Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 573: Udara’s Acceptance and Changes I

CH573 Udara’s Acceptance and Changes I

***

Once the Elder Dragon lifted its head anew, its eyes turned to the beast companions belonging to Alex.

"[They are all good seeds]," it declared out of the blue.

"[During my existence, I earned the title of Beast Emperor on this plane. I led numerous formidable beasts—valiant warriors who fought at my side and confronted the tribulation without a single moment of hesitation.]"

A touch of sorrow flickered in the dragon’s gaze.

"[Our sacrifice... their sacrifice... bestowed upon this plane the hope and chance it currently holds. Yet, in doing so, we gave up our opportunity to leave behind promising successors.]"

"[Please... let me correct that now.]"

Prior to any response from Alex or his beast companions, the Elder Dragon abruptly plunged its claws into its chest.

Next, it ripped out its heart.

"Ba-dump! Ba-dump!!"

Incredibly, the heart kept pulsing.

With every vigorous beat, the nearby space warped and crumpled.

The Elder Dragon compressed the heart.

In an instant, it dissolved, becoming a cluster of rich golden energy.

That energy split into three fluid orbs.

Unexpectedly, the orbs darted toward the three beast companions of Alex.

Every orb embedded itself between their brows, hovering there like a radiant third eye.

The forms of the three beasts quivered faintly as vessels surfaced and connected to the luminous spot, swiftly pulling the golden power into their systems.

Senu abruptly staggered.

Fen and Dread staggered shortly after.

With a sweep of one claw from the Elder Dragon, Alex abruptly stood on solid ground rather than on Senu’s back.

"[Do not worry. They will enter a short sleep while the merging finishes]," the dragon comforted him.

"[In the meantime... let me return you.]"

Through yet another effortless flick of its claw, Alex along with his beast companions disappeared from the area.

After their departure, the dragon grew quiet.

For an extended period, it seemed to ponder if entrusting its hopes to that human had been the right choice.

At last, it let out a profound sigh once more.

"[This represents our last chance. Should he fail to conquer the trials and earn the recognition from the seven layers of Heaven and Earth—and the ultimate layer past the Heavens—no one else can.]"

"[And no one will halt the tribulation...]"

—

Abruptly, Senu, Fen, and Dread reappeared at the campsite near the mountain formation eye of the Heaven-Earth Concordance Talismanic Field.

Judging by appearances, their absence lasted merely a moment, since no Fortuna members nearby detected their vanishing.

It could be that their physical forms never departed.

Or maybe just their consciousnesses had accompanied Alex in the trial.

Regardless, the trio paid no heed to such specifics right then.

Exhaustion overwhelmed them.

Drawing on their final bits of awareness, the three creatures huddled into a compact pile.

Instantly, they drifted into slumber.

Such clustering during rest was typical for them, so it drew little notice.

Well... save from one particular Orc.

That Orc simply puzzled over why Fen ignored the meal he had prepared.

After brief uncertainty, the Orc silently consumed Fen’s share too.

Naturally, it wasn’t from a desire for extra food. He merely aimed to avoid wasting it.

Naturally...

-

At the same time, Alex’s eyes flew wide before the stele.

"I see you had an eventful trial."

A voice echoed next to him.

The enigmatic elder regarded Alex with a shrewd grin.

Alex quickly surmised the elder had probably detected—or maybe observed—what transpired in the trial realm.

Questions flooded his thoughts.

Still, he figured the elder might offer no straightforward reply.

Or any response whatsoever.

Alex faced the stele again and attempted to summon the list of rewards.

No effect occurred.

"Greedy, aren’t we?" the elder laughed. "You have already gained a prize much superior to the initial one intended, yet you seek additional?"

"Haha..." Alex chuckled awkwardly.

Then, he gave a shrug.

Glancing about, he spotted Eleanore seated close by, intensely absorbed in examining various scrolls.

Noting her concentration, Alex chose to leave her undisturbed.

Rather, he directed his focus to the other steles.

’No one else has emerged yet?’ he mused, arching a brow.

Yet, the instant that idea arose—two individuals’ eyes abruptly opened.

Sequentially.

—

Clank! Clank!

The piercing clash of metal against metal echoed across the arena while two matching—though essentially distinct—forms collided their arms.

Udara darted nimbly, striving to generate and sustain dominant force to overwhelm her foe.

Nevertheless, whenever her ’dance’ hit its climax, it got sharply interrupted by her rival—her duplicate.

The reflection appeared to grasp her actions perfectly, breaking her rhythm with exact counters.

One could anticipate such meddling to irritate Udara.

Truthfully, though, she stayed composed and merely restarted.

Keen observation of the skirmish would uncover an unexpected detail.

Udara wasn’t genuinely battling to slay.

Rather, as the fight progressed, her approach to combat shifted gradually.

Her fierce, strictly utilitarian method gradually revealed hints of refined poise.

The harsh aspects of her warfare softened.

From a viewer’s perspective, it could seem like Udara was adopting her adversary’s method and blending it with hers.

Yet that wasn’t accurate.

Udara wasn’t acquiring new skills.

She was recollecting.

Or put better—she was recovering a technique she had forsaken years prior.

The doppelganger’s combat form hadn’t materialized from nothing.

It marked the initial style taught to Udara.

But later occurrences in her existence compelled her to discard it.

Much like she had been compelled to forsake—or had forfeited— all other elements from her former life.

As the confrontation started, a unforeseen feeling stirred inside her.

Fury.

A profound, suppressed wrath that had slumbered deep in her core for so long that she herself hadn’t realized it.

’If not for that day... those individuals... This would be who I had turned into.’

However, the deeper she yielded to that fury, the more she forfeited her command over herself.

And the greater her loss of command—the stronger the doppelganger’s advantage grew.

Her psyche hovered near breakdown.

’Is all I’ve constructed so far... inferior to what I forfeited?’

’Inferior to what was stolen from me?’

Yet right as she plunged into that chasm of uncertainty—a gleam emerged from the gloom’s depths.

The visage of her most cherished person surfaced in her thoughts.

***