Unimaginable Pain

There are 6,000 human soldiers in the army Farrynelle was commanding.

Vastarael came to realize that humans in Spheraphase have more physical capabilities than the one on Earth. They are stronger, faster and more capable of dealing with threats easily. A normal bullet would not be able to even pierce their skin of they trained hard enough.

So, none of them were weak. In fact, they were very capable soldiers.

Also, Vastarael came to learn that he spent twenty days in the Erna Isles, most of them with the Raukerai and four of them in the Frozen Ruins.

And in those twenty days, he learned a lot.

When he killed the first Peccavi, he felt his physical body get stronger. And when he looked at his profile, he realized that it was true.

_____

Name: [Vastarael Richinaria.]

Alias: [Veneri]

Age: [17.]

Title: [Prince of Anqerise], [Heir of Dynasty Richinaria], [Prince of Beauty].

Species: Aeterium (Nexus Bloodline)

Affiliation: [Dynasty Richinaria], [Dynasty Vazakiel (By Marriage)]

Status: [First Phase Essentia, 10/10.]

Pinnacle Tethers: [Sapphire Materialization], [Omniphage.]

Base Tethers: [Circlecraft], [Rune Drawing], [Sapphire Bond], [Mystic Eyes (Locked)],[Inventory], [Soul and Body Regeneration], [Massive Essence Supply], [Soul Vision], [Memory Implantation and Extraction.]

Major Divinities (Inactive): [Protection], [Love], [Justice].

Minor Divinities: [Water]

Codex: [Prince of Anqerise], [Handsome Prince of Freedom]

Artifacts: [Calimostria], [Peccavi's Shard], [Divine Mystic Book of Altherion], [Volcano's Resonance], [Orchestral Vialex.]

Boon: [Ethereal Beauty]

Bane: [Trouble in Paradise]

Destiny: [Suffering Before Reward]

Fate: [A Death In The Embrace Of Love]

_____

He checked out the artifact section and realized that he had less than what he expected.

Calimostria was his Divine Weapon, the Divine Mystic Book of Altherion was also a Divine Weapon of his mage class. He didn't know what Peccavi's Shard did because not even Peccavi herself knew what it was. It was a black crystal the size of a palm and whenever he tried to read its details, it only provided a lot of question marks.

Volcano's Resonance was the Divine Artifact he got when killing the lava woodlouse in his academy evaluation.

He gave it to the people and slaves they freed from the colosseum and he couldn't see its details either.

But what really made him happy was his status.

He had already maxed out his own phase and it was time to advance to another one.

By killing the First Peccavi, he also managed to kill tens of thousands of souls in the cathedral using [Sapphire Touch] and [Phase Slash] at the same time.

He was sure that the god consumed a lot more than the ones he killed but it didn't matter. After all, he increased his level from seven to ten.

He was sitting on his tent at night, mostly after discussing what to do about that Permafrost's Grasp. He was thankful that he had a bed, which was surprising for him having to sleep of a cosy bed in an army tent of his own. Thanks to Farrynelle of course.

[Well, this is it. You're going to break to the second phase. Are you ready?]

Phaenora's voice made him sigh in relief. Since he was young, he always felt that she was the only one who understood him more then anyone. For a helper, she was incredibly good.

"Yes. Is it going to hurt?"

[A lot. Believe me, you are going to feel immense pain. That's why I suggested you put Soundproof Runes all over the tent before nightfall. Upgrading to another phase causes immense pain so... yeah.]

Vastarael was used to pain. Heck, he when got numb to it when he was experimented on. Thankfully, only his physical body was being altered and not his soul, since it was already at peak state, thanks to being an Aeterium.

"Okay... let's do this."

He saw a holographic window in front of him.

[Do you wish to upgrade to another phase?]

[Yes/No]

"What is this? I already agreed."

[I do need to act like the system wants me, don't I? Even though I'm sentient, I'm still a helper. Also, I'll also be upgrading with you and it's going to be painful for me too so...]

Vastarael and Phaenora shared the same status. If he would become a Divine Aeterium, she would also become a Divine Omniscient. Same case with the deity level or even Nexus level.

And to be honest, he was pretty happy that she'll suffer alongside him. He didn't want her to tease him while he was in deep pain.

He sat on the floor and took a deep breath. Then, he touched the yes icon on the hologram.

[Agreed. Prepare for immeasurable pain.]

The first wave of pain slammed into him like a tidal force, ripping a cry from his throat. His muscles seized, locking his limbs in a rigid spasm as his body convulsed violently. He fell to the ground, his knees striking the cold floor of the tent.

A burning heat surged through his veins, molten fire coursing from his core to every extremity. His bones began to crack and shift, each fracture accompanied by a jarring jolt of pain that made him claw at the ground. His golden eyes filled with tears as he writhed on the floor.

The screams tore from his throat yet the Soundproof Runes held firm, trapping the torment within the tent's walls. His hands fisted in the dirt-covered rug beneath him, nails breaking as he scratched and clung to something, anything, to ground himself.

He could hear Phaenora's screams as well as if they were glitching.

The agony swallowed him whole. Every nerve in his body felt like it was being flayed, every organ like it was being rearranged. His lungs heaved, trying to suck in air that felt too thick.

Somewhere, in the whirlwind of torment, a thought floated to the surface:

'This is worse than I imagined!'

Yet even in the midst of it, he began to notice something strange. The pain, while unbearable, wasn't breaking him. It was ripping him apart, yes, but not entirely consuming him. He realized that others might have died by now, unable to endure such torment.

'Is this... because of my training?'

The question came unbidden, his mother's harsh regimen flashing through his mind. She had taught him to steel himself, to withstand pain with his mind even if his body screamed for release. And then, there was the pain of his first life, of the experiments that had left him physically numb.

Another surge hit him and he convulsed again, his back arching unnaturally. His limbs flailed, muscles spasming uncontrollably as his body continued to break and reform.

The pain peaked, his entire body locking up as if he were being torn apart from within. His golden eyes rolled back and for a brief, terrifying moment, he thought he might pass out. But then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain started to ebb.

He lay on the ground, chest heaving, drenched in sweat. His limbs twitched involuntarily, the aftershocks of the transformation leaving him trembling.

His throat burned from screaming and his vision blurred as he stared up at the faintly glowing runes on the tent ceiling.

When it was finally over, silence enveloped the tent. Vastarael's breath came in shallow gasps as he struggled to push himself up. His muscles screamed in protest but he ignored them, sitting back on his heels.

"Phaenora?"

[...]

"Hey... you okay?"

It took sometime for her to answer.

[I need to rest... please... the pain is too much...]

He couldn't muster a reply, only a faint, hoarse chuckle. His body felt different, stronger, but he was too exhausted to explore the changes just yet.

For now, all he could do was lie there, letting the quiet settle over him, and marvel at the fact that he had survived.

Soon, he collapsed.

However, he didn't see the notification on front of him before he closed his eyes.

[Congratulations! You are now a First Phase Ascender!]

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A/N: Just in case you forgot, here is the ranking system. Again...

1. Nexus

2. Primordial God

3. God

4. Divine: (First, Second And Third Enlightenment)

5. Ascender: (First, Second And Third Phase)

6. Essentia: (First, Second And Third Phase)

7. Normal