Death... and me



"Yo, that was faster than I thought," said Kentucky. "We are almost reaching our target after twenty years, it seems."

"What are you talking about?" Rean asked back. "It's just the Late Stage of the Elemental Space Realm. Also, it has been only twenty years for you! How long do you think we kept cultivating here? Were you not doing a great job recruiting the Demon Beasts, I would have told you to stay and help us cultivate. Your part in cultivation does make a difference, you know? We would already be in the Peak Stage if you were here cultivating with us."

Rean was right. Although Kentucky was doing a good job with the recruitment, having one less individual cultivating with their shared cultivation had delayed them a few years. The initial idea was to reach the Space-Time Realm in twenty years, after all. Yet, they are just about to enter the Late Stage.

Kentucky was very thankful for that. "Good thing I am doing a nice job then. I truly wouldn't want to have spent these hundred years inside this place doing just cultivation. By the way, I got a few Sea Demon Beasts races to join us. Just come out later for a moment once I get to their homes."

Rean nodded. "Fine."

Roan didn't want to keep waiting, though. "Are you done? Let's just have our breakthrough already."

Celis agreed with him. "He is right. Let's get over with it because I want to continue to cultivate."

Fortunately, there wasn't much of a secret when you went from one stage to another from the same Realm. It was all about having enough Divine Origin Energy for the breakthrough and that was it. They all took out even more of the Divine Origin Energy Cores, quickly starting to absorb their energy to build up momentum.

Cores cracked one after another as they all absorbed more and more energy. Their Dantians and Demon Cores seemed to get close to exploding with all that energy. Finally, they used all that energy to attack the barrier of the Late Stage of the Elemental Space Realm.

*Boom!*

An enormous wave of Divine Origin Energy came out of their bodies, spreading far and wide. At the same time, their cultivation level increased nonstop. Their Dantians and Cores became more robust and capable of holding even more Divine Origin Energy. A few minutes later, their cultivation reached the expected Late Stage of the Elemental Space Realm.

"Phew..." Rean was glad everything worked just fine. "Just another two stages, and we will reach the Space-Time Realm."

Yet, Roan noticed something different after reaching that level. "Hum...? What is this?" He stretched his hand out, trying to better feel that sensation. 

Rean, Kentucky, and Celis also noticed what Roan was doing and got closer. They could feel that same power that Roan was trying to touch, although it was the first time they felt that.

Slowly but certainly, small specs of golden light started to gather around Roan's hand. Immediately, the four of them noticed what it was. "It's Time Power!"

They had seen the color of Time Power several times before. However, they were never able to truly feel how it was. All they knew was that once enough of it was gathered, it would be visible as golden light. "Wasn't we supposed to be able to touch Time Power at the Space-Time Realm only?"

It was then that Sister Orb commented. [Is that really that hard to believe? At the Transition Realm Late Stage, you two were already able to use Spatial Powers. At the Void Tempering Realm Late Stage, you two were able to Bend Space. At the Space Bending Realm Late Stage, you two were able to fuse Elements with your Space Power. Now you reached the Late Stage of the Elemental Space Realm. You see what I'm trying to say?]

Rean and Roan had to admit Sister Orb was right. They could also tell that it was all thanks to the cultivation technique they got from the system, which was perfect for their bodies.

Rean quickly tried to do the same since he could feel that power. Sure enough, he also gathered some Time Powr around his hand. The twins had to use quite a bit of Divine Origin Energy to make that happen, but they could do it nonetheless. "Let's see if we can use it to accelerate or slow time around us."

By gathering that power around their bodies, they willed it to move faster. It did work, and the twins felt their bodies' movements working faster than usual. It's just that the effect was very limited. 

Seeing his own movements, Rean couldn't help but say. "Even though I'm doing as much as I can, I'm only what... 2, 3% faster?"

Roan nodded, reaching the same result. "Indeed. It seems to be our limit, and it is using a lot of Divine Origin Energy to keep."

[There is nothing wrong with that,] said Sister Orb. [You were indeed able to touch the next Realm's abilities two stages prior. Yet, every time it happened, your ability to do that was even worse than someone at the Initial Stage of the next Realm. It is the same problem. You are simply not in that Realm yet. The fact you can touch this ability at all is amazing enough.]

Rean and Roan then stopped doing that as controlling Time Power truly spent a lot of Divine Origin Energy. "That makes sense."

Kentucky tried to do the same thing, but it seemed like he was unable to. "I truly envy this cultivation technique of yours. I can feel the Time Powr, but I can't gather it."

Celis agreed with Kentucky. "Same thing here."

[You can feel it because of your connection with Rean and Roan. However, you are not them. Nonetheless, it is a great advantage to at least feel it, as you shouldn't have been able to before the Space-Time Realm. Who knows, perhaps you will be able to control a little of Time Power in the Peak Stage of the Elemental Space Realm.]

The two Demons nodded and stopped trying.

Yet, Roan was more interested in something else. "Since I can control time now... can I open a Spatial Gate?"

Sure enough, those words caught everyone's attention.