Chapter 31 - The Banes are pouring

Apparently, the disembodied voice was not yet done let alone retired.

<>, defying an Absolute tier Power's will and earning the skills << Absolute Upgrade>> and << Absolute Upgrade >>, you must reach the Absolute rank on or before twenty years from today or risk being obliterated from existence.>>

Mike had heard that one before he underwent that tortuous process, except that, then, it had no specific name, so he was not surprised by it. However, unbeknown to him, he was in for a rollercoaster of very, very bad news...…

<> your path of personal power has been altered and elongated. >>

 Mike frowned as he heard the second announcement that the disembodied voice delivered. The consequences that having the second bane would bring were severe. The first bane, race against time, was already placing his life on a timer, with him having to reach the absolute rank or face erasure as a consequence. And if his theory was right, then erasure should be a far worse off fate than death. Even worse was the fact that he knew close to nothing about this 'path of personal power' that the disembodied voice always talked about, neither did he know anything about how far the absolute rank was from his current power level - if the strength he currently possessed was anything to go by - or how difficult it was to attain that level. Thus, when he heard that his path of personal power, whatsoever it was, has been elongated, he saw it as nothing but bad news.

"Whichever way, I must discover what this path to personal power is and walk it through."

The disembodied voice continued its monologue, not caring if its audience paid attention or not.

<> skill, fragments below tier twelve would have no effect on the skill>>

<>

"Huh?"

<> and the skill << Absolute shroud>> in ways that is in direct defiance to the law of fragmentation, you will be split periodically, on a bi – annual bases, with each split halving your stats, your quality of personality and your strength of being as long as you make no significant progress on your path of personal power. Each split will be a perfect mirror image of you, possessing the ability to utilize all the fragments you own and have equal control over all the aspect beasts, pet beasts and all other things you own as at the time of the split. It will also have the same affiliations as you do. Refer to the <> for information on how to regain control over your split selves. If your splits accumulate, then, you stand the risk of losing yourself and turning into something else>>

"NO WAY!"

 <>

<< Refer to the view for your current status>>

<< Survive the odds stacked against you and thrive. A greater expectation has been placed on expectation has been placed on you>>]

Mike holy was distraught.

 When the first bane was announced, he more or less accepted it since the disembodied voice had announced it before the tortuous process he had undergone began. The announcement of the second bane made him annoyed though, still he thought that, although it made his chances of surviving slim, he still had a chance. The third bane had little effect on his state of mind as even then, he could not claim to fully understand how that skill worked; it's benefits, side effect or limitations. When he heard the third, and especially the fourth announcement, he could not help but think that this strange world he found himself was hell bent on killing him. After all, the connection between the banes was very, very suggestive.

 First he was given a time limit to accomplish a goal that may, more or less, be impossible to reach or risk a fate that could very well prove to be worse than death, then he was told that his road to accomplishing the goal, whose fulfillment his life depended on, had been elongated, before being told that his speed on the now elongated road to the goal, whose fulfillment his life depended on, had been greatly reduced and limited for some unknown reason that, as claimed, would prove to be beneficial to him in the long run, as though his corpse would have any use for whatsoever benefit it might bring . And as though that was not enough, the announcement had come that, periodically, if he failed to meet an unknown mileage target on that journey, then his progress would be reversed by half, further compounding his already bleak and problematic situation and almost snuffing out any hope of survival that existed in him.

With his transformative, albeit unpleasant, encounter with Chromo which netted him control over an overpowered forest, a powerful warrior and a mind stealing or mind controlling mirror, - if the memories he acquired during the process of his bone chilling remake was anything to go by- he was ready to soar, carve out his place in this strange world , at least to the point where his new acquisitions could take him, and at least to the point where he would not be seen as prey, while doing everything he can, to the very best of his ability to raise the position of his specie in this new world they found themselves, and by extension this multiverse, - if the memories he had acquired had any credibility- to similar levels, before trying to figure out if the inter- reality transference they all underwent was reversible. He still loved his job as the first special assistant to the central government's world council back in his home world to being treated as the next meal at every turn and by every creature in this place, even though the pay was almost nothing to write home about.

Alas, this world was out to make his path to the fulfillment of his plans not so easy, clipping his wings the moment he got them and stacking the odds against him to impossible heights.