Ch61: Beginning of the Ceremony

Rein further strengthened himself in those two remaining weeks. To his surprise, many did not bother too much with dueling to make gains on the rankings board. It made sense-- its rewards are actually miniscule compared to mission completions.

Still, Rein, knowing the approaching conflict with the Great Sects, requested many on the team to spar with him. The varied abilities of the different members raised his battle sense rapidly.

Xeeseir forced Rein to be very careful when using the inscribed arts on the Soak Staff. Chirh taught Rein the frustrating difficulty of chasing an opponent who only knew how to run. Wilo taught Rein the necessary focus to continuously dodge multiple flying needles. Dahk taught him the scenario of an all-out aggressive brawl.

As for Suey and Jory…? These twins were quite troublesome. They always started off rather serious, and their long bronze whips would force Rein to experience the feeling of being kept at bay by a longer-ranged weapon. Yet, those spars, sooner or later, would devolve into flirtation. Suey was the source, giving in to 'defeat' while blinking coquettishly.

The celebratory ceremony for the batch of initiates Rein belonged to soon arrived.

The ceremony was hosted at the very same plateau where the battle over the ancient relic occurred.

This location was intentionally selected by the Hall of Heroes in provocation against the Great Sects, who had lost that battle along with a revered outer advancer of the Convergence Sect.

Rein recalled his conversation with Supreme Jensure. Supposedly, that elite's name was Dunzkr.

The Hall of Heroes, every quarter, with every new batch of initiates, would host this ceremony. They would invite all major factions, but what they prioritized the most was the Great Sects of the Evergreen Mountain Ranges.

Rein had long come to his understanding of the reason for this.

The Great Sects were borne out of those exiled by the Minhr Nation centuries ago. Now their strength threatened the nation's clans, yet these Great Sects were important for resisting the demons and devils of the western wilderness. As such, the Minhr Nation accepted the intrusion of the Hall of Heroes and placed them here in the northwest corner of the nation.

Rein suspected much more though. He knew that the Zoh Empire to the east was not always like it was now. It used to be very much as politically messy as the Minhr Nation, until the appearance of the Hall of Heroes subdued them into a place where seven sects ruled eternally, and the clans stood at the top of these seven sects.

This historical point meant one thing in Rein's mind. This branch of Hall of Heroes might be interested in removing the Great Sects altogether. With the Great Sects removed, the Minhr Nation might fully cave in to the Halls' every whims and desires, begging for them to take on the role of defending against the western wilderness!

Thus, this celebratory ceremony was actually a show of force, where advancers from the Great Sects would spar against the members of the Hall of Heroes.

Rein had overheard some Hall of Heroes members discussing this. Generally speaking, the Halls always had an advantage in the shell and outer realm, but would always suffer in the inner realm. That made sense-- the members of the Halls who successfully enter the shell realm or above must either be important members of clans, or have survived the baptism of the western wilderness. Their inner advancers, on the other hand, are mostly rejects with unearthed gems.

As Rein traveled towards the plateau, he could feel his blood boiling, but it was not because of the impending battles to come. Instead, the cause was the minx to his right side-- Suey.

The male advancers of the inner realm cared not for looking presentable for this ceremony, but it seemed that many of the inner female advancers had opted to dress up. Rein understood-- it was quite possible that many would not return from the future missions, and this would be the last chance for any sort of fun. Rein had already seen many dressed in flowing gowns of intricate patterns.

As for Suey… this kitten of us was as audacious as ever. She had chosen to put on an ice blue halter neck backless mini dress with an incredible deep-V neckline. Her breasts were each supported by only a single flimsy strap, these straps around two fingers wide.

Rein could not control his eyes as he glanced at the sides of those tits that spilled out from the support of those thin straps, bouncing and very nearly falling out of their support every single step.

The woman's nipples were hard as diamonds, her arousal visible to all through the material. Rein met Suey's eyes, and the woman was thoroughly reveling in his attention.

Beyond that, the dress was barely at a length below her crotch, and thus the bottom of her round and firm buttocks spilled out as well.

At least she wore tight half-boots… Still, Rein wondered what the woman would do if she was challenged to a duel. Perhaps many women avoided these duels using their beauty.

"More…my celest…" Those words from Suey loosened Rein's inhibitions. Rein discovered his own crotch was in heat.

He was originally only stroking the minx's exposed back. He pulled her to the side behind a thick tree trunk, and began running his hands all over her bare skin.

With her flimsy dress, it was rather easy for him to slip his hands under the material and manhandle every part of her body. Suey twisted and writhed under his touch with wanton abandon.

It was at this moment that another couple stumbled into the very same area in the forested area, their tongues in each others' mouths and their hands roaming across each others' bodies desperately.

Rein widened his eyes. The handsome man and beautiful woman both had dark hair and eyes, dressed in tight robes with the sigil of two lovebirds.

The man soon noticed Rein and Suey, and yet he continued caressing his partner. Rein was encouraged and he, too, continued his manipulations of Suey's flesh, and the two women's whines filled the forest air.

"I'm Aizen, Harmony Sect. This is my partner, Yuynan." He had a friendly grin and suggested, "Care to trade?"

"Why not?" This was rather common fun of mortal merchant houses. Rein also recalled Suey demanding he 'train' her.

"Give me a show, kitten," Rein ordered Suey. Suey bit her tantalizing lips and nodded.

The other woman seemed excited as well.

"Strip each other," Aizen ordered. Rein already felt closer to this man.

Suey and Yuynan circled around each other in sync, before sharing a sloppy kiss. Suey was the first to untie the sash holding Yuynan's Harmony Sect robes, unveiling a porcelain slender body. Yuynan had a similar body to Suey, but her breasts were a tad smaller on top of a taller frame.

Yuynan untied Suey's halter neck and rolled her dress down, biting down onto the minx's nipples and eliciting a squeal. "Ooo, sensitive~" giggled Yuynan, and the two fully naked women moved on to their new partners.

The two men soon found themselves conversing while resisting the attacks from the others' women.

Both men had their own difficulties maintaining the thread of their conversation. Suey was leaking drool while displaying her throat's expertise. Rein discovered that Yuynan had a unique talent. Her tongue was like a snake's split into ends while having the increased length and flexibility to wrap around his manhood!

"So, who are you? We of the Harmony Sect support all kinds--" Aizen had to pause and prevent Suey from continuing her actions with his hands, not desiring it to end so soon. "...kinds of lovebirds!"

"I'm Rein, and thisss… is Suey." Rein himself nearly lost control when the two ends of the woman's tongue lashed his two family jewels at the same time.

"Hah!" laughed Aizen. "So you are Rein. The Great Sects have turned you into an absolute villain. You're supposed to have an aggressive intimidating aurae with horns coming out of your head!"

"Oh, honey Yuynan," he added with mirth. "You're pleasuring the currently most hated villain of the Great Sects!"

"Oh no~" Yuynan whispered innocently in a high-pitched voice as she gave Rein a small break. "But this cock is just so lumpy and tasty~"

All this time, Rein maintained eye contact with Suey, while Aizen's eyes remained locked with Yuynan's.

The two women increased their intensity and very soon, both men lost control of their manhoods and watched as their women swallowed the other's seed lasciviously.

The two men now sat an arm's length from each other on a fallen tree trunk. Suey had returned to Rein, Yuynan to Aizen. Both women had chosen to lie on their back across their man's thighs. Rein held down Suey with one hand on her tender neck, while his other hand began a fingering frenzy on the flower between her legs. Aizen did the same to Yuynan.

"You don't seem to have much hostility towards me?" Rein asked.

Aizen laughed again. "Hardly. We of the Harmony Sect are quite different from your average sect. Frankly… We and the Demon Taming Sect-- we're both somewhat looked at with distaste by your average sect."

Both women stuck up their crotches into the air lewdly as they arched and climaxed with lovely squeals. Both men continued their finger manipulation, very much in agreement to not allow their women any rest.

"Oh! Why is that? I am actually quite curious, friend." With how their fun was going, Rein had already developed a feeling of closeness to Aizen. Aizen felt the same.

"Well. You know the orthodox sects and the devil sects. Most consider the Harmony Sect and the Demon Taming Sect to be something in between. We of the Harmony Sect are also unique in that it is difficult for us to find members."

"Our advancer arts require pairs to work, and it's quite rare to find a couple willing to risk using such arts. You never quite know if your partner will stay with you for centuries, you understand? So, the two of you… if you are such a couple and wish to visit our sect, we are certain to welcome you and even share some of our advancer arts!"

"Now, as for why we're considered something in between… The reality is that many of our Harmony Sect's arts have a long history of being bastardized and misused. Despite our attempts to control the spread of our arts, some have gotten into nefarious individual's hands, even devil hands. These people bastardize our advancer arts, to sometimes consume the energies of the opposite sex, or even train aurae 'cauldrons' to be drunk by other advancers."

"As for the Demon Taming Sect… they have a different kind of struggle. Many advancers often develop feelings with their subdued demon beasts over time, especially if the demon beasts under them begin to metamorphosize into a human."

Rein felt something within his heart calling out to him at this juncture. He had long recognized this feeling as a vision calling of the dragon Gent's will within the draconic metamorphose bead. He was rather confused as to why this conversation had triggered a vision.

"Even recently," Aizen whispered agitatedly, "One of the Demon Taming Sect members eloped, wishing to live forever in bliss with her demon beast as partners. She was caught and executed by the Great Sects, of course. She was a good friend…"

"Mercy, my celest~" Suey's body was twisting and turning, assaulted by many simultaneous releases. Rein ignored her struggles as he firmly locked down the twitching minx and continued delivering an endless pleasure with his fingers.

"How… horrendous…" Filled with curiosity about Aizen's claim that the Harmony Sect might offer advancer arts, Rein further asked. "By any chance, do you have an advancer art that could help my kitten better receive my tool down her throat?"

"Hah!" chortled Aizen as he glanced at Rein's intimidating dragon. "The Water Ripple Dissipation Tempering Art should fit your requirements. However, you might need to win the approval of my leader. That art is quite useful."

"I will have to give you my thanks ahead of time." Rein was overjoyed. He had been rather concerned that Suey would suffer injuries if his body's physical strength kept rising. Just by the name, he imagined that this tempering art dissipated force and was water-based, which seemed quite compatible with Suey.

"Friend," Aizen continued. "There's also the Snake Tempering Art, which transforms the body and offers specific and unique changes, unlike the generalized Water Ripple Dissipation Tempering Art. This is how Yuynan here got her split tongue capable of delivering untold pleasure, along with a flexible body capable of mesmerizing undulations.

The two women were finally sent into an all-consuming pleasure as fountains burst from between their trembling thighs

A blaring horn sounded in the distance, signifying the beginning of the celebration. Rein pulled the glazed-eye Suey back to her feet and placed her back into her skimpy dress.

Rein hooked his fingers and bowed to thank Aizen.

"New friend." Aizen clucked his tongue in warning. "The Great Sects have prepared body-temperers to dominate the inner realm this time. They have also used some unique advancer art to lower experienced shell advancers down to the inner realm, with desire to heavily kill or injure you. If you survive, I hope we will meet again at the Harmony Sect!"

Suey was tottering about unsteadily, and her tits repeatedly fell out of those thin supporting straps due to her stumbling movement.

Rein roughly mauled those lovely tits as he helped them back into those straps. Suey whined and moaned repeatedly and began teetering about even more exaggeratedly, desiring Rein's hands on her body. This was seen through and Rein had to give her a hard smack on the bum to set her straight.

"Be serious," he sternly glared.

"I'll be a very distracting body for your enemy~" Suey stated confidently with a wink.

Upon reaching the plateau, Rein's eyes came upon a raised platform where all the leaders of the major factions sat. They all had maloewood cylindrical stands next to each seat, filled with delicacies. These maloewood cylindrical stands had many humans battling demons and devil motifs carved throughout their bodies. 

He instantly recognized Supreme Jensure, Overseer Jeahz and Elder Baejenh. As for the others, he recognized the imperial robes of the Dingien Clan, those of the Convergence Sect as well as the Harmony Sect. However, there were quite a number of leaders that Rein could not identify.

"You're late. Is it because of that toy?" The rather dissatisfied voice of the watcher sounded in Rein's Hall of Heroes hood. Indeed, the center arena already has two advancers in combat. Judging by the lack of aurae clouds around their bodies, they must be inner advancers.

On his approach, many heads simultaneously turned towards Rein, many of them filled with hostility. Yet, many of these eyes were also distracted by Suey to his side, who despite having regained some ability to walk properly, had one of her breasts slip out of the flimsy strap… 

Though slightly red in the face, she still daringly met eyes with those figures, arching her back to tease these hostile gazes before slipping her breast back under the strap of cloth.

Rein rejoined their inner advancer team, the other members having long arrived and together watching the current spar.

Rein sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, welcoming the calling within his heart! He had the time to view this vision while the others battled on stage.

His vision was filled with a scene that became increasingly clear.

He once again inhabited Gent, and was flying forward at breakneck speeds in his muddy-scaled dragon form. Alongside him was another serpentine dragon, and when Gent looked up, Rein discovered that Gent and the other dragon were carrying the feet of a god!

"There!" The God above hollered.

Gent and this other dragon changed directions, and they weaved through many white clouds that parted to the sight of two very different bloody beings, both as large as the battle god on top of Gent. One appeared somewhat humanlike, except he had sharp ears and an extra pair of arms. The other was a red-skinned being. Both were bleeding out of their orifices, at death's door.

"Gent and Auromirrar. Finish the Asuran. I will deal with the traitorous God. Yuahxin! For you, a God to conspire with an Asuran to create a lovers' art… I sentence you!"

Meanwhile, Rein, as Gent, opened his jaw and bit off an arm of the barely resisting red-skinned humanoid.

"You dragon traitors! It is we Asurans who created you!" The Asuran yelled in exasperation. "Yuahxin…" The Asuran woman suddenly activated some sort of crimson glowing magic and sped towards Yuahxin, who now had a battle axe lodged in his chest.

"Do not hesitate, Gent and Auromirrar! The Asurans dared not give you intelligence, desiring to only use you as completely obedient slaves. That is why we Gods gave you intelligence, for you to have a mind and conscience!"

As Gent, 'he' was invigorated and alongside Auromirrar, sped forth and cooperatively tore the Asuran into two halves!

Then the vision faded.

When Rein opened his eyes, he only felt befuddled. He did not understand the point of this vision. He had no frame regarding the forces in an ancient era…nor did he know which point in life Gent might be at during this scene. It must have been early on, when magic was still undeveloped.

When he raised his eyes from his thoughts, he saw the Great Sect advancer, with a forceful shoulder tackle, knock the current Halls advancer out of the ring.

A woman overseeing the arena raised her arm and declared, "Uni Sect, victory. Next challenge?"

A man similar to Rein's age stepped forth. "I, Munzkr, of the Convergence Sect, do hereby challenge Rein, Hall of Heroes!"