Capítulo 99: The Plan of a Dead Raven
Adam sat on an Icy Throne, slowly sipping a glass of wine as he watched the screen in front of him with interest
It was a holographic screen, showing various scenes in the periphery of both Atlas and its Kingdom
Opposite of him sat Salem on a similar Icy Throne- she was also quietly watching the screen
Suddenly-
His eyebrows shot up in surprise
"So it succeeded?"
The silver-haired boy muttered to himself as he felt a soul entering his [Stomach] from the mark he had created
….
He was not idle during the time when Rias was training
With the help of the cheats called [Great Sage], Alpha Stigma, and a bit of his own genius, he created a mark of Gluttony
It was similar to a novel he had read
If one bearing this mark kills something, the energy will go to the killer
-Though, the soul of that defeated something will follow the connection of the mark, and go directly towards his own [Stomach]
It was a great way to quickly enhance the power of the people he cares about
Indeed, 'Mark of Gluttony' isn't a creative name, but it is accurate
As for the process which he came up with such a way to easily enhance other people…
By analyzing the way that [Gluttony] worked, [Great Sage] collected data from all times that he had used this ability to devour something
Specifically, Adam had observed how this skill consumes the energy of devoured targets, and how it adds that energy to his own reserves
Beyond acquiring skills and abilities, the unique skill [Gluttony] that evolved from Vishnu's devour is more specialized towards increasing the energy reserves- in both quantity and quality
Strengthening the body with [Gluttony] is indeed possible….But honestly, for one who doesn't actually have this skill, it is too much of a complicated process, and could easily lead to failure
And after failing…. Well, maybe the body would burst, or the energy might just directly dissipate
In short, the only purpose of this mark is to enable bearers to rapidly increase their energy reserves in both power and quantity
There is also the fact that the soul of the killed enemy will transfer directly to his [Stomach]
That last function was quite hard to implement
But fortunately, with his teleport semblance, it was only a matter of adjusting it to enable souls to teleport directly to him
And of course, the mark itself was a bit like a stigmata from Honkai Impact
Stigmata's purpose from Honkai Impact is to be a method for storing information. The other function is passing down one's genes without them being diluted
And the data he obtained from analyzing the Stigmata space of RIN, the Stigmata of Kaslana, Scariac, and also from Raiden Mei's own natural Stigmata helped in creating this Mark/Stigmata of Gluttony
….
"What is it?"
An emotionless voice brought him back from his ponderings
Looking at Salem who was gazing at him with a raised eyebrow, Adam only had one thing to say
"Hey, Grimm Mommy…." He leaned back on his Throne, his voice casual and his expression relaxed "Aren't you worried?"
"....."
The Queen of Grimm's eyebrows subtly twitched "Don't call me that"
"...."
"And why should I be worried?"
Scarlet eyes staring at him, she voiced out with a casual expression similar to his
"Hm… Three of your subordinates have perished"
He put a hand on his chin, staring at her scarlet eyes
"Your Grimm are mere cannon fodder, and the bandit you employed has turned into EXP" Adam tilted his head at her "The other two have been KO'ed. And you can't intervene, so I can't see you winning"
Raven's body has been atomized, Tyrian is in Rimuru's stomach, and that Black thief has been defeated by the silver-haired boy's dear miko
So, Adam can't really understand why this Grimm Mommy is so calm
"Your slangs are as unusual as ever"
Salem avoided his gloating with a nonsense sentence. Her expression was still blank, and her voice apathetic
She didn't even bother replying with something like 'This was all part of my plan', or like 'Hmph, my subordinates deserve to die if they are so incompetent as to be defeated by your companions'
"Boring"
The silver-haired boy rolled his eyes at her, feeling bored at her indifferent answer
And so, because this woman was too dead inside, Adam focused his attention on the stray Raven he had captured
…
..
.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the connection.
Inside the void that was his [Stomach], Raven's soul drifted, disoriented and struggling against the confines of her new environment.
The space around her was cold, oppressive, and utterly dark—a stark contrast to the power and control she had once wielded in life.
Adam's consciousness descended into the void, his presence manifesting into a physical form before the flickering outline that was Raven's soul.
Raven's form, a translucent echo of her former self, floated before him.
She tried to move, to resist, but the dark void held her in place, sapping her strength with every passing moment.
"Raven Branwen," His voice echoed through the void, cold and detached. "Why did you hold back?"
"What is this?" Raven's soul flickered, palpable unease in her voice. "Where am I?"
Her voice wavered, the bravado she had shown in life now stripped away.
It was actually surprising to see the normally cold and domineering bandit queen this meek
"You are inside me." He replied, his golden eyes glowing with an eerie light. "This is the void of my [Stomach]. And unless your soul is much stronger than mine, there is no escape"
Raven's soul pulsed, trying to break free, but the void held her fast.
"Haah" She sighed "I never thought that the one behind that redhead girl would be capable of this…"
Raven muttered, her voice filled with a mix of disbelief and resignation.
"You should have known better than to challenge us" Adam's eyes narrowed. "You sealed your fate the moment you decided to oppose my group"
"Now then…." He continued, not leaving her space to talk "I ask again, why didn't you use your full power against Rias?"
Raven's soul dimmed slightly, her resistance had already faded
"You know….." Her voice grew softer, something even more surprising of this cold woman "I didn't want to be part of this…. I never wanted to involve myself with Salem."
"So why did you?"
"Because I knew….." Her voice hardened "-That if I didn't, Salem would involve my daughter as well. I don't know what she would do- maybe she would threaten me with Yang, or take her as a hostage- but I was sure that my daughter would be in danger if I didn't comply"
…..
Adam's expression didn't change, but inside, he was surprised.
He could sense the truth in her words, the deep-seated fear and love that had driven Raven to such lengths.
The silver-haired boy wasn't knowledgeable about RWBY, he only watched up until the Fall of Beacon, but he clearly remembered that Raven wasn't a good mother
Maybe she was just bad…. But she did care, even if her way of showing this was abnormal
But still… To go to such an extent for Yang?
It was also surprising to actually see her so vulnerable
Maybe it was because she was tired…. Or maybe it was because she was close to death, so it wouldn't matter if she spoke out her true thoughts
Regardless, the silver-haired boy's understanding of Raven Browen has deepened
….
"That still doesn't answer my question"
He asked once again
….
Sure, her answer did explain why she was serving Salem, but it didn't explain holding back in the fight against Rias
Her portal Semblance wasn't used frequently, and she didn't even use her powers as a Maiden to its limit
Sure, even if she used all of that, Rias would still have won in the end, but it would be a harder fight
….Though, if Rias still awakened that Semblance mid-fight, Raven would still be evaporated to atoms in an instant
Well, at least that fight proved one theory of his
Rias fully awakened her semblance, along with her Aura
And yet, she had far more Aura than what he had sensed when he tried to unlock it himself
That proved that, when under pressure, there is a possibility that one will automatically unlock one's own Aura
And not only that, the amount of Aura would also increase compared to when it is forcefully activated by someone else
The only thing that puzzles him is….
-Aura correlates to the soul, so when Rias unlocked her Aura, and her reserves increased…. Did that mean her soul also became stronger?
-That was something worth pondering
…..
"What more is there to say?" Her face twisted as she gritted her teeth "Isn't it obvious?"
"Maybe… But I still want to hear you say it"
He indifferently replied
Adam indeed had a vague idea as to why Raven didn't use her full power against Rias
"Salem is an immortal witch- her methods are incomprehensible in my eyes" The black haired woman took a deep breath "The best way to escape her control is through death"
"So….." The silver-haired boy's mouth twitched "You let Rias kill you?"
"Yeah, pretty much" She shugged "I didn't how strong that girl was, so I had to make sure she would kill me before I killed her"
"...."
Slap
Adam slapped his forehead, facepalming as he heard her reason
'Well…. It might seem stupid, but this woman doesn't know Rias' power…. So it seems that it was an actually smart decision?'
The boy questioned the brilliance of such a method of escaping from Salem's control
What if that Queen of Grimm was dissatisfied and went after Raven's daughter?
What if Rias wasn't as strong as her, so the black-haired woman was forced to actually kill her in order to not raise suspicion?
Of course, holding back was also considered dumb…. But if her lack of information is taken into account, then that decision doesn't seem as stupid
.....
Clap….Clap….Clap
Adam clapped slowly, the sound echoing throughout the boundless void
"Congratulations!" He spread his hands dramatically "Your plan worked! Now, you have escaped Salem's Control!"
"Kid" Raven rolled her eyes(?) at him, her voice interrupting his dramatic display "Stop exaggerating, just kill me already"
"...Huh?"
The silver-haired boy blinked slowly at her, his expression stained with a bit of confusion
"I'm fairly certain the redhead already destroyed my whole body with her Semblance"
She closed her eyes lightly, as if resigned to her fate
"Maybe you have some weird power that can revive me or something…." The black-haired woman continued "But I don't want Salem to find me… and I am pretty sure you won't bring me back even if I wanted"
"Very smart of you"
Adam nodded his head, acknowledging her intelligence
…While this bandit might lack IQ, she does make up for this with her EQ
….
…
..
.
"Okay, I believe this is enough Chit-Chat"
Adam clapped his hands, eyes closed
"Now…."
Pointing at the black haired woman in front of him, he opened his eyes which were starting to glow golden
"It is time to grant you death"
At that moment, something shifted within Adam.
The golden light in his eyes intensified, and his body stiffened as another presence appeared in this timeless void.
[Great Sage], Adam's unique skill and ever-present partner, appeared in the void as an orb of mechanical blue light.
It was not a translucent outline of a soul like Raven, instead, it was just a blue orb- cold and emotionless, with no humanity present.
"Processing individual Raven Branwen's soul…"
A mechanical voice echoed within the void, it was very much different from the other two— a robotic, genderless voice barren of emotion.
Raven's soul quivered as [Great Sage] spoke these words
"Choosing to side with a force of destruction for your daughter is admirable"
The silver-haired boy spoke to her, putting his hands in his pockets
The void around her seemed to tighten with his words, the oppressive darkness closing in as [Great Sage] proceeded with its task.
"I guess you are lucky that I have intervened"
The process began, the dark void pulling Raven's soul apart, bit by bit as he continued
Semblance, Aura, Memories, emotions, and knowledge were extracted and absorbed into the void
"With Salem out of the picture, your daughter will live a safe…. and probably happy life"
- Leaving nothing but a fading echo of what Raven once was.
"Your death is a bit of a pity…. But I shall respect your decision"
Adam shook his head, a slight disappointment in his voice as her form disintegrated into wisps of energy that were quickly consumed by the darkness.
"Oh well…."
He shrugged his shoulders, his disappointment dissipating as quickly as it appeared
Because-
-Raven Branwen was gone, her soul completely absorbed into the void within Adam.
…
..
.
Adam's body relaxed as he came back to reality, his eyes returning to their usual blue hue, though still cold and distant.
[Processing complete]
[Great Sage] reported, voice now internal, speaking directly to Adam.
[Raven Branwen's soul has been fully assimilated. The knowledge, experiences, Aura, and Semblance extracted are available for use.]
'Bring it up'
She didn't even need to ask for what he was asking-
[Kindred Link: Allows Master to create portals to instantly travel to people he has a strong emotional connection with]
This was Raven Browen's semblance.
It was quite useful. His memorial teleportation only worked with places from his memories. But this one worked on people he has a deep bond with- even if they are to a faraway place which he has no memory of
[Do you want to use [Degenerate] to merge [Kindred Link] and [Memorial Teleportation]?]
"...."
He raised an eyebrow in surprise
'Sure'
It was nice that they could be fused together
Interestingly, if all Semblances counted as skills, then couldn't Adam just go on a farming spree, awaken the Aura of all the population of Remnant, and then steal all their Semblances?
And then he could fuse all those Semblances with [Degenerate] and become even more overpowered!
In fact, he could probably do that on multiple worlds. But he has to find out whether people from other verses could awaken Aura without any complications
His experiment with Rias proved that one could independently unlock their Aura, but that was only due to the influence of Remnant's unique rules
But still…. Getting billions of soul-based abilities and merging them together to form even more powerful ones….
Adam shivered just thinking about the possibilities
[Merging… Success]
[Skill [Memorial Link] has been acquired]
The voice of [Great Sage] interrupted his sudden dark thought
[Memorial Link: Teleport anywhere from Master's memories. Can also work on the memories of individuals with who Master has a deep bond]
With a hand on his chin, Adam nodded in satisfaction with this Semblance
Although he was curious about whether this Semblance could work on his memories of fiction… Now wasn't the time to test that
In Honkai Impact, he knows what the moon looks like- more specifically, he vividly recalls the Crater of Finality from the game
So theoretically…. could his semblance work on that specific memory, even though he hasn't personally visited the moon?
It was an intriguing experiment, and if proven successful, it would be very convenient for him
….
"What is up with you?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a dark presence—a voice that cut through the silence like a knife. Salem.
"Well….." Adam crossed his leg over the other "Your little bandit is no more, Grimm Mommy"
The Queen of Grimm's eyes narrowed, the shadows around her darkening as she processed the information.
"She feared for her daughter… pathetic,"
She hissed, though there was a trace of something deeper in her tone—perhaps understanding, or even a hint of regret.
The Queen of Grimm has countless years of experience. She was also a shrewd person who always schemes, so how could she not see what that little Raven was thinking?
"But it matters not."
The emotions on her face vanished as quickly as they appeared
She didn't seem to care about this matter. To her, whether Raven Brawen died or not was of no significant matter
But it should be a bit of a pity that such a useful 'pawn' was lost
"So…." A slight smile emerged on Adam's face "Do you have any other trump card?"
He was changing the subject, and they both knew it.
Salem didn't seem to care about Raven's death, so he was curious about what she would do next
"I suppose I do have one" Mimicking the silver-haired boy, she smiled "....And you are quite familiar with her"
Adam raised an eyebrow at her statement, but he didn't comment further
…
He knew this world from an anime(?), so he is familiar with the most important people
Did this immortal granny have any other subordinates to throw at him?
A bit doubtful as they are all dead, but perhaps she has recruited original characters that were not shown in Rwby
…..
….
…
..
.
—---
A/N:
I was on 5 hours of sleep when writing this chapter
So yeah, if some sentences seem weird, wrong, or plain gibberish, then forgive me
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