Rebirth System: Blood and Ash

At the prince’s command, the holographic entity that stood in the middle of the room dissipated, leaving him alone with his huffing breaths and the ever-quiet presence of the system guide, floating silently to the side.

A soft chime echoed, and a screen materialized before the prince.

---

Skills

- Muscle Burst (Basic - Upgradable/Dual Powered)

- Ki Fists (Basic)

- Barrier (Basic - Upgradable/Dual Powered)

- Breakthrough (Basic)

- Shadow Step Arts (Profound/Upgradable)

- Heaven Piercing Spear (Profound/Upgradable/Dual Powered)

---

Aric had learned every skill he could in just the span of a single night—four different martial techniques, all learned in one night as opposed to the two he had barely managed the last time.

Was it that Aric had somehow become a genius of martial arts? Or perhaps profound-ranked skills were easier to learn than basic-ranked ones? No. Something had changed in the prince—he now possessed an energy within him, one that was neither mana nor ki... but both.

These two conceptual forces of existence, on the foundation of the Martial God’s technique, coexisted—not in harmony, but in raw, pure chaos. They created and formed a new type of energy, hungry for destruction. It oozed and licked at even molecules, eradicating anything the moment it was unsuppressed.

It was a different type of power entirely, one that Aric had no time to explore, but the mere thought of it gave him chills.

Aric glanced at the skill window again. The "dual powered" meant that the martial techniques could use not just ki, but mana, making them more powerful... evolved.

Within the prince now were three forces: ki, mana, and the chaos derived when both are mixed.

---

Aric came down to the lobby of the inn, his figure cloaked as it usually was, and just in front of the establishment, the same carriage from the previous night was parked. The innkeeper stood at the entrance.

"My lord," the innkeeper nodded respectfully before gesturing at the parked carriage. "The lord offers a ride to the castle."

Aric glanced at the carriage for a while before turning to see Lerai and Serina coming down the stairs as well. The young mage gave Aric a nod, causing him to raise his hand, telling the innkeeper to hold on as he approached Lerai.

"That was fast," Aric said in a hushed tone as he reached the mage. "When did they arrive?"

"Last night," Lerai informed him.

The prince stroked his chin as his head swiveled slowly, his mind racing with ideas.

"How many?"

"120."

Aric’s face betrayed his surprise as he heard the number. He had told Borag to gather as many men as he could, but to think he had managed one hundred and twenty in such little time was nothing short of impressive. However, that many more men would mean a weakening of Aric’s established authority, as the new recruits of bandits did not fear him as the old ones had learned to.

"Tell them to lay low and set up camp for now. We will need to work faster," Aric whispered, turning to the carriage parked outside. "You and Serina will take this carriage back to Migard. You give Serina the rune stone and tell her to head to the stretch of Miredis. I’ll meet her there by sundown, while you go back home.

I want you to begin production on all the prototypes and produce as many as you can."

Lerai nodded in understanding before asking, "What of the mana crystals?"

"Don’t worry, I have that sorted out... I’ll provide them when I get back." Aric then reached into his inventory and grabbed a couple, handing them to Lerai. "Here, you can’t carry them all, so use these for testing."

Lerai stored away the crystals within his cloak as the prince continued, "One more very important thing. Can you make it so your devices can be exploded and kill the wearer by command?" the prince asked, his voice dropping lower.

"That is already integrated into all designs, your highness."

Aric smiled, gripping the mage’s shoulder.

"A war begins from this very moment, and you, Lerai, are my sharp and deadly blade... What did I tell you? Most times, they won’t see the bigger picture…"

"…Unless we paint it in blood," the mage completed.

Aric moved his hand behind his neck, pulling him closer as he leaned into his ear.

"Yes, and this kingdom will be our canvas, our first masterpiece drenched in crimson for the entire world to see. And then, all who laughed and mocked us will see just how great an artist you truly are."

Aric pulled away, his gaze locking with Lerai’s as he gave a nod, and the young mage nodded back. The prince then turned away to head for the exit.

[Lerai Castro’s Loyalty has been maxed.]

The prince walked past the carriage parked outside, turning to the innkeeper.

"I’ll find my own way. Take them where they need to go."

The innkeeper bowed his head. "As you wish, my lord."

---

Around an hour later, the prince arrived at the castle gates once again. The guards, swiftly recognizing him, opened the gates, all saluting his arrival. As he walked in, four of the guards immediately joined behind him, while one went in front, leading him.

They navigated the grand castle until they reached a courtyard. The scent of blooming flowers was soothing, noticed first before the beauty of the well-tended court.

However, what was more attention-grabbing was the large table placed right in the middle, and at the head of this table sat Aszer, the king. To his sides were the council.

In usual fashion, Aric was late to this meeting, and only his chair at the bottom of the table opposite the king remained empty. The eyes of the council all fixed on the prince as he approached.

"Council," Aric nodded before turning to the king and nodding again. "Your grace."

The king acknowledged the prince’s greeting with a hand gesture as Aric took his seat.

"All right then, shall we begin?" the prince spoke, his tone carrying what they might perceive as misplaced authority.