The Oracle Paths

A cluster of black clouds finally converged on Jake and his comrades and a rumble of thunder echoed outside the ice fortress.

"AARRGH! Damn it! That hurt!" Lord Phenix's gobble echoed throughout the Celestial City as a bolt of black lightning incinerated him on the spot.

The turkey rose from the ashes a few seconds later, but was quickly charred again. The process repeated itself, but after each electrocution death Jake noticed that he would last a little longer before perishing again.

"Hmmph." Gerulf gritted his fangs, a trickle of charred blood evaporating from between his lips.

Jake had already provided them with Grade 5 and 6 Aether and Aether Sun Cores, and the Kintharian was currently holding one in his right hand to support his regeneration. Ignoring his wounds, he swiped his mouth wide open and voraciously inhaled the electrified black mist around him.

Black lightning illuminated the giant's insides, fleetingly revealing his complete skeleton through transparency, but he held on, his Stone Skin covering his flesh and the mucous membranes of his digestive system to mitigate the damage.

Rogen, who had a similar constitution, did not fare so well. He could handle cold with ease, but his control of heat was indirect. He had not yet reached the level where his body could directly use it and his body craved the opposite.

The first inhalation of black cloud inflicted wounds as severe as Gerulf's, but his regeneration did not respond as vigorously. The problem was that Jake had never felt the need to create an Aether Cold Core. This made him realize that he would be wise to diversify his arsenal of Aether Cores in the future to meet the various needs of his subordinates.

'One more thing to add to my long list of things to work on before the next Ordeal.' Jake groaned as he in turn inhaled a huge black cloud.

Seeing that Gerulf hadn't given up yet, Rogen ignored his wounds, but Jake soon realized that at this rate he wouldn't last long. While his own body was being wracked by lightning, he used a Grade 6 Aether Core to cast a powerful Cold Spell in the direction of Rogen and Ruby and pulled them away from the rest of their group.

Rogen regained his footing and while Jake still couldn't tell if the Throsgenian was able to absorb the black lightning, he at least knew that he wasn't in mortal danger at the moment.

Haynt was doing just fine. His body was nothing but energy and now that the lightning wasn't so lethal, he could put it to good use.

Jake then glanced over at Enya and Tim and discovered that their situation was not as critical as he had feared. Enya hadn't lied when she said that lightning could be treated like heat.

Ever since Hakkrasha had modified her Fire Core so that she could convert Aether into Fire Mana, Enya had not been idle and had continued to improve this ability. It was now an elaborate form of Energy Conversion almost as advanced as Jake's and even though she was not an Aetherist she was not without resources.

The black lightning ravaged her body, causing massive wounds that charred her pristine skin, exposing the red flesh beneath. Her clothes didn't last long, but the combat suit underneath held up valiantly, corroding much more slowly.

When Jake thought the young woman had reached her limit her pupils lit up with a pinkish glow and her slender body erupted with a fierce burst of pink flames. Her wounds quickly recovered as the lightning continued to mingle with her Fire Core. Gradually, he could see it thickening and morphing, rapidly accumulating energy.

At the same time, Tim, who looked like he was about to pass out, was also hit by a blaze of pink flame and his injuries took a turn for the better. His Myrtharian Bloodline was the same as Jake's but it was only level 2.

More importantly, he was only a teenager. His pain tolerance was not as high. It was admirable that he volunteered to participate in this.

The ones who were most impressive were Shere Khan, Azeus, the alien woman and Ruby. Shere Khan was definitely a monster who was comfortable with all types of lightning. If he had faced those dark clouds before, he would have definitely been killed in seconds, but with the impact of the Codexes he could now express his full potential.

The black lightning flowed along his fur in a fluid manner, the tiger purring and shivering subconsciously as if he were receiving a massage. He had already returned to his normal size, a feline more massive than the largest terrestrial dinosaur basking in the middle of a dense pool of dark clouds.

Azeus who had been seriously injured a moment earlier finally showed his true abilities. After surviving the previous near death experience, something had changed in the nature of his own lightning and Jake immediately noticed that the black lightning produced by these clouds was no longer so hostile to him. And it wasn't just the result of the Codexes' influence.

His ability to make the power of those clouds his own was even more exaggerated than that of Shere Khan.

'As expected of a Lightning God on probation.'

The alien woman had already proven that she could survive in these clouds without any assistance. Now that the Codexes were largely neutralizing its destructiveness, she was like a fish in water. Black mist and lightning were quickly sucked into the pores of her skin, presumably without limit.

Then there was Ruby. She should have struggled as much as Rogen or even more, but that was without counting on her Digestor nature and her new Angel of Aurae Bloodline. Like Jake, her bloodline gave her Lightning Manipulation ability and even though it was at the most basic level, combined with the rest it allowed her to digest that lightning without too much trouble.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jake could see a shimmering armor of silver and gold chitin covering her body, gradually turning black as she devoured the lightning and the surrounding clouds.

Reassured about the condition of his friends, Jake was able to turn his attention to the clouds and the lightning in front of him and with a forceful breath he engulfed all the clouds within a dozen meters. Like Gerulf earlier, his body lit up from the inside due to the electrocution but his energy conversion was much more efficient. He was barely injured and proceeded to guide that lightning to his cells to temper them.

"It works."

He could already feel his body getting used to this lightning. The moment his body became able to produce it instinctively would be the moment he accomplished his mission. It was like a hidden reward for those who gathered enough Codexes.

Unfortunately, nothing was ever easy. A few minutes after they started, Jake noticed that the cloud density had already almost doubled. If that's all it was, it wouldn't be too bad, but alas, the lightning also began to damage not only their physical bodies but also their spirit bodies.

This was the main reason why these black clouds were so lethal without Codexes.

"Crap!"

His gaze turned in the direction of Rogen and Gerulf, those with the least mature mental faculties, and he found that the two giants were already groggy, their eyes glazed over. They were already on the verge of losing consciousness.

He immediately contacted Asfrid and the others hidden in the Ice Fortress and asked them to assist the two giants via their Spirit Shell.

"I'm on it."

Will and his dragon friends also joined in after receiving some extra Spirit Shells from Asfrid and lent them their spiritual energy. Gerulf and Rogen's psychological state stabilized, but soon Lord Phenix, Tim, and then Shere Khan all called for help.

Azeus was already drawing on the already small Divinity's energy reserve that his previous faction had entrusted to him, but he could still hold out for a while. Enya still showed no signs of mental fatigue, which came as a surprise to Jake. He didn't expect her mind to be so tough.

The alien woman was completely still, her body now as dark and cloudy as the mass of black clouds she kept devouring at the same dizzying speed. He was unable to tell if she was in pain.

He had to admit that she intrigued him. This female Player had not made any waves during this Ordeal and he had never heard of her before today. Yet it was clear that she was not inferior to the leaders of the super factions.

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