It was Valentine's Day, two days after his official wedding to his golden bride, and a day after his birthday.
In the last two days, the family had been drawing in a festive atmosphere, and last night, everyone had stayed up dancing and singing to their heart's content.
There were no particular plans for the day, but to the surprise of him and Venessa, the girls announced their wish unanimously.
"We want to see how you fare against Mother in a battle."
He did not ask who came up with the idea. He had his guesses, and it could only be Kiara or Rebecca. But since all the girls had expressed the same wish and were on the same page, it did not matter who came up with the idea.
It was something they all wanted to watch, and it was just that only one of them had been bold enough to speak out and convince them.
"Okay."
And before he could give his answer, Venessa had simply nodded her head to the girls' request.
"Yay!"
Keith narrowed his eyes as he watched his little sister and blonde wife congratulate each other. It proved his guess. They were both behind it.
Frankly, Keith was curious too, but he wanted to avoid a battle against Venessa as well.
[Subject: Venessa Evelyn Demiliore]
[Age: 44]
[Race: ***]
[Bloodline: ***]
[Special Physique: Nine-Yang Divine Physique]
[Cultivation Talent: Golden]
[Cultivation Rank: The Realm of Primal Desolation (Primal Harmony Completion)]
[Strength: 35]
[Constitution: 37]
[Speed & Reflexes: 36]
(10 is the average limit for Cultivators in the Realm of Primal Desolation. 50 is the Maximum Limit.)
[Charm: 97]
[Fate: 996 (Black)]
Keith sighed in his heart after checking Venessa's information and then took a look at the custom panel which bore his Cultivation details.
[Host: Keith Argus Demiliore]
[Age: 23]
[Race: ***]
[Bloodline: ***]
[Special Physique: Yin-Yang Forbidden Physique]
[Cultivation Talent: Golden]
[Cultivation Rank: The Realm of Primal Desolation (Primal Harmony Completion)]
[Strength: 32]
[Constitution: 32]
[Speed & Reflexes: 33]
(10 is the Average
Limit for Cultivators in the Realm of Primal Desolation. 50 is the Maximum Limit.)
[Charm: 99]
[Fate: 666 (Black) + 8345 (Rising Trend).]
He knew why Venessa was progressing faster than him. He had already asked the System about the situation between Minami and her, and it was the answer he expected.
Unlike him, they had an easier time awakening their Bloodlines. And it was because his Bloodline was their Origin and Source and contained a lot more Powers than theirs.
It was harder for him to awaken his Powers.
Above the Value of 30, it was the Bloodlines that played the part in deciding who was stronger, and for Venessa to have crossed the value of 35 meant that the Bloodline she possessed was incredibly powerful.
Even a difference of a single point in the value of Strength, Speed & Reflexes, and Constitution made the difference when the two opponents were in the same Realm, and she was clearly much stronger than him at this point.
Then again, these Values did not take into account everything. It took into account the benefits a Special Physique and Bloodline provided in those three areas, but not the special abilities and powers or even the Battle Arts and Combat Skills. Powerful Weapons and other Treasures were not accounted for either. The same went for the Legacies of the Gods and the Powers they provided an Inheritors.
Keith still had an advantage over her thanks to being an Inheritor of God. But it was not an enemy he was up against. It was his Mother, the person he loved the most in his life.
And she was not inexperienced either, having been training since she was thirteen, and having already surpasses Caesar and Sibyl in combat.
"Scared?" Rebecca guessed and asked.
"No." He shook his head and smiled at her.
"We want to see you get bullied as you bully us." Kiara pulled her tongue at him, and he sighed at her words, prompting everyone to laugh at his reaction.
After breakfast, they all gathered outside the Manor as they waited for their cars. And as soon as Keith finished the call, his blonde wife approached him.
"We will race to the Castle."
"No. And we are not going to the Castle." He shook his head, and everyone turned to look at him after they heard his words.
"Where are we going?" Amelia curiously asked.
"The Tower of Nyx. There is a Chamber under it. And I have Nyx's permission to access it."
Amelia frowned a little at his words. She was the one who had provided the basic design for the Tower of Nyx, and she did not recall there being a Chamber where they could fight.
There were several Training Rooms, of course. But she could tell that Keith was not talking about any normal Training Room.
"Is it big?" Kiara curiously asked, but only received a mysterious smile from him.
"You are in for a surprise." He patted her head.
It was an hour-long journey from the Demiliore Manor to the Noxville, and the girls were burning with curiosity as they wanted to see what was so special about the Chamber in the Nyx's Tower that Keith wanted to hold his battle with Venessa there.
The guards inside the Nyx's Tower all bowed to Keith and Rebecca when they entered, and no one stopped them or stepped forward to guide them, and Keith led them all unhindered towards the Chamber that was built underground.
It was only accessible through stairs, and when they took those spiral stairs that never seemed to end, the girls could not help but observe the mysterious Runes that were carved on the walls, the roof, and even on the stairs that they were descending.
They all arrived inside a hallway, and the girls, though curious and surprised by the beautiful architecture, could not help but frown at the size of the place.
Their doubts proved right when Keith did not stop but approached a wall between two pillars, and then under their curious eyes, he summoned his God Ring in his right hand before placing it on the wall.
The wall vibrated, and everyone felt and watched it slide apart, revealing an utterly dark room.
It was not until Keith stepped inside and his foot touched the floor of that room that the hidden Runes lit up, providing some illumination.
By the time everyone entered the room and the mysterious door closed behind them, the walls, the floor, and the roof of the Chamber were all lit up in mysterious Runes.
"Woah!" Kiara gasped when she saw how big this place was.
It was bigger than five football pitches, and the walls were high, very high, at least 200 metres high.
Despite the Chamber being completely closed with no vents or windows, the air inside was as fresh as it could it. They all felt a soothing feeling wash over them, and it made them marvel at the mystery of this place.
Amelia had long lost interest in the fight she came here to watch, and she was now crouching on the ground, observing and tracing those mysterious Runes.
"How can such a place exist underground?" Qingyue could not help but voice the question, and she frowned when Rebecca chuckled at her words.
"I believe that this place has been Magically manipulated. Isn't that right, Keith?"
"Yes." He smiled at her and nodded his head. "It has been magically created and expanded. There is no room behind the wall that we just entered. This place exists in an isolated space."
"Nyx created it?" Venessa looked at him and asked.
"Yes."
"For what?"
"I don't know." He honestly shook his head. "She showed me this place on the day I returned from Arkton City."
"Oh!" Celine, who had been there with him that day, and had waited for him in his office understood why he had excused himself away for an hour.
She thought he had to attend a meeting before they went home so he had brought them to Noxville first, but it turned out that he had to meet Leilah.
"I forgot to bring popcorn!" She lamented, showing her excitement as she realised that Keith and Venessa would be going all out. "You can go all out here, right?"
"Yes. I don't think that we would be able to harm this place, and even if it is harmed, it will heal itself." He nodded to her.
"Oh..." Celine was shocked again at this revelation but considering that it was a room that existed in an isolated space, its self-healing properties did not hurt her brain much. "Start!" She excitedly said, and Venessa smiled at her enthusiasm before walking further into the room.
"I will take a look around this place first."
"Okay!" Celine giggled as she briskly walked over to follow her friend, and the rest of the girls too curiously scanned the room.
"Can I come here too?" Rebecca stayed next to him and asked.
"No." He shook his head.
"Only Nyx and I can access this room."
Rebecca narrowed her eyes at him and then looked around the room once again.
"This is not a simple place that has been magically created and has self-healing properties, is it?"
"No. It is much more than that." Keith told her and met her eyes. "It has something to do with my Powers."
"Which Powers?" She curiously asked and her eyes widened in shock when Keith suddenly disappeared, and she felt a pat on her shoulder.
Rebecca immediately turned around but found no one there, and when she turned around again, she found Keith standing exactly where she had last seen him standing.
She was sure that it was not an illusion. And she was sure that it was not Keith's Speed.
"You teleported."
"Maybe." Keith simply shrugged at her, and then playfully smiled at her.
"W-what!!" Rebecca screamed when all of a sudden she found herself dozens of metres up in the air before free-falling towards the ground.
Her scream attracted everyone's attention, and though they knew that the fall would not really harm her, they were still scared for a moment.
Keith sighed when he saw that his stubborn bride refused to use her Aura to save herself, and then stepped forward to catch her safely in his arm.
"Show me more!" Rebecca excitedly smiled.
"Nope!" And he smirked at her before he put her back on her feet and started walking toward Amelia.
"Keith!"
"Not today." He simply said, much to the displeasure of his bride, and then arrived next to Amelia, who was looking him in the eyes. "Like this place?" He knowingly asked.
"I want to understand the Runes she has used in this place." She honestly voiced her desire.
"These Runes are special." He flicked her nose. "But I can bring you here daily if you really want to try and understand them."
Amelia smiled at him and nodded her head before sitting down on the floor and trying to read the Runes.
Keith was helpless against her love for Runes, so let her be and walked away to join his little sister, who was excitedly making some plans with Ingrid and Minami.
"What are you talking about?"
"We want to try and touch the roof!"
"Is that so?" Keith playfully smiled.
Soon everyone heard Kiara's scream before they caught the three girls free-falling towards the ground...