Bastards Ascension: A Playground of Gods-Chapter 125: Master?

Kieran stared wide-eyed as Drex abruptly pulled Karin into a long, passionate kiss. The two stood locked, and the sight left Kieran utterly stunned.

Now, truly imagining having a Drex as a Beast, a wave of pure terror washed over him.

’Yeah, I’ll definitely leave that for later,’ Kieran thought, clearing his throat slightly as the kiss dragged on for what felt like an agonizing minute. Their tongues twisted and tangled, and Kieran was surprised Karin could even sustain the intensity.

’That’s not what I’m talking about, you idiot!’ Alexa’s voice snapped, echoing in his mind. ’Drex don’t have a fixed gender; they pick one based on their master’s preference. But that’s irrelevant right now.’

’Oh? So what is it then?’ Kieran asked, regaining his focus.

The two finally separated from the kiss. Almost immediately, Galand and Vesha rushed forward, ready to catch Karin. She looked visibly weaker, alarmingly pale, and had to lean heavily on them to keep from falling.

’Was that due to the effect of the kiss?’ Kieran asked, concerned by her rapid deterioration.

’Yes, it’s the ability of the Drex. It’s called the Death Kiss,’ Alexa explained, her tone heavy. ’Each time the Master uses a Drex, the Beast draws life force from them in return for its power. Ironically, when the Master dies, the Drex dies with them, too.’

Kieran could only imagine the pain and risk Karin had just endured. It showed just how seriously she was taking this task.

The Drex then turned its full attention to Kieran, causing him to flinch instinctively under its gaze. Its eyes shifted rapidly through different colors, and a wide, unsettling smile spread across its face as it slowly advanced.

Kieran stepped back.

"Calm down. It needs to touch you to mimic you," Karin explained, her voice breathless and heavy.

Kieran took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand still and allow the Drex to approach. It stopped directly in front of him.

The smooth face of the Beast cracked open like a molded mask, and Kieran’s gaze met a terrifying blue jelly-like liquid pulsating beneath the surface.

As he looked into it, the world around him seemed to fade into static, and he felt himself slowly drawn into a strange, disorienting trance. A heavy drowsiness washed over him; he felt his legs wobble as the energy within them rapidly drained. He managed to force himself upright.

The next second, his vision snapped back to normal. He didn’t even know what had happened, but he could clearly see himself standing directly in front of him.

But the newly formed duplicate stood perfectly still, paralyzed.

"Kill them {$1¥¥€} all," the voice that came from the copy was a jumbled, corrupted mess. The body started twitching violently like a broken toy, its hands shaking, its cloned blue eyes rolling backward into its skull.

"What’s going on?" Kieran asked, fighting the lingering dizzy, drowsy feeling. He was completely taken aback by the inexplicable sensation he had felt in that split moment.

Everyone in the room—the Ravenspare crew, Galand, and Vesha—stared at the twitching Drex weirdly.

"This is the first time it’s reacted like this... What happened?" Galand asked, his voice sharp with shock.

Karin stared at the failed mimicry in utter confusion, wondering what crucial detail had gone wrong.

But suddenly, the Drex stopped twitching and collapsed to the ground.

Its eyes returned to normal, but its hands still visibly trembled.

It slowly managed to sit up on its butt, closing one eye as it stared up in confusion.

Its gaze fell upon Kieran, and the next word that came from the Beast’s mouth plunged the entire room into utter silence.

Drex stared at Kieran with wide eye, tears slipping from them.

"Master?"

Meanwhile, back in the AFO mothership, Kim sat calmly in the captain’s deck, his mind in a turmoil.

He had run every simulation and checked all recorded races, yet he still couldn’t identify anyone capable of creating a ship that could disrupt their internal communication grid. It was deeply disturbing to know such technology—or power—existed. To make matters worse, the brutal, gruesome method by which the elves were killed only escalated his anxiety.

"I just hope things don’t escalate past this point," Kim said, letting out a tired sigh as he leaned back into his command chair.

He had already issued the call for the Faceless Summit, recognizing this issue required immediate, top-level attention. They had no time to waste.

"Sir Kim, we’ve arrived within the Nether Realm galaxy," Melina’s voice echoed through the bridge.

Kim took a slow, deliberate breath. "It’s time. Set the course for Earth." he commanded with a stern voice.

With his order, the large cruiser ship accelerated, tearing straight through space, heading for Earth within the Nether Realm.

’It’s been a while since I saw all those old brats. I’m just wondering how they would react to a Faceless Summit,’ Kim thought with a bittersweet smile.

Simultaneously, red parchments—the signal for the highest-level meeting—had been sent out to all attendees.

In the head room of the AFO tower, a burly figure named Nolan stood staring out through a panoramic window.

"Kim called a Faceless Summit..." Nolan murmured, his calm voice betraying a hint of worry. "Something terrible must have happened during the tower event. First he called for assistance, and now this... I thought I would never get to hear your old voices again."

Sitting on an office chair nearby, a figure wearing a tightly placed mask let out a light chuckle.

"Nolan, you amuse me. Do you think any of us want to hear your voice either?"

Nolan threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "You’re not wrong. When was the last time we even had a summit? A hundred years ago?"

"Yeah. I’m surprised you’ve even lived so long. I’m sure you’re not human, like you claim to be."

"Until you’ve proved otherwise, I am," Nolan replied with a smug grin.

"Well then," the masked figure said, rising. "Let’s prepare for the meeting."