfly moved at lightning speed, its spear-shaped body threatening to impale them while releasing thunder Qi from its wings.

All three stood at the upper stage of Rank 4.

“Mirai, stay close to me!”

Louis reinforced their defenses and restorative abilities with Dust of Purification, Celestial Fox, and Heavenly Song, pushing their stats to the limit and keeping them constantly healed against attacks from every angle.

“I-I am doing my best!”

Mirai never stopped bombarding the monsters with spells. The most frustrating part remained their constant revival into corrupted golden forms.

She pressed on, using her sword to cut them apart when they drew too close.

The Rank 4 bosses coordinated their assault like trained soldiers.

Louis swiftly intercepted the Dragonfly by sharpening his senses to their peak with Draconic Energy and using his Eye of the White Void to track its blinding speed.

BBZZZZZ!

The furious Dragonfly snapped at his hand and tore off three fingers. Louis clenched his teeth but ignored the pain. He smashed the beast’s head into the ground with a powerful Dragon Punch, a Martial Art he had developed that fused Qi and Draconic Energy into explosive strikes.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

BZZZZZ!

Yet from its ruined flesh a golden Dragonfly emerged, three times larger, now the size of a train. It buzzed past Louis’s shoulder and tore a hole straight through it.

CRAAASH!

“Nnnghh?!”

“Louis!”

“Don’t worry about me! Keep them busy! I am killing this one first. It is the most dangerous because of its speed!”

“O-Okay!”

Louis waved his hand and stared down the returning Dragonfly. He coated himself in telekinetic energy of the White Void Element, distorting space.

“Gotcha!”

TRUUUM!

The instant the creature closed in, his White Void Psionic Powers trapped it in the empty space between them. His fist drove it downward. Then he applied Inverse Pandora to his Dragon Claw skill.

“Inverse Pandora: Dragon Claw!”

Instead of claws, his jaws gleamed.

“Void Maw.”

His fangs burned with black void energy. They sliced through the monster’s metallic wings and tore them apart.

The Dragonfly could no longer fly, yet it still fought. It fired immortalizing beams and covered half of Louis’s face with gold while attacking his soul.

None of it mattered.

CRAAASH!

His giant jaws, now empowered by the reversed skill into immensely powerful fangs that pierced any defense, tore apart the Dragonfly’s head and then its body in relentless bites.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

“GRYYEEEAAAGH…”

The Dragonfly could not fight back any longer. Even as it turned half of Louis’s skin to gold, it dropped dead, chewed apart horribly.

“Ugh…!”

Louis vomited the gold he had swallowed. It still carried the Venerable’s presence, but he would absorb it later through the power of his Spiral.

“Done! Who is next?!”

“Help!”

Mirai cried out. She barely held against the Golden Mountain Eagle and Golden Mountain Martial Mantis.

Her earlier attacks had forced them into golden forms, and she had struggled to finish them.

Not anymore.

“Inverse Pandora: Eye of the White Void.”

Louis’s golden-white eye in his chest darkened to deep black and red, gleaming with purple light.

“Eye of the Black Abyss.”

TRUUUM!

His eye released a powerful shockwave. In an instant his Psionic Powers evolved. White Void became Black Abyss Element.

Darkness swallowed the two Rank 4 monsters. They screamed in agony as black-abyss flames burned their bodies and tore their souls to shreds.

“GYAAAAAHHHH!”

The power was terrifying, unlike anything seen before.

While they writhed, Louis rushed in, used Void Maw, and chewed them to death.

“It is done…”

Mirai and Louis stood amid piles of corpses, gasping for air and coughing blood. Louis’s stacked healing skills slowly restored them.

“Whew… A-At least breakfast is ready, right?” Mirai tried to lighten the mood.

“Hahaha, you are not wrong,” Louis nodded, licking her gently.

“Heheh…” Mirai returned the gesture. In dragon form, this was Louis’s way of kissing her, and she found it very cute.

“Now let’s see…”

Ding!

[Congratulations, you and your ally have slain a large group of Rank 3 Martial Beasts and three powerful Rank 4 Martial Beast Guardians.]

[You earned EXP. Your EXP has increased by 150%.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Your [Young Adult Dragon – Level 76/100] has increased to Level 86/100!]

[An available corpse is in front of you.]

[Do you wish to devour the corpses?]

[Yes] [No]

“Mirai, let’s eat them quickly. I am starving and exhausted. All my energy reserves are low. If we are caught off guard like this again, we will likely die.”

“Yeah, let’s eat them as quickly as we can!”

They agreed and divided the prey as always. Through the power of their Spirals they consumed everything, purifying the gold and the lingering will of the dying Venerable. The act instantly revitalized their bodies and souls.

—–

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