A System That Beats Death

Chapter 19 - Fleeting Bonds

With the end of the war came a new era for the nation of Long. The Great General's great upheaval actually proved to be beneficial for the nation of Long in the long term as with the lack of a leader, the skilled brigands, and deserters united under Xin. At first, they only submitted to him due to his immense strength but came to cherish life under the new regime. The brigands merely d.e.s.i.r.ed a better life while those who had deserted the military were sick of being toyed with by those in charge.

When Xin was on the battlefield, Riri had become reacquainted with her real family. They heavily doted on her as they had truly missed her. The whole time Riri felt overwhelmed as she was sure that with her previous naive mindset, she would've become merely a spoiled princess, willful and ignorant of the world if Shen had not taken the time to educate her on the dealings of the world.

The new Imperial Palace was located in the former nation of Zin due to the Imperial Palace of Long being destroyed. The former majesty of the place was not only tainted by the presence of death but ravaged by the elements. Not long after the departure of the tiger, a gigantic tidal wave apparated from the location of Shen's death and consumed the entirety of the palace. Then there were the flames left by the Great General and the metal spikes formed during Xin's clash with the tiger.

Soon after, the countries of Long and Zin merged through the marriage of Emperor Xin and the new Empress Riri. They were lauded as the prime example of a loving couple and named their son that would later inherit the throne, Shen.

Abruptly waking up from his slumber, Shen muttered to himself, "It was like I dreamt the whole tale"

He then looked down and wondered what kind of being was able to kill such a powerful creature. Even in the future, when he became the Emperor and quelled many invasions, the questions still lingered in his mind. What did the Great General mean by the Vermillion Bird? What were Shen's motives? Who did the tiger mistake Shen for?

__________

[Previous Identity]

Appellation: Shen

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Death: Self Exertion

Endeavors: Guardian, Swordplay

Accomplishments: Imperial Tutor (1250), Valiant Warrior (4000), Great Beast Slayer (6000)

Points Gained: 11250

Reward: Stealth (B)

{Stealth (B)}

-Decreased Presence

-Invisibility

-Lightened Weight

-Camouflage

[Spawn Equipment]

-1000 Currency

-Simple Apparel

-Dull Knife

-Spacial Ring

-False Phoenix Heart

[Permanent Traits Detected]

-Intelligence (B+)

-Cognition (B)

-Language (B+)

-Strength (B)

-Poison Immunity (A)

-Vitality (B)

-Agility (C)

-Dexterity (C)

-Perception (B+)

-Precision (C)

[Skills]

Calculation (C+)

Cooking (B+)

Combat (B)

Tech Proficiency (C+)

Commerce (C+)

Agriculture (C+)

Carpentry (C)

Herbalism (D+)

Sword (B+)

Archery (D+)

Stealth (B)

[Abilities]

(Cleansing Set (3): Aura of Purification

Automatic Dental Hygiene

Automatic Body Hygiene

Territory Sterilization)

Fertile Soil

Intimidation

Pure-Water Generation

Cardiac Catalysis

Combustion

Dash

Art of the Dead Vessel

|Host analysis complete|

________________________

|Transfer in Progress|

Expecting his body to be extensively frayed, he immediately checked his hands upon regaining consciousness. The body was in pristine condition. Even the severed left arm was back.

'How convenient. I expected to have to regain my strength but it was unnecessary', he thought.

He had expected his body to be thoroughly broken as that was the result when using it in his first body. The ability essentially granted strength by removing all limitations and allowing the body to wither from extreme exertion. What made it even better was that unlike his first death, it seemed that when his body deteriorates it would not carry over to successive vessels.

Even without the surprise ambush by that tiger, he would have eventually perished so he did not feel perturbed by its sudden intrusion. After all, that was likely something outside his calculations as even he didn't fully understand the reason for the Emperor's strength or the entity that possessed Da Lan. But it told him that he was severely underprepared to handle the dangers that would be in store.

Now that he was on the topic of Da Lan, he felt a bit of regret. He felt that Da Lan still had more to teach him but didn't expect that he would be possessed before their next reunion. Knowing Da Lan and feeling indebted to him, he decided to end his suffering.

As for Xin and Riri, he was completely focused on the quests relevant to them and did not think much about them as people. Expecting it to become a relationship that came and went without another thought, he was genuinely surprised when Xin betrayed that expectation and risked his life for him.

'Then again, he could've just wanted the chess piece to continue doing his bidding for him', Atlas thought cynically.

He then clenched his fist. Even though he had not experienced the best part, he should still acknowledge the downsides of such a transient existence. Unlike previously, he had the opportunity to meet people that others would only consider possible in fantastical stories, people that would be endearing to him, and people that he would inevitably become attached to. However even if he came to cherish them, he was fundamentally different from them. Having transcended age, death, and even life, romance, friendship, and even business relationsh.i.p.s inherently contained an element of nihilism. As once he left the world, the most they could ever be to him was a fading echo. With infinite possibilities, there were still some beyond him.

'I understand why people say the end is necessary now. But I can just reduce their existence and treat them as mere stories. Even if it's not the right thing to do, it's the best way', Atlas thought.

Attempting to ease off the lamentations, Atlas decided to focus on yet another artifact that he died for instead.

{False Phoenix Heart}

-Bestows the attributes of the Vermillion Bird

-Gr?????

Before he could finish reading, another prompt popped up.

[Requirements for Ascension Detected]

[Blood of Kin {44/25} or Soul of Followers {0/50000} ]

[False Phoenix Heart Upgraded to Phoenix Core]

[Requirements for Ascension Invalid]

{Baptism in Eternal Flames and Corrosive Light}

'Truly, the perfect time to be reminded of this', he thought with a mocking smile.

{Phoenix Core}