He tightly clenched his fist, a grin spreading across his face. His gaze fell to his chest, where a large purple tattoo shaped like a heart covered the entire area.
The intricate design was adorned with millions of tiny runes that looks like tadpoles that seemed to move slowly. It was undeniably cool.
As he touched his chest, he felt something different about his heart; it felt transformed. He could even hear its rhythmic beating in his ears, slower than before but with each pulse came a surge of energy that flowed through his veins, warming them.
[ Ding ]
[ Assimilation Complete ]
The system's cold voice interrupted Raizen's deep thoughts just as he was about to ask questions. Instead, he raised his head and looked at the sun setting on the western horizon.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he surveyed the ruins around him, devastated by his earlier battle with the serpent and the assimilation of both the Calamity Heart and Chaos Physique.
"This place isn't safe anymore," he thought urgently. "The commotion might attract other beasts; I need to get out of here!"
With determination, he stood up, feeling the cold wind brush against him. He quickly clamped his legs together as a blush crept onto his face.
"Damn! I'm naked again." Scanning the wreckage around him, he roamed for a few minutes before finding a large leaf to wrap around his waist.
"That's better!" He patted his chest as relief washed over him.
"This isn't safe at night," Raizen mused. "The beach is open,if anything happens there, I can spot it, but here in the forest? Who knows what lurks in the shadows?"
With these thoughts racing through his mind, he began searching for a water source.
After ten cautious minutes of exploration, Raizen's ears perked up at the faint sound of running water. His eyes lit up as he hurried toward it.
Moments later, he found himself in front of a small waterfall cascading down from a hill into a serene pond below, surrounded by lush vegetation and vibrant flowers along its banks. The beauty of this hidden oasis took him by surprise.
Excited yet cautious, Raizen circled the perimeter first to ensure safety. Fortunately, no beasts were nearby. He picked up a large stone and tossed it into the pond, waiting anxiously before throwing four more stones without any reaction from below.
Finally able to breathe easy, Raizen rushed to scoop some cool water into his mouth,a refreshing sensation that made him moan in satisfaction as it flowed down his throat.
After quenching his thirst and wiping away excess water with a burp of contentment, something caught his eye: a snow-white rabbit nibbling on grass across the pond.
A wide grin spread across Raizen's face. "Dinner is served!"
He stood up slowly and silently, backing away as he quietly merged into the lush foliage behind him, disappearing into the dense underbrush.
Meanwhile, the rabbit continued to nibbled on the grass nearby, its ears twitching occasionally. It would raise its head to look around before continuing to munch on the tender blades.
Unbeknownst to the rabbit, a dark shadow lurked just behind it, holding a long slender stick with one end sharpened to a deadly point.
Raizen's eyes were locked onto the rabbit without blinking. He held his breath, afraid to make a sound. Slowly, he raised the stick and pointed it at his target; his arms bulged as faint veins appeared beneath his skin. Cracks began to spread across the stick from the immense strength he exerted.
Taking a deep breath, Raizen closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. A fierce determination ignited within him as he launched the stick with all his might.
Whoosh!
The air seemed to split as the stick blurred through space, hurtling toward the unsuspecting rabbit. The creature sensed something amiss when it heard a whistling sound and raised its head, but it was already too late.
Puchiiii...
A spray of red erupted as the stick pierced through the rabbit's body. It twitched slightly for a moment before going still.
Raizen rushed forward and retrieved the stick with the rabbit hanging from it, grinning widely as he turned around. He spotted a large leaf with a circular center and filled two of them with water from a nearby pond.
With the rabbit tied at his waist and two leaves full of water in hand, Raizen made his way back to the beach. By now, dusk had settled in; darkness enveloped everything around him.
---
The sun had fully set by then, leaving three silvery moons hanging in a triangular formation above him. Their light spilled over the earth below while waves crashed rhythmically against the shore.
The night wind whipped through the air, carrying with it hints of sea salt mixed with rustling leaves and distant roars of beasts lurking deep within the forest, accompanied by an orchestra of chirping insects.
"Huh! I didn't expect Elysium Prime to have three moons; that's not something you see every day!" Raizen exclaimed while sitting beside a bonfire where he roasted his catch over open flames.
The aroma of cooking meat wafted through the air as he turned it carefully over heat.
His gaze drifted skyward toward those three moons; an expression of wonder crossed his face as if lost in thought.
Shaking himself out of reverie, he glanced down at his meal,his mouth watering at its savory scent.
"Finally done!" He removed the meat from fire and placed it on a large leaf before tearing off one leg and digging in, juices dripping down from corners of his mouth.
"It could have been fantastic if only there were some salt and spices!" he murmured, gazing out at the distant ocean. "One day, I'll make my own salt!"
"System, are you there?" Raizen called out in his mind.
[Yes, Apostle. I am here.]
Raizen smiled and said, "Show me my status panel!"
Name: Raizen Mal'akhi Arcarnis
Age: [Twenty-Three]
Race: [Unknown]
Title: [Apostle of Chaos and Destruction] [Chosen of Thaumiel]
Status: [Living Vessel of Thaumiel: The God of Chaos and Destruction]
Ascendri Tier: [8th Order Disciple]
Divine Source: [Entropy]
Divine Path: [Apostolic (Unique/Forbidden)]
Divine Abilities: [ Calamity Heart : A divine heart that converts all forms of energy into Entropy Essence,fueling limitless growth and regeneration ]
Talents: [Chaos Physique]
Raizen absorbed the information from the status panel. Not much had changed except for his Talent and Divine Abilities; what was previously sealed now included the Calamity Heart and Chaos Physique.
His eyes flickered with excitement as he asked, "System, can you show me the various functions and abilities of the Calamity Heart and Chaos Physique?"
[Acknowledged, Apostle.]
[ Calamity Heart: One of the Nine Divine Abilities of Chaos and Destruction ]
Abilities:
1.Entropy Core: A divine nucleus that converts absorbed energy,mana, life force, emotion,into pure Entropy Essence. This essence fuels chaos-related abilities and enhances the Host's growth without limit. Efficiency scales with the intensity of destruction in the environment.
2. Energy Devourer: Automatically extracts energy from slain beings or decaying matter. Absorbed vitality is refined and stored within the Calamity Heart; stronger sources yield greater conversion.
3.Chaos Conversion: Passively transforms any external energy,divine, elemental, demonic, or spiritual, into usable Entropy while removing corruption to retain raw destructive potential. Can forcibly absorb attacks when synchronization exceeds 50%.
4.Endless Regeneration: Amplifies cellular regeneration exponentially; fatal wounds or lost organs can be restored using stored Entropy. At advanced stages, it can even rebuild the Apostle from a single drop of blood.
5.Entropy Circulation: Functions as a secondary energy network independent of the Apostle's Divine Veins to balance internal energy flow during intense combat. Later evolutions allow circulation through weapons or armor to enhance destructive potential.
6. Calamity Pulse: Emits destructive shockwaves of condensed Entropy when manually triggered; power scales with stored Entropy but poses a high risk of self-injury below a 70% synchronization threshold.