39. A Walk Down Memory Lane
"Aghhhh!" Berry screamed loudly in pain.
Cracks began to spread across the glass realm, and finally it shattered into multiple pieces. They returned back to the skull above Berry’s domain—not that they had left in the first place.
Ultimatum Release, the most powerful technique an entity can use, is not created but attained. Not all entities can attain
Ultimatum Release; ten out of ten thousand entities have reached it.
This technique allows an entity to materialize their ability in its latent form, though the way it manifests fully depends on the entity’s spirit energy reserves and capacity. It can take the form of a subspace like Berry’s, or a weapon—perhaps even armor.
Berry’s Ultimatum Release was indeed powerful, but he was now up against the powered-up Revet. The emptiness that had once occupied Revet’s heart was completely filled with his raging desire to uncover his hidden past and truly understand himself.
"I remember how it all started, everything that led up to this moment," Berry thought to himself as he began to walk down memory lane.
The first thing he remembered was the chirping of birds that always came from outside the window of his room. Loud footsteps approached his door.
Creak...
A slender female figure with long, thin brown hair and black eyes opened the door gently. She bowed her head, her hair sweeping the floor. "Pardon my intrusion, young master Taki," she said in a fluttered, submissive tone.
Berry—or rather, Belfort Von Taki, the second son of the esteemed noble Belfort family—turned his head slowly from the window, a calm smile on his face.
"There’s no need to apologize, Ava," he stated softly.Ava was his personal maid and caretaker. She was the only person who believed in him among all the occupants of the Belfort household.
She raised her head hurriedly, her cheeks completely red. "Young master, you needn’t be nice to me all the time, especially when you are in a bad mood," she said with a flustered tone.
Berry’s smile widened. "Ava, get to the point already," he said jokingly.
Ava chuckled, then suddenly frowned as she remembered the dreadful news she was about to deliver. "Lord Belfort has summoned you," she said, her eyes growing gloomy.
She knew all too well that whenever Taki’s father called for him, it never ended well. Taki had been labeled a failure by his family. The noble House of Belfort was known to produce some of the greatest swordsmen and sages in history.
In the Kingdom of Toran, they were held in very high esteem. But Taki lacked talent in swordsmanship, nor did he possess any ability that would qualify him to walk the path of a sage.
The Belfort family as a whole viewed him as a stain on their perfect reputation. They did everything they could to eliminate him—from assassination attempts to poisoning—but they still couldn’t get rid of him. His caretaker was always there to foil their plans.
Taki arrived at the parlor of the Belfort household, where all crucial gatherings and meetings were held. As he walked into the hall, scornful stares were all he received. Whispers of his name echoed throughout the chamber.
"What a disgrace."
"I hope he drops dead."
"Why can’t he be like his elder brother?"
"Don’t you understand? Some people are cursed to be failures."
He absorbed all these hurtful comments while maintaining his calm demeanor. He finally reached the front of the podium where his father stood, looking at him in disgust.
"Father, you—"
A slap landed on his face before he could finish speaking.
"I am no longer your father. A weakling like you is not worthy of calling me that," Lord Belfort exclaimed coldly.
Taki lowered his head. "Yes, Lord Belfort," he responded soullessly.
"You have been disowned, Taki. From now on, you will no longer live in this household. More importantly, you will no longer be allowed to bear the name Belfort." Lord Belfort grinned. "Your caretaker will be assigned to your elder brother, so don’t think of taking her with you," he added loudly, making sure everyone in the hall could hear.
Before Taki could process what had just happened, he was already outside the front door. He stood there, speechless, unable to believe the situation he had been thrown into.
As for Ava, he soon learned that his father had threatened to kill her little brother—the only family she had left. She was forced into becoming the mistress of his elder brother.
The moment he found out, he was completely shattered.
Days passed. Taki fought for his life on the streets of Toran. On a cold night, he searched for a place to lay his head.
Loud footsteps came from behind him.
"Hey you, mister fancy pants! Surrender all the gold coins you have on you, and we won’t hurt you," a group of bandits said as they encircled him.
Despite being a former noble, Taki still wore decent clothes. That alone was enough to make him a target.
"I don’t have anything on me," he said, turning around slowly.
Deep down, Taki knew this would be his end. Bandits like these always killed those who couldn’t give them what they wanted.
Just as a bandit’s knife was about to reach his neck, a strange blue light descended upon him, and he abruptly vanished into thin air.
"Huh?! What just happened?" one of the bandits exclaimed in confusion.
Taki appeared in a desolate forest. He looked around in confusion. The crooked trees surrounding him were unfamiliar—he had never seen anything like them before.
"These kinds of trees are usually not found in Toran," he muttered skeptically as he continued to observe his surroundings. "So where am I?"
[All 2,000 Summoners are now present in Arstrea]
[World Feature: Live Chat has been unlocked]
[The Summoners’ War will officially begin in: 10]
[9]
[8]
[7]
[6]
Berry was in complete shock at what was happening; he could barely wrap his head around it.
[5]
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Domains have been assigned to each Summoner. Protect your domains]
[Each Summoner has been given a guide]
[Your guide has been successfully installed]
Bing!
A screen appeared before him, similar to one on a PC.
"What the fuck is going on?"
"This has to be a prank."
"You have to be kidding me, my starting supplies are just a D-rank catalyst and an E-rank artifact. Absolute trash."
"Woohoo, my domain is A-rank and it grants B-rank catalysts every 48 hours."
"My starting supplies are peak, but my domain is D-grade with a useless buff."
"Whoa! We can take over other Summoners’ domains—amazing!"
Taki read the rapidly appearing messages on the screen. A huge smile formed on his face. "So I have been chosen to participate in the legendary Summoners’ War," he said loudly.
In Toran, it was well known that the Summoning class was the rarest of them all, because summoners were chosen—while other classes could be attained through skill and training.
To make matters even more extreme, summoners were only chosen once every thousand years. Out of the two thousand selected individuals, only one hundred to two hundred returned alive when the war ended, spared by the victor.
Summoners possessed long lifespans and the ability to summon ancient beasts and world-shaking entities.
Taki had finally gained a chance to become truly legendary.
"If I win this war, I’ll make sure my father pays for everything he has done to me," Taki said, a hint of hostility in his voice.
"How do I activate the assist they talked about?" He placed a finger on his chin.
[Dear Summoner, welcome to Arstrea. What would you like to know?]
A blue sphere of light appeared before him.
"Whoa! Are you my assistant?" Taki asked.
[I am GSI, short for General Summoners’ Interface. I exist to assist all summoners participating in the Summoners’ War. Feel free to ask me anything.]
"I don’t really understand everything you just said, but I would like to know about my domain," he replied.
The GSI explained everything he needed to know—domains, domain cores, catalysts, starting supplies, and summoning rituals.
Taki quickly grasped the situation.
After checking his personal status and domain information, he discovered that he possessed an ability called Spatial Manipulation, which allowed him to control space itself.
As for his domain buff—Lord’s Grace—it amplified the effect of his ability as long as he remained in the presence of his domain core.
His starting supplies included an S-rank artifact, Forecloud, which doubled his spirit energy for ten hours straight, along with an S-grade catalyst.
After reviewing his supplies, he conducted a summoning ritual, which led to him summoning Senita.
Fast forward to when Conquest Taverns were introduced—Taki was among the first summoners to challenge Nightmare difficulty.
He was tasked with killing a three-headed giant serpent. Eager to test his ability, he obliterated the creature with just three attacks in fifty-five seconds.
He was then asked to input his summoner name.
He chose Berry—because he liked berries.
That same day, the leaderboard was created, and he ranked first.
Later that night, just as he was about to sleep, a strange voice echoed in his mind:
"Taki... A cult will approach you tomorrow. Accept their offer and enlist in their ranks. Help them fulfill their goal, and I shall grant you your deepest desires."