Next Day. Early Morning
After slowly opening his eyes, Aaron saw... oh, an unfamiliar ceiling.
But I'll get used to it eventually. After all, we'll be staying here for a while.
The plan for what comes next... ah, I'll ignore it for now.
I've only just rested for one night, so why am I still thinking about what to do next like it's a conditioned reflex?
This kind of reaction isn't good. Calm down, calm down. I should make breakf...
Walking into the kitchen, Aaron smelled a fragrant aroma and saw Raiden Mei busy at work.
"Good morning, Aaron."
"Morning, Mei."
"It will take some time before breakfast is ready. You can go rest a bit more."
"Forget it. There's not enough time to go back to sleep anyway..."
Walking lazily into the bathroom and finishing his basic washing up, Aaron looked at himself in the mirror and exhaled slightly.
Hah, let's not think too much. Whatever it is, we can talk about it after breakfast.
"Master, if you are done washing up, please make way."
Hearing the voice behind him, Aaron turned around.
Bronya was currently being held in the arms of Project Bunny, staring indifferently at Aaron.
Hmm, ever since meeting this little girl, she's either been unable to summon Project Bunny in the consciousness space, or she was taken down before she could summon it.
If he hadn't seen this quantum mech now, Aaron really would have forgotten that this little girl had such a trump card.
Though this trump card is useless against him.
"About last night..."
"Bronya will keep it a secret for you. Rest assured."
"Bronya definitely won't let Miss Kiana know—that you stuffed a small alarm clock inside Bronya's Homu doll!"
Hearing footsteps approaching, Bronya immediately spoke words she had absolutely no intention of saying moments ago.
Immediately after, Aaron heard a long sigh from behind him.
"Aa~ron~, who was it yesterday that told us not to bully children?"
"Exactly. Bronya didn't expect Master to be this kind of person either."
Bronya jumped down from Project Bunny and actively hid behind Kiana.
"Sister Kiana, be careful. Master has some very surprising bad tastes in certain areas."
"Don't worry, this young lady will cover you!"
"You... you're definitely doing this out of revenge, aren't you?"
This girl's adaptability is insane.
"What are you saying? Bronya is just telling the truth—setting an alarm for four in the morning is too much!"
*Bronya will keep her promise, so you can rest easy, idiot Master.*
"Exactly, that's too much."
Kiana, completely missing the eye contact between the two, actively shielded Bronya behind her and spoke to Aaron grumpily.
"I really didn't know you had this kind of bad taste."
"If I said it slipped in there by accident, would you believe me?"
"Do you take this young lady for an elementary schooler who's easy to fool?"
Listening to the noise, Raiden Mei, who had been in the kitchen, took off her apron helplessly and walked over to everyone.
"You three, hurry up and wash up. Breakfast is ready."
"Yes~" *2
Watching Kiana and Bronya, one big and one small, walk into the bathroom, Aaron muttered to himself.
*Hmm, in the original work, although their relationship wasn't bad, it wasn't to the point where they'd start singing a duet the moment they met.*
*What a confusing world line.*
"By the way, Aaron."
Seeing the two enter the bathroom to wash up, Raiden Mei took out Yuanhai's Soul Fragment and handed it to Aaron.
"This is?!"
Touching the Soul Fragment, Aaron immediately saw the information coming from it.
Yuanhai's Soul Fragment?!
Is this the reward Mei drew this time?
"This senior told me he wants to have a good talk with you."
'That's right, kid. If you have time, let's find a quiet place and chat slowly.'
'I can feel a strange power on you. This power... it even strikes me as a bit too dangerous.'
'If you don't want this power to lead to a tragedy, I suggest you have a good chat with me about this power of yours.'
I see. Is this how Soul Fragments communicate...
'Exactly. But considering you have things to do right now, it's not too late to talk to me after you finish the task at hand.'
Right now?
What do I have to do right now?
'Heh, Mei worked hard for so long to make breakfast for you all. Don't tell me you're not going to eat.'
'If you do that, wouldn't her efforts be in vain?'
*Give me a break. Most of what she made was for Kiana.*
'...In a sense, you two are a match made in heaven.'
'Forget it. I won't interfere in the affairs of young people.'
Finding that Yuanhai had actively cut off the communication, Aaron felt this Soul Fragment was a bit baffling.
Yuanhai. If he wasn't mistaken, he should be the powerhouse [Hell] from the *Sea Tiger* worldview.
Hmm, if I had his guidance on how to use magnetic field powers, my progress would inevitably be much faster.
But, Yuanhai could sense a power in me that felt "wrong" even while in Mei's hands?
What power is he referring to?
I haven't activated the Meta-Morph Factor yet, so he definitely isn't talking about the Kaslana Bloodline.
And Magnetic Field Rotation... heh, why would a Magnetic Field Master call the power of Magnetic Field Rotation "wrong"?
Thinking about it, he must be talking about the "Power of Dominance".
As expected of Hell. Just sensing from within the Soul Fragment, he could perceive the essence of the "Power of Dominance".
Using chopsticks to stuff a piece of bacon into his mouth, Aaron began to think about what questions he should ask Yuanhai later.
And he had already selected the location for the conversation.
Since Yuanhai had already seen through the essence of the "Power of Dominance", the place most suitable for him...
—Could only be that Millennium City.
"Ah! This is my favorite pizza!"
"Borsch... Thank you, Sister Mei."
Seeing his three companions quickly devouring the food before them, a happy smile appeared on Raiden Mei's face.
Although many things had happened between the four of them, no matter what...
This tranquility was definitely not fake.
If possible...
—I really hope this daily life can last forever.
............................
After breakfast, Aaron actively changed his plan of sparring with Kiana and Mei. Returning to his room, he held the fragment and tightly closed his eyes.
Subsequently, as his consciousness synchronized with the "Power of Dominance", Aaron once again arrived outside that Millennium City.
"Oh? Interesting."
Yuanhai realized he had appeared beside Aaron in the form he had before he died fighting his rival.
"As expected, this power is very special. Kid, are you so assured in letting me access the secret you want to keep most?"
"How should I put it... I am asking for help from a senior, so naturally, I should be honest."
Seeing a look of interest on Yuanhai's face, Aaron asked.
"Senior, is this the power you sensed—the special power I call the [Power of Dominance]?"
"Dominance? What a domineering title. But this power indeed deserves that name."
Even standing beside Aaron, Yuanhai could faintly feel the power radiating invisibly from the other party, suppressing him as a Soul Fragment.
Yuanhai could tell Aaron held no hostility toward him... No, rather, this young man's trust in him was too strong.
However, that was what made Yuanhai most wary.
Even with no hostility from this young man, this power was still suppressing him. That could only mean two things.
First, this power's suppression of souls is very strong.
Second, this young man cannot perfectly control this power, causing it to leak out and affect Yuanhai, who was in Mei's hands at the time, in a way he could easily perceive.
"This kind of Power of Dominance... heh, kid, where on earth did you get such an evil power?"
"How should I put it... the wind blew it in?"
*Are you kidding me?*
Yuanhai wanted to question him like that.
But looking into the other party's eyes, Yuanhai discovered that this young man, whose gaze held a trace of helplessness, wasn't lying in a certain sense.
"The wind blew it in" might be a joke, but this young man might truly have obtained this power without being prepared.
This power's suppression of souls is extremely powerful. If used properly, Yuanhai was certain that the young man holding this power would definitely become a powerhouse in the future.
After all, aside from machines, all things have souls. As long as one can suppress the soul, they gain the initiative or even a part of victory in battle ahead of time.
As for this kid's own strength... Magnetic Field Rotation of 150,000 to 200,000 Horsepower. Not particularly high.
His Perfect Realm is probably around twenty to thirty percent, and still in an unstable state.
Not strong. No wonder he's being influenced by this Power of Dominance.
"Senior... what are you doing?"
Seeing Yuanhai suddenly take a step back, Aaron realized his body had unconsciously made a defensive motion.
"Just looking, I might not see too many problems. That girl Mei wants me to guide you, and you've accepted my guidance so gracefully. Under these circumstances, if I don't get serious, I'd be ungrateful."
"So we have to fight... Hmm, that's not bad either."
The problem is...
Sensing the power fluctuations from Yuanhai, Aaron felt like there was a retort stuck in his throat.
Wait, is this Yuanhai's Soul Fragment really just a Soul Fragment?
It would be one thing if he had the Final Realm, but the problem is...
—Why can he still use Magnetic Field Rotation normally in a soul state?!
This is way too absurd!
"The reason I think this power is absurd, aside from what I analyzed earlier, lies here."
Feeling the power on his body surging, Yuanhai laughed and said.
"Since entering this consciousness space, I felt that I could use magnetic field powers I shouldn't be able to use within this consciousness space you formed with the Power of Dominance."
"Although I can't exceed your limit, the current me, simulating power, can probably use around 200,000 Horsepower of Magnetic Field Rotation."
"...What about the Realm?"
"Why don't you guess?"
*No need to guess. With the same Magnetic Field Rotation power, his Realm is far higher than mine. I'm guaranteed to lose...*
—If I fight with that mindset, there's no point in fighting.
I haven't only mastered Magnetic Field Rotation. If I use other powers...
Winning or losing isn't determined by paper stats; it's determined by the final outcome after the fight.
"Heh, good kid. Knowing the gap in Realms, your eyes show even higher fighting spirit than before."
Flicking out a katana with his finger, Yuanhai smiled.
"You haven't disappointed me."
"After all, the experience of fighting a strong enemy isn't something you come by every day. Since Senior intends to give some guidance, I must go all out!"
In an instant, guided by [The King Of Beasts Transformation: Lionelle], the Meta-Morph Factor inside Aaron was activated.
In the next moment, Yuanhai felt an aura from Aaron's body that shouldn't be there, but was incredibly familiar to him.
"Oh? This aura...?"
This was an aura he was incredibly familiar with, and the owner of this aura...
"Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist!"
It was the domineering qi produced when Yuanhai's strong enemy, [Killer Whale] Oga, threw a punch before his death.
......................