My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse-Chapter 964 - 962 Stronger
Still, he could feel the intense condensation of energy and the remnants of the explosion of energy that hung thickly in the air. Instinctively, he lowered himself into a cross-legged position and began to meditate, drawing the excess spiritual energy into his body to strengthen himself.
When Duke opened his eyes, he met Kisha’s gaze, and she greeted him with a wide, unguarded smile, her joy radiating from the successful formation of her third mana circle.
She had wanted to leap into his arms in celebration, but when she saw him still meditating, drawing in the excess energy her body had expelled during the process, she stayed silent. She knew this was beneficial for him, too; absorbing that energy would temper his body, strengthening his aura.
So she waited patiently. Duke thought that his meditation lasted only about half an hour, but in reality, while he lost himself in the process of absorbing the energy like a sponge, Kisha had been waiting for him for three hours straight.
She couldn’t help but marvel again at how effortlessly he absorbed the mixture of spiritual energy and mana from the excess energy that her body expelled, and growing stronger as he tempered himself without her assistance.
"Done?" Kisha asked the moment Duke opened his eyes. She could feel the subtle shift in his aura, the unmistakable sign that he’d grown stronger. Without wasting a second, she pulled up his status window to check the changes, and then quickly checked her own.
....
[Duke Winters]
Level 4 (Exp: 3,480/12000 X 0.0)
Strength: 400
Stamina: 400
Defense: 400
Agility: 400
Mental Capacity: 400
Charm: 400
Leadership: 400
Aura: 10
Title: None
Skills: Ice Spear Level 3, Fire Ball Level 3, Fire Meteor Level 2, Lightning Strike Level 2, Lightning Rain Level 2, Ice Storm Level 1, Lightning Ball Level 1, Absolute Zone Level 0, Movement Manipulation Level 0, Time Manipulation Level 0
Talent: Multi-faceted
Gift: Tyrant
Ability: Elemental (Lightning, Fire, Ice), Absolute Zone (Mental)
...
[Kisha Aldens]
Level 4 (Exp: 4,460/12000 X 0.0)
Strength: 391
Stamina: 481
Defense: 681
Agility: 391
Mental Capacity: 1381
Charm: 731
Leadership: 1281
Luck: 751
Mana: 1682 (+841)
Spiritual Energy: 1682 (+841)
Aura: 18
Devotion: 710
Authority: 4
Title: 100th Life (additional 10 stat points in all stats), City Lord (See Description...), The Hope of Humanity, Commander of a Thousand, A True Ruler, The Philanthropist, The Leader of the New World, The Merchant
Skills: Telekinesis Level 4 (5 SP for 20 seconds of continuous use and 1 SP per second), Perception Level 2, One Body Level 2, Rainbow Cube, Lion’s Roar, Telekinesis Sub: Energy Burst Level 1, Survival of the Fittest Level 1
Passive Skill: Healing Dome Level 4, One Man Team, People’s Heart, Likability Boost Level 1
Talent: Close Combat, Heightened Senses
Gift: Pheonix’s Nirvana, Eye of Truth Level 2
Ability: Telekinesis (Mental)
Profession Proficiency: Intermediate Inscriber, Beginner Alchemist
....
Kisha gasped when she saw the changes. Duke’s aura had nearly doubled, and only now did she realize that many of his skills had leveled up as well, becoming even more powerful. It must have been the aftermath of their battle in Maple Leaf Town.
He had unleashed one Area of Effect skill after another, like ’Fire Meteor’, ’Lightning Rain’, ’Ice Storm’, and so many more, that he’d practically hit the ceiling and pushed his abilities to the next rank.
When she compared his status window to hers, she didn’t feel left out at all. Many of her own skills had leveled up, too. After forming her Third Mana Circle, her mana pool had expanded dramatically, her total mana had doubled, and finally exceeding a thousand.
With this much mana, she would have far more freedom and precision when inscribing magic scrolls, especially teleportation scrolls. She no longer needed to be overly cautious or conservative, worrying that she might run out of mana. Now she could modify arcane runes however she wanted without holding back.
But after comparing her stats with Duke’s, Kisha realized something: because they had only just leveled up before coming to Maple Leaf Town, her attributes hadn’t changed much yet.
Still, now that their strength cap had increased, their stats would definitely rise again after a few more battles, especially once they started eliminating higher-level zombies. Level 1 zombies were nothing to them now.
Even so, Kisha had to admit that if she didn’t compare herself to Duke, she would genuinely feel powerful thanks to her cheat, 008. But when she did compare... Duke’s potential was downright monstrous.
He was basically a walking cheat himself. Sometimes she even felt a little jealous. But the moment she remembered how strong she had become in this life, the jealousy faded. Unlike her past life, where she couldn’t even hope to match him, now she could finally stand beside him as an equal without feeling inferior.
With that thought warming her chest, Kisha smiled brightly and jogged over to Duke just as he exhaled the last wisp of steam from his mouth, settling the newly tempered energy inside his body.
"Yes, wifey. I feel... stronger," Duke said with a grin, flexing his fingers as he examined his hand. "The Aura running through my body felt different now; it was denser and sharper. I can feel the subtle change."
He hadn’t been completely sure whether the excess energy Kisha’s body expelled would actually benefit him. He had simply followed his instinct and absorbed it. But now, seeing the results firsthand, he couldn’t help feeling fascinated, and a little amazed.
Seeing Duke so fascinated, Kisha leaned closer with a bright smile. "Wanna check your status window and see exactly what changed?"
She didn’t even wait for his answer. Instead, she scooted right up to him, summoned the status window, and granted him access to see it. Duke didn’t have the ability to view his own status window as freely as she could; after all, it wasn’t part of the territory interface. Even if he now had full access to her territory interface, this particular feature remained separate because it was part of 008’s system, so she had to manually share it with him each time.
After seeing his own status, Duke lit up like an excited puppy with a wagging tail. Kisha patiently explained every change, even reminding him of his previous stats so he could compare them properly.
Watching him beam with such pure joy, she deliberately avoided mentioning her own improvements; she didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm, or worse, trigger his tendency to push himself to the extreme just to catch up.
Knowing Duke’s temperament, the latter was far more likely. So instead, she showered him with praise, and honestly, she didn’t mind. Seeing him this happy made her heart feel warm.
"Are you happy?" Kisha asked softly once she finished the explanation.
"Yes, wifey, I’m so happy," Duke replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It feels like I didn’t just luck out with my wife; following you really blessed me in more ways than one." His smile was wide, his eyes sparkling with childlike delight.
"Hm? This is your own hard work. Don’t compliment me and pin this on me, it’s all you," Kisha said softly. And she meant it.
In her past life, she and Duke never crossed paths this early. By the time she finally met him back then, he was already a powerhouse, a man who had clawed his way to the top and built his own base from nothing.
Whether she was in the picture or not, Duke would have become strong, one of the strongest in the apocalypse.
If anything, she was the one who lucked out in this life. Meeting him early had saved her from countless hardships, letting her avoid tragedies she once had to endure. Running with Duke didn’t just protect her; it helped her grow faster, stronger, steadier than before.
But she didn’t bring any of this up. The last thing she wanted was for Duke to feel sorry for her. She was fine now, more than fine, and she didn’t want to stir his possessiveness or jealous streak by mentioning her past life again.
If she talked about it too often, he might start asking questions about who she loved back then, or what kind of relationship she had. And the truth was... her so-called lover in that lifetime wasn’t worth a second of Duke’s worry. He was a scumbag, nothing more.
Thinking of him, and of that fake best friend who betrayed her, Kisha felt a chilling sharpness flash through her eyes. She still owed them a debt... not for herself, but for Duke. They were the reason Duke died in her past life, and she hadn’t forgotten.
Kisha had already dealt with Lisa. Some might think she was cruel for letting Lisa die when she could have simply walked away and left her to fend for herself. After all, being alone in the apocalypse was almost a death sentence.
But Kisha knew Lisa too well, if she survived, she would come back stronger, more twisted, while clinging to the nearest powerful backer just to hunt Kisha down. Leaving her alive would’ve only invited disaster.
