Host: Michael

Cultivation Level: Core Strengthening stage, level 6

Experience Points: 0/600,000

Badass Points: 60,000 (40,000 badass points loan)

Skills & Spells:

Wind Blast - LVL 6

Responsive Shield - LVL 8

Environment Scanning - LVL 6

Ignitia - LVL 8

Lightning Dash - LVL 6

Energy Devouver - LVL 2

Soul Eater - LVL 1

Death Range - LVL 3

Eyes of Darkness (normal) - Can sense the cultivation level of others

Eyes of Darkness (Lucifer) - Can sense the cultivation level of others, Can see through illusions

Cloud of Darkness (Lucifer) - Weak-willed enemies will lose their courage completely and surrender, Death Range will be 50% more powerful, and if activated in darkness, the host's cultivation level will be boosted 4 levels up regardless of the stage barrier.

Wordless Spell Caster(Lucifer) - In full Lucifer form, the host just has to think of the spell to cast it.

Techniques: Swords of Destiny - 98% Mastery

Ring of Fire - 88% Mastery

Serpent-Maga - 97% Mastery

Occupation: Core Disciple of Sunrise Sect

The Guardian of Sunrise Sect

Lord Lucifer of the Abyssal

The Dark Lord

King of Bradford

Status: Healthy

Goals: Control the world

Rebuild the Order of Death

Utility Function:

Banker - LVL 5 (Ratio - 1000 gold coins: 40 badass point(s))

Runic Teleportation

X-Ray Vision (Also integrated with Eyes of Darkness)

Wealth: 15,000,000 Gold

Special Trait: 5-Star Alchemist

4-Star Inventor

Subordinates: Gaya - Warrior (loyalty level 100%)

Raylene - 5-star Chef (loyalty level 99%)

Aria - Assassin (loyalty level 68%)

Heinberg - Warrior (loyalty level 45%)

Maxine - Warrior (loyalty level 98%)

Tiberius - Warrior (loyalty level 55%)

Sadie (loyalty level 40%)

Ricky (loyalty level 98%)

The Silent Reaper Crew - Pirates (loyalty level 90%)

Base of Operation: Sunrise Sect

The Abyssal

The Crypt

Kingdom of Bradford

Familiars: Nightmare (Forest Dragon)

Vedora (Three Headed Hydra)

Elemental Manipulation: Wind (10% Mastery) Fire (10% Mastery) (Lightning 15% Mastery) (Darkness 20%)

The moment he woke up, he was taken into the system interface and presented with the status window where he noticed a couple of changes. He leveled up by two levels. Previously he was a Core Strengthening stage level 4 cultivator but at the moment, the status window showed level 6.

Reading through the status, he saw an entirely new row.

"Elemental Manipulation"

As the name suggested, Elemental Manipulation was the power to control the elements themselves. In this world, only a few could control elements including Michael. It was a power that belonged to the most powerful Ancient Gods. Their existence was hidden from the rest of the world by Skyhall as the existence of new gods would cause chaos among the religious institutes and alter everything the people believed.

"So system, what's your explanation for what just happened?"

[The system level is-]

"Thought so" Michael interrupted the system before it could finish its annoying answer,

"Victoria you bitch" He suddenly remembered the massacre of the sanctuary. Since the soul piece was merged into one, Michael didn't feel like Abras was another person.

In addition to the changes in the status window, Michael also sensed changes in his mentality. For instance, he craved to control the world more than he felt before. This world lacked Gods' intervention and Michael wanted to fix that.

Gaya was still embracing him with all her might with Nightmare stuck between them. His vest started to feel wet by the tears gushing out of Gaya's eyes,

"Why are you wasting those precious tears? They should come from our enemies' eyes before dying" Michael lifted her head gently,

He cupped her face, wiping the tears with his fingers,

"Smile" he smiled at her,

"You scared me bastard"

"Sorry for the inconvenience caused by my broken pieces of the soul," he said sarcastically,

"Ghosty are you fine now?" Nightmare looked up at him. Michael never thought a dragon's face could show such a clear-cut expression. Seeing the dragon worry about him warmed his heart,

"I'm whole again, just like Elidyr said" he looked at the half-elf standing obediently a few meters away from them.

Michael let go of Gaya and Nightmare to thank Elidyr,

"You served me well Elidyr. I will grant you a wish for what you did, ask"

As he said to Elidyr, Michael exerted his power over the surroundings to make everything darker. The storm clouds blanketed the sun according to his will.

"I wish to serve you as your subordinate and accompany you in your journey to make this world better my lord"

Elidyr knelt on his one knee, lowering his head,

"Darkness is not evil, it's portrayed as evil. Remember Elidyr, darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good" said Michael,

"I bring darkness so everyone can see the real light. Anything better than the current world will be a paradise and I will transform this world into a paradise opposite to Skyhall's and Guardian Guild's vision"

Michael saw the concern in Elidyr's eyes. It was obvious to Michael. He wasn't willing to serve him because of loyalty but to try to deviate Michael from transforming the world into a realm of darkness which was seen by Qin Jiu in the future.

[Does the host wish to accept Elidyr as a subordinate?]

"Yes"

Michael accepted Elidyr as his subordinate to see his 42% loyalty. He didn't mind the low loyalty level as he knew better than to expect 100% loyalty from an ancient elf who he knew only for a couple of days.

"Rise" Michael gestured at Elidyr as he stood up,

"We should get out of here" Gaya wanted to ask more about how he merged the soul pieces but before that, she wanted to leave this pocket dimension. Otherwise, someone might notice him missing and start investigating.

"I'm not done yet" calmly said Michael,

"Huh?"

"Give me the teleportation scroll, I want the primordial flame"

Since Michael merged his soul with the third piece, the battle between Rowena and the fire giant that was controlled by him replayed in his mind. He was stunned by the power of the Primordial flame.

Coincidence or not, he was presented with a rare opportunity to acquire a primordial flame to himself through Professor Lane.

Gaya saw the resolve in his eyes and realized there was no use in arguing with him. Therefore, she took out the parchment from her space ring with a flick of her wrist,

Michael didn't open the scroll but threw it at Elidyr,

"You're coming with us," said Michael

It took Elidyr a couple of minutes to make changes to the scroll to teleport four instead of two. Surprisingly the location of the destination was relatively closer to the gateway to this pocket dimension.

"Here you go my lord"

Elidyr now started to address Michael as my lord instead of Lucifer as he used to. Although Elidyr sensed an aura of a god when he first met him, it had never been as strong as the aura he released after the ritual. He couldn't get himself to address Lucifer by his name.

Michael passed the scroll to Gaya as she sent a sliver of Arch energy into the scroll. The scroll began to glow brighter and brighter and in a blink of an eye, a golden light enveloped them.

After being teleported away from the pocket dimension, they noticed that they were back in the black forest. Before the four of them was a minor fallen tree in an overcast morass marked the entrance to the dungeon.

Beyond the fallen tree lies a modest, clammy room. It's covered in dead vermin, ash, and moss.

Elidyr conjured a bright orb of light to light the path before them. The bright light revealed the rusted weapons racks and opened crates, wasted and ravaged by time itself.

As they went further through the dungeon, the pathway split into two paths.

Michael retrieved two drones from the system storage and sent one to explore each path. The path on his right had countless traps installed. But the drone activated none of them because the traps were not designed to sense arch energy. Whoever built the dungeon placed a void array and never expected one to use arch energy inside the dungeon. Several minutes later, the drone reached the end of the path where there was nothing but a dead end.

"Left" Michael entered the path on his left

Its twisted trail leads passed long-lost rooms and tombs. Everything was cleaned up and there was nothing valuable that attracted Michael's attention. Since the drone was exploring ahead of them and sending live feed, Michael knew the path and traps in place. They avoided the usual pressure traps and tripwires by floating above the ground. As they traveled further and further, they began to notice countless broken skeletons on the ground. Moreover, there were bloodstains on the walls and the ceiling above them.

"Is it me or do they look fresh?" Gaya pointed at the bloodstains on the wall.

"The smellis also fresh" Nightmare took a whiff of the air and said,

They cautiously proceeded onwards, deeper into the dungeon's expanse.

Despite the various passages opened up to them, Michael led them through the correct one thanks to the drones. The various passages all looked so similar as this whole place was a maze.

They eventually made it to what is likely the end. Only a ground filled with skeletons, broken limbs, and dead bodies could be seen between them and a single room at the end of the hall.

Elidyr sensed countless runes all around, somehow untouched by time and the elements. Gaya on the other hand waved her hand as the remains of skeletons soldiers floated towards them from the ground,

She inspected the deep cuts on their bones as well as the scorched marks that almost burned the bones to ashes.

"The Primordial flame" her inspection was abruptly interrupted by the words that came out of Michael's mouth. The drone he sent to explore the room at the end of the hall was destroyed the moment it entered the room but not before sending him a millisecond feed of the room where he saw something magnificent, Pitch Black Flames. The flames, their beauty was beyond any words. They danced in the air as though they were waiting for someone to be partnered with. It was weird of him to feel like the flames were calling for him.

"Someone's been here recently, someone powerful" Elidyr frowned after seeing the countless limbs of mountain trolls lying around. Defeating one mountain troll without using arch energy was extremely difficult if not impossible. But whoever ventured into the dungeon before they slaughtered so many.

The only explanation Elidyr could come up with was either they used arch energy or something much more powerful because there was no way one could survive this dungeon without cultivation power.

"Maybe the Holy Maiden?" asked Gaya,

"Whoever it is, we will meet them soon," Michael said before slowly floating towards the room to claim the primordial flame to himself.