Nether Sovereign Reborn

Chapter 5

"You go by?" Twilight's cold and calm voice cut through the void, forcefully dragging Lux out of his trance.

"I... um... I go by Lux Orcus?"

"First, I will proceed with the proposal I mentioned," looking at Lux intently to gauge his reaction, Twilight continued.

"I'm part of a powerful organization and I want you to join us. You have potential, but if hidden in an underdeveloped place like this, it will never show its full potential."

"You want me to join your association that I know completely nothing about. That aside... you said I have potential. It must be pretty strong, yeah... so strong that I couldn't even manifest a totem, talk more of obtaining the lowest level totem talent.

Yup, super duper talented," Lux said, nodding his head continuously like an old man contemplating important issues while looking at Twilight like he was an idiot.

"Who said you don't have a talent? Do you think that such mediocre tools can calculate the talent of a named totem?"

"A named totem..." Lux repeated, his face bearing a pondering expression.

"Aside from the typical seven color grading, we have the variant talent grades. They exist outside the scope of the seven colors, with some weaker than gray and some rivaling or even surpassing purple.

A named totem is evolved from a peak purple tier talent or a variant talent of a similar level.

As for why they are called named totems, it's because... their trigger phrase varies from the contemporary Totem trigger phrase, but I doubt anyone in such a totem rural area would be aware of such secrets."

"Now I ask again, would you join us?" Twilight asked, his tone cold, calm, and calculated, inducing a pressure-filled atmosphere.

Lux, who seemed to be pondering about something, finally exhaled.

"What if you're lying?" Lux asked out of the blue, his face completely void of any emotion.

"You don't... but considering your potential, I can make an exception. How do you think I should prove myself?" Twilight replied after a moment of hesitation.

"First and foremost, you tell me my Totem trigger phrase, second you introduce me to another named totem wielder, and finally, you take off your mask. What do you think?" Lux said, staring straight at Twilight's face.

"I see, first and foremost... I can't do that. It's your totem. I can't know the totem trigger phrase if you, the owner of the totem, don't even know it.

But I can help you commune with it, which will enable you to learn of its trigger phrase while under immense pressure, and that leads us to the second section. You're looking at a named totem wielder, and I'm going to show you what a low rank named Totem wielder can do," Twilight said, an evil smile surfacing on his face beneath the mask.

"Now, all you need to do is focus on yourself, concentrate and trace your only source of survival while I attack you."

"Eh? While you attack me?" Lux, who had been attentive the entire moment, was suddenly brought back.

"What do you mean by attack me?" Lux asked, but instead of a response, was greeted by a blade sheath zooming straight toward his face.

Lux jumped back, barely avoiding the attack.

"Fast reaction speed, but reaction speed of that level can't save you," Twilight's cold voice cut through the docks as he stepped forward, delivering another slash.

Slash after slash, the attacks kept coming in.

At first Lux could dodge them, but after a few strikes the speed of the attacks increased and Lux started getting hit.

His arms, his ribs, his head, his belly, Lux's entire body was screaming in pain. He was so brutally beaten that he could barely stand.

"Sigh... seems like I expected too much from you. Might as well end it here," Twilight's cold tone cut through the air, and for once Lux felt a strong sensation of relief wash over him.

But that relief instantly turned to dread the moment he saw Twilight unsheathe his Tachi.

"You can't possibly be..." Lux's voice trailed off as Twilight began advancing towards him, blade in hand with calm and calculated steps.

"Wh... What do you want to do?" Lux said, crawling backward as fast as possible, or at least he tried to. His entire body stung so bad that he could barely move.

_Swiiissshhh_

Lux watched as the blade of the Tachi descended, and that was when it happened.

Everything seemed to have slowed down. A faint voice could be heard from a distance, gradually becoming louder and louder, like the source of the voice was fast approaching.

And then he heard it.

"SUMMON TOTEM!!!" Lux shouted with all the air in his lungs.

_Whoosh, Bang_

A strong wave of energy erupted from Lux, flinging Twilight and slamming him into a cargo.

"Finally..." Twilight, who was slammed into a cargo, got back to his feet, watching the dust clear from around Lux.

Lux was standing, the bruises on his body vanishing at speeds visible to the eye. Ankh, roughly the same height as an average human being, suspended behind him.

"I... I did it, I fucking summoned my totem hahahaha," Lux laughed maniacally like he had suffered brain damage due to the excess beating he received from Twilight.

"Perfect," Twilight's voice resounded like thunder in Lux's ears as a terrifying realization dawned on him.

Twilight didn't trigger his totem!!!

"That's pretty solid for a low tier, bronze grade totem wielder," Twilight said, patting the dust off his coat.

"It has potential. Due to your lack of control, your current strength is about the same as a purple talent unnamed totem wielder at the high tier, bronze grade."

"And... I'm also a wizard who is meant to understand all this gibberish you're spouting without explanation?" Lux quipped in with a deadpan expression.

"Oh! I forgot, you're a totem illiterate."

"Thanks for the reminder, genius."

"Talent ranking aside, talents have grades, and each grade is divided into 4 tiers: low, mid, high, and peak.

As for the grades, you progress stage by stage, and we have them from the weakest: Black iron, yellow earth, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, amethyst, and diamond. It continues, but that's too far for you to imagine," Twilight stated bluntly.

"If I'm meant to progress through it gradually, how am I already in low-tier bronze grade?" Lux asked, noticing the irregularity.

"Named totems directly skip the first two and start from bronze," Twilight stated calmly. However, the calm expression instantly vanished.

"Someone is coming... someone strong."

___

*Five minutes ago, outside Royal Bay Docks...*

"What brings him to the docks by this time of the night?"

Regal stood in the shadows outside Royal Bay docks. He had been there for over ten minutes, considering that he tailed Lux to the docks.

He was hidden in a strategic position that enabled him to watch the entrance of the dock area.

"Huh? This aura... I must inform the young master."

___

_Ring, ring... ring, ring_

Davon, who had barely just fallen asleep, was brought back to reality by the sound of his phone ringing.

Taking a brief look at who was calling, he let out a soft sigh and answered the call.

"Young master Davon, I have information that might affect your decision on whether to proceed with the plan to eliminate the Lux boy or not," Regal's calm voice resounded from the phone speaker.

"Proceed."

"The Lux boy, he's a Totem wielder, my estimate... around low-tier bronze grade. He's currently in a position where his death can easily be tagged as a random murder, based on his current location and the current time.

But there is another variable in play, albeit inconsequential. There is another totem wielder with him, estimated to be around mid-tier bronze grade. He briefly released his totem aura, hence I can't be one hundred percent sure.

However, said unknown variable doesn't exceed bronze rank.

I await your instructions, young master."

"You're a mid-tier gold grade totem wielder. There shouldn't be an issue with eliminating the error and all inconsequential variables. Proceed with the mission," Davon said, his tone calm and steady before hanging up.

"Sigh... that's just life. Nothing for the weak. The weak have nothing to negotiate with... tsk."

Davon laid back on his bed, hoping to grasp the fleeting sensation of the sleep he was forcefully awoken from.

___

Regal looked at his phone. He let out a sigh before sprinting into the docks under the cover of the shadows.

"This is gonna be one hell of a night. Hopefully the Paranormal Corp doesn't get alerted," Regal muttered under his breath.

___

Lux was still trying to digest what he had just heard.

"Okay... someone is coming, the person is strong. Like, how strong are we talking about here?" Lux asked, trying his best to sound calm.

"Based on his aura, I would say low-tier gold grade."

"Holy mackerels, that's two grades above me. What's the strength gap like?"

"A 30-year-old bodybuilder and a 10-year-old boy."

"Wow... just wowww. Now, quick question... is he hostile?"

"One hundred percent."

"Wow, first I'm thrown off a cliff, then I'm being attacked by a starved flame god, now this...? At this point I deserve an award for best at being at the wrong places at the wrong possible time."

"What are our chances of surviving? You're pretty strong, right? I mean you have the cool outfit and blade thingy."

"If it's just you, 0.001%. If you add me to the mix, 1%.

Based on my law of life and death risk management, anything below a 5% possibility is considered hopeless," Danzai stated calmly, his right hand gently grabbing his sword hilt.

"With just you? There's a chance of survival?"

At this moment Regal's voice resounded through the air.

"A pretty good law you have, though. So I guess you're prepared to die. I'll--"

"Die? Please, I'm still a virgin. Have mercy."

Regal was mid speech when Lux cut him off, leaving Regal and Twilight stunned.

"Sadly, you have to die as one. Give up all resistance and I'll make it swift."

"Give up? Who said that I was giving up?"

At this moment, Twilight, who had been quiet the entire moment, finally spoke up.

"Your own law."

"If it was just me, then perhaps I would've given up. But what if we add some extra variables to the mix," Twilight said, straightening his back mid speech, his tone calm and confident.

"Extra variables?"

Regal began scanning his surroundings with his eyes in case he missed out on something.

"You're looking in the wrong direction... Aurmir."

_Whoosh, boom_

Regal looked up just in time to watch a muscular figure in a rusty helmet descend, causing a small crater to appear on the ground.

"Is it time for battle?" Aurmir's deep, heavy voice resounded through the docks, adding a humongous amount of gunpowder to the already heavy atmosphere.

"3.5%"

"Danzai... Danzai... Even after I gave him a time two hours earlier than the scheduled time, he still hasn't arrived?" Twilight's eyes twitched when he realized that a certain clown was missing.

"I guess we'll have to make do with what we have," Twilight said to Aurmir before turning his attention to Lux.

"Pay attention to my signal. Till then, support from behind."

Lux nodded in response as his Totem started radiating waves of energy.

Noticing the shift in atmosphere, Regal squinted his eyes slightly.

"I guess we're ready to start, right? Hope you don't think that a high-tier bronze grade totem wielder can reverse the situation."

"Anyway... Totem Link."

A dark purple octagon appeared above Regal's head as dark mist began spreading across the ground.

"Y'all waiting for an invitation notice, or have you given up?" Regal said, noticing that Aurmir and Twilight hadn't unleashed their Totems yet.

"Not really, we were just being polite to the lesser being," Aurmir said calmly. He looked at Twilight, who nodded at him slightly.

"Behold, you mediocre soldier, the vast chasm between us, the reason you can only remain a foot soldier and never a general.

WITH MY HONOR ON THE LINE!!

I SUMMON THEE GREAT FRIEND!!

TO FIGHT BESIDE ME ONCE AGAIN!!"

"Aurmir, the long speech isn't necessary," Twilight said, his face wearing a slightly depressed expression.

"Oh! Alright then."

"ARISE IN BLOOD!!! TOTEM!!"

"I commit my life... totem."