Hero of Darkness

Rathnaar took both Kahn and Vildred from the temporary blank white passage inside the Tablet of Arcana to the actual Chamber of Exaltation. And the next moment, all 3 of their figures appeared inside a completely different scenario, in a realm that was unfathomable and unknown to the outside world.

And as they opened their eyes again, a vast and unbelievable scenery appeared in their sight. 

A new world composed of dozens of color, unforeseeable topography and combinations as if different galaxies were intertwined with each other, filled with tranquility came to be. 

There were 5 different layers akin to compartmentalized parameters of the sky and each of them revealed a unique glow and glimmering lights from within.

In these different layers of skies, were dozens of different sections made of meteorites, each being as big as a mountain on its own while floating seamlessly inside the marvel of creation. 

Even someone like Vildred couldn't guess and fathom how vast this realm was but based on instincts and his knowledge of the magic itself… he could tell that the world energy here was at least 5 times denser, purer and enriched than the outside world. 

And each section spread across this realm differed greatly based on laws of reality, elements and density of world energy. Something even the Royal Dragon hadn't seen existing all together at once. 

Also, these floating bodies in this place had thousands of ancient formations and mechanical constructs like ancient castles and fortresses that spanned for a few kilometers where at the center, were different training grounds and halls catering towards a particular field such as skill mastery or magic. 

Kahn also sensed that one of those places was calling out to him through some indescribable connection but for now, he kept his mouth shut. 

"This is a different Chamber of Exaltation than we used previously." he said and looked at the old emperor who now adjusted himself to the same size as theirs. 

"Yes. The one which simply converted SS Rank cores after you poured them down in a glowing well was just a low-level section. 

This is the real Chamber of Exaltation… a realm created by a Demi-God sealed inside the Tablet of Arcana." spoke Rathnaar as he revealed the truth. 

Vildred on the other side was not only astonished but his entire body was trembling. 

"So this is a work of a Demi-God, huh?" he questioned as his voice was full of uncertainty. 

"Yes. By my guess… It was made millions of years ago and their civilization was probably more advanced than any current empires in Vantrea. 

But they too were wiped out with annals of time and now only this relic of the past remains." spoke Rathnaar with a somber expression. 

"That's not all of it… This creation of that Demi-God kept evolving on its own, gathering world energy for who knows how long. 

And now, this realm upgraded itself. This place is simply… unreal." spoke Vildred, the magic and world energy expert. 

"This is too much! No wonder you were so strong to even fight against us Royal Dragons." he spoke with an infuriated voice. 

Because this Chamber of Exaltation… No, this Realm of Exaltation was something the world would go crazy for. 

What kind of dogshit luck did Rathnaar have to find something so invaluable like this. 

No wonder he was the only Peak Saint in the world in the past 2000 years despite being a human at that. 

There were only two humans in the history of Vantrea who reached that level in billions of years since their world came to exist. 

One being Kravel, the first ever War Deity who became a Demi-God over 10,000 years ago while the second was Rathnaar Whitlock, the founding emperor of the Rakos empire. 

This was a feat even Royal Dragons couldn't achieve easily unless they lived for 3 to 5 thousand years while stably progressing their strength and rank. 

Out of every new generation of Royal Dragons, not even one could cross that level to become an Elder Dragon. 

The current Elder Dragon Baaltaraaz crossed that threshold after living for more than 12 thousand years. And his real age… Even Vildred had no idea. 

As for the Chamber of Exaltation which was left behind by one of such Demi-Gods… it was something even Vildred, the former Emperor of the Dragon Empire greatly envied. 

"It's completely different than the Mask of Eternity but in a way… It's no less valuable. 

This type of thing will get you killed even by your own family." remarked the royal dragon. 

"Alright kid… let me test my theory." spoke Rathnaar. 

And soon, their figures flashed and appeared at the central circular chamber of one of such ginormous meteor-like constructs emanating a green glow even through the walls and the floor. 

"Try using Harnessing here." ordered the peak saint. 

Kahn put millions of SS Rank cores from his space ring in sections akin to a cauldron-like objects. In just a few seconds, it started rotating white revealing bright yellow light as it steadily converted those cores into visible world energy that soon spread into the chamber. 

Kahn also started coalescing world energy in the environment like Romulus taught him. But this time… 

Kahn's body was able to process it properly and regulate faster from the pathways opened by Romulus without hurting him in any way or his body exploding. 

"No wonder… The Fenrirborne taught you correctly. 

But the key difference was that none of us noticed that your physiology was already changed because you previously used that normal chamber before you became a 1st stage saint. 

In the end, you became twice stronger than others just like I was back then." he stated after affirming his theory. 

"How was that blocking me from practicing Harnessing then?" asked Kahn in his Atreus persona. 

"Since the base of your physiology as a Saint was changed… You're unable to use small bits of natural world energy because your body is too strong in the outside world and the world energy in the environment is too dispersed as well as volatile to resonate with your transformed physique. 

Hence, you were unable to control it for longer and ended up in failure no matter how hard you tried." explained the Peak Saint. 

Rathnaar was the most knowledgeable person regarding the uses of the Chamber of Exaltation and its impact on the body of those who used it. 

There was a time even his descendants used the tablet of arcana under his guidance to become the emperors and empresses of Rakos Empire. 

But Kahn was a different case than all of them and Rathnaar never had a chance to train anyone outside of the tablet so he too was unable to discern the difference at the start. 

"From now on, you must practice it inside the Chamber of Exaltation. The outside world energy from the real world is simply too weak and volatile for you to use for Harnessing." he stated. 

But right at that moment… 

"Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!!" 

Vildred suddenly started laughing with an elated expression. 

"This place… there's no doubt about it." he said with a greedy expression, almost salivating. 

"This is the most perfect place in the entire world to teach you magic." 

----------------

After he declared his intentions, Vildred explained why this place is better than the outside world to study magic. 

"Because of the composition, this place is best for you to quickly stabilize your world energy reserves.

If I keep you teaching inside this place… 

We will actually cover everything there is to it by 3 times quicker." he iterated with a joyous smile. 

"And once you learn Harnessing, I will be able to speed up your training as well, which will further enhance what you've learned from Romulus." he said frantically. 

"Do you mean…" even Kahn had his eyes wide open as he sensed a great possibility. 

"Yes, not only will you be able to become 3 times stronger than you already are as a physical class fighter… 

But you will also become a mage with more latent talent and potential." proclaimed the royal dragon. 

"But things just don't end here. 

If you manage to incorporate the advantages of any of these training modes with the other… You will benefit the other field of training as well." he stated as if he was going mad with excitement. 

"Can you elaborate?" asked Kahn with a puzzled countenance. 

"What I mean is once you excel in complementing both physical fighting skills and magic spells along with the knowledge of each other… 

You will become many times stronger than the current you." he said and looked at Kahn with an ominous expression as if he was looking at a test subject. 

"For now, you can only fight 2 ranks above you because of your War Deity body and many other abilities you received from monsters and their bloodlines. 

But if you succeed in mixing both sides' techniques… 

You will not only be able to fight 3 ranks above… you will simply dominate the opponent." he revealed a conjecture. 

"Because by then, you will basically lord over the world energy in the outside real world." the dragon emperor gave his analysis. 

"Isn't that basically…" asked Kahn with a baffled voice. 

"Correct. If you utilize the Chamber of Exaltation in the way I mentioned…" spoke Vildred with a smug grin. 

"It's exactly the same effect as my Sage of Preservation class."