Power of Runes Chapter 426: Snow’s Awakening

Ash acquired the shop effortlessly by altering the prior owner's memory, convincing him that he'd already viewed Ash’s status window, ensuring a seamless transaction since the identity requirement was satisfied within the owner's mind.

Months later, they had successfully integrated into the realm's populace, residing among them without attracting undue notice.

**

[Present]

Ash kept his eyes locked on the ceiling while wrapping up his recollection of the past months' events.

Unbidden, Elysia's image emerged in his thoughts.

He'd searched for her without success, unable to locate anyone from Akumia’s world. Yet, he anticipated this, given the realm's immense scale, which made finding others challenging absent a strong link.

Though he'd chosen to place power over romance, he yearned to verify her safety at least once, especially after their last encounter...

He halted that line of thinking and dismissed it, aware that dwelling would cloud his decisions.

Dismissing those reflections, he turned to pressing concerns, though conflict still gnawed at him.

Their worth held no appeal for him. He already held boundless potential, and regarding evolution, he'd surpassed ordinary boundaries. He doubted those stones could elevate him more.

Certain other Legendary stones might prove useful, yet pursuing them wasn't worthwhile.

That path offered no value either. Lacking ties to the Universal System, endless slaughter would yield nothing. Dungeon rewards seemed too trivial to pursue.

He possessed the capability.

Yet he refused to act.

Such a progression felt forced.

Ash sensed scrutiny in his every move, as though his choices were anticipated.

Advancing was foreseen.

Retreating was likely calculated too.

Now armed with the game's knowledge once more, he could intervene if desired.

But to what end?

Wouldn't that align perfectly with expectations?

This realization only deepened the dilemma.

Ash lingered there, bereft of a definitive resolution.

Act or abstain?

For months, these dilemmas tormented his mind, resurfacing relentlessly despite his efforts to ignore them, persisting even amid forced distractions.

As Ash sank into profound contemplation, a sharp tremor suddenly rippled through his Soul Space, shattering his train of thought instantly.

A spark of excitement flashed in his eyes without delay.

Wasting no moment, Ash's consciousness plunged into his Soul Vault, his attention honing sharply as all else faded away.

Simultaneously, Eva’s projection materialized before Snow's slumbering form, her figure coalescing silently while her gaze fixed on the colossal shape.

{She is about to wake up anytime now.}

Eva conveyed to Ash, her tone laced with subtle eagerness as she noted the faint shifts around Snow.

“Didn’t you say you won’t talk to me?”

Ash teased Eva like a playful child, his voice dripping with jest amid the tension.

Eva's cheeks flushed crimson at his remark, and she swiftly averted her gaze, shunning eye contact and reply, visibly irked by the reminder.

Ash chuckled quietly from aside but held his tongue, allowing the exchange to fade as his focus reverted to Snow. Eric remained occupied chatting with Saskia outdoors, leaving no interruptions.

Ash observed Snow in silence, his vision piercing through her form to track the internal energy currents with exactitude. The vast energy reserve she'd accumulated was nearly fully assimilated, with just a lingering wisp integrating gradually.

As the final energy fragment fused completely, Ash detected a novel essence—a subtle strand of pristine white energy distinct from the absorbed mass, interwoven faintly within it.

Yet before he could pursue that observation, a brilliant white luminescence erupted around Snow, surging swiftly and enveloping her entirely.

Instinctively, Ash retreated a step, mirrored by Eva, both scrutinizing the unfolding metamorphosis intently.

Though this logic held firm when traced sequentially, Ash puzzled over the origin of the massive energy within Snow, as she couldn't have amassed it independently.

This sparked a further query: did his Soul's links all gain enhancements?

Eric and Eva, bound later, were excluded, narrowing it to Snow and Eclipse.

Still, Eclipse displayed no overt alterations, or perhaps changes too subtle for ready detection.

While immersed in rumination, Snow's white radiance crested, blinding so fiercely that her silhouette vanished, leaving only a pulsing orb of immaculate light.

The sight evoked an Earth anime for Ash, where special balls captured mighty creatures, and Snow's glow mirrored their evolution perfectly—that signature blaze heralding total transformation.

Gradually, Ash beheld Snow's reshaping before him, the evolution proceeding smoothly and incrementally, permitting clear scrutiny of every modification.

Her physique transitioned fluidly, bones and sinews reshaping, her whole framework realigning with eerie exactness, as though directed by superior forces beyond mere reflex.

Minutes later, the enveloping white glow diminished, retracting steadily until unobscured, revealing Snow's authentic evolved state to Ash.

Before him loomed an unprecedented guise—familiar yet utterly transformed, defying direct comparison to her prior self.

Snow's dimensions stayed nearly identical, marginally reduced, a trivial shift against her prior immensity, detectable only with keen scrutiny.

Pure white scales now sheathed her body, sleek and polished, some faintly aglow with gold under light, her ventral area sporting a subtler white hue for sharper contrast.

Above her eyes rose twin grand horns, arching rearward asymmetrically, their raw, organic curvature evading artificial symmetry.

Her eyes gleamed deep blood-red, a stark departure from before, infusing her aura with newfound ferocity.

Beyond that, her physique bore the paramount shift.

Six wings unfurled symmetrically from her back, tiered precisely. The uppermost pair dominated in span, the middle slightly lesser, the lowermost tiniest, crafting a harmonious gradient.

A modest interstice followed along her frame, then three more diminutive wings emerged, impeccably positioned, each integral to the design.

Her tail culminated in a petite heart-shaped winglet, modest yet unmistakably distinctive in her renewed morphology.

{Papa...?}

***