System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)-Chapter 335: The Forbidden Lineage

Ethan opened his eyes, and the world exploded into a symphony of impossible detail. The colors were breathtaking—vibrant, deep, and layered in ways he had never seen before. He looked at the silk curtain hanging by the bed; he didn’t just see the fabric, he saw the individual microscopic fibers. He focused further, his vision zooming in with terrifying precision until he could see the dust mites crawling between the threads.

He tried to push the vision even deeper, seeking the atomic structure of the air itself, but a sharp, white-hot needle of pain stabbed through his temples.

[Master, I advise you to stop. You do not yet possess the spiritual power to wield the full magnitude of the Amethyst Eyes,] Crul’s voice echoed in his head.

Ethan winced, sitting up slowly. His body felt lighter, yet pulsing with a dormant, heavy energy. "So this is it... can you tell me what happened? How long was I out?" Ethan said.

[You have been asleep for nearly two weeks. Considering you just inherited the First Legacy of Lord Amethyst, I should tell you... Lord Amethyst would be extremely proud,] Crul replied.

Ethan paused, his interest piqued. "Why is this something to be proud of?"

[[After the integration, I gained access to a significant portion of Lord Amethyst’s private archives. I found an interesting history. Would you like to see it?]] Crul asked.

"Show me," Ethan said.

The world around him dissolved. Suddenly, Ethan was witnessing a memory. He saw a young man—Lord Amethyst in his youth. He wasn’t the seductive, elegant knight Ethan had seen before; he was simply a handsome young man, though he lacked that divine, mystic aura.

The young Lord Amethyst was sitting in a damp, glowing cave in front of a shimmering amethyst lake. A disembodied voice boomed from the shadows, ancient and weary.

"I never believed anyone could find my most precious secret. But if destiny has decided, who am I to deny it? Congratulations, lucky traveler. Submerge yourself in the joy of divinity," the voice said.

Lord Amethyst stepped into the lake. As he became fully submerged, a violent tremor shook the cavern. The entire lake began to swirl into a massive vortex, a whirlpool of liquid power, and then—the vision cut to black.

"Hey! What was that? Where’s the rest?" Ethan said, frustrated.

[That is the end of that record, Master. But there is one more,] Crul said.

The scene shifted. Lord Amethyst was now sitting at the peak of a high mountain. Below him lay a peaceful village.

[That is the ’Gentle Wind’ Sect, where Lord Amethyst was raised,] Crul explained.

Ethan watched as the older, more refined Lord Amethyst pulled a jagged ritual knife from his inter-spatial ring. He looked down, stroking his own lap with a strange, nostalgic smile. "I do this for you, my little friend," Lord Amethyst whispered.

Ethan blinked, a look of pure disbelief on his face. "Is that... is that really my ancestor? He looked so cultured before, but now I’m certain we’re related. He’s a total eccentric," Ethan said.

[...] Crul remained silent, perhaps judging the comment.

What happened next made Ethan’s jaw drop. Without a hint of hesitation, Lord Amethyst drove the knife into his own face, gouging out both of his eyes. As blood poured down his cheeks, his hands began moving in a blur of complex seals. He was weaving energy into the empty sockets, creating new eyes from raw spiritual power at a speed that defied logic. The vision ended there.

Ethan’s sight snapped back to the bedroom. He was breathing hard. "What the hell was that?"

[According to the data, Lord Amethyst created the Amethyst Eyes himself using a secret manual. I cannot find the manual; it remains locked. But he didn’t just inherit power—he forged it. He took the formless bloodline from that lake and molded it into the Amethyst Lineage you are now inheriting,] Crul explained.

"Then why not give me the whole legacy now?" Ethan asked.

[Because you would die, Master. It is not something a mortal like you can support. It goes beyond anything you can imagine,] Crul said.

Ethan leaned back against the headboard, the microscopic details of the room still flickering at the edge of his vision. "So, Crul, what are these eyes actually capable of? What’s the limit?" Ethan asked. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

[With the Amethyst Eyes, you can see beyond all the lies of the world, Master. Truth, energy flow, and hidden intentions will eventually become transparent to you. You will discover the depth of this power soon enough,] Crul replied.

Ethan touched his forehead, remembering the sensation of the invisible assassin being crushed in mid-air. "And that strange ability I used to trap the old man? The way the air itself turned into a vice? Was that the eyes too?"

[No, Master. That was not an ability of the eyes. That was an unexpected stroke of fortune,] Crul said, its tone unusually solemn. [Master, it appears you are supremely compatible with the cultivation of Space.]

Ethan let out a short, dry laugh. "Space? What, you mean I should be heading off-planet now?" he asked jokingly.

But Crul didn’t laugh. [I am referring to the space that surrounds us here and now. Lord Amethyst was always able to see those spatial nodes, but seeing them and manipulating them are two entirely different things. Manipulation requires a profound, innate understanding of the fabric of reality. Only those supremely adept could manipulate them the way you did.]

Ethan straightened up, the gravity of Crul’s voice chilling his blood.

[In all of Lord Amethyst’s long life, he only ever saw one person capable of such a feat. That person was someone whom even the sole Emperor of the Universe feared. And now, you have produced such a miracle. If word of this ever spread, it would cause the entire universe to tremble in fear,] Crul said.

Ethan stared at his hands. He had thought he was just getting a power-up to deal with some high-end mercenaries, but Crul was talking about universal threats and primordial emperors.

"So I’ve got a target on my back the size of a galaxy, is what you’re saying," Ethan said, a smirk playing on his lips despite the danger.

[Precisely, Master. You are currently a toddler holding a nuclear detonator. We must ensure your ’Space’ affinity remains a secret until your spiritual core can withstand the repercussions of its use,] Crul warned.

Ethan stared at the ceiling, the sheer scale of what Crul had described weighing on him. "What should I do now?" he asked.

[You must continue your normal growth, Master. Do not run too fast, or you may regret the foundation you leave behind later,] Crul responded.

"Tell me how to get better. I don’t want to be so weak that people think they can just finish me off whenever they want," Ethan said, his voice hardening.

[You only need to continue as you have been. You have done excellently. When the time is right, I will show you more of what must be done,] Crul said.

Ethan sighed, realizing Crul wasn’t going to budge with more information. He gave up on the interrogation and shifted focus. "Fine. Then tell me what happened while I was under. Who was behind the attack?"

[Based on the data recovered, the primary culprit is an organization called Black Skull. They belong to the League of Assassins,] Crul replied.

Ethan frowned. "The League of Assassins? Why are they involved with me?"

[I have no definitive answer yet, but those individuals appear to be directly linked with the Union. It is highly probable that the entire operation was a joint venture,]] Crul said.

Ethan sat up, his mind racing. "It all makes sense now, but what bothers me most is how perfectly planned it was. It’s as if they knew I would refuse the deal, or like they were actually anxious for the negotiations to fail just so they could kill me. There’s something deeper here. It’s not as simple as a failed contract."

[I agree, Master,] Crul replied. [But we have no evidence to prove the deeper conspiracy yet. We can only prepare for the worst.]

Ethan clenched his fist, feeling the hum of power beneath his skin. "If they wanted a war, they picked the wrong person to start it with. If the Union and the League want to play in the shadows, I’ll bring the storm to their front door."

"And what about our old friends? What have they been up to while I was sleeping?"

[Parthenon and the Scavengers have maintained an extremely low profile in the Royal zone, Master,] Crul replied. [It appears they have halted all their operations entirely. They are moving like ghosts, as if they are hiding from something—or someone.]

Ethan’s eyes flickered with a deep amethyst light. "Hiding, huh? They’re smart. They know that once the dust settles from this Union mess, I’m coming for the rest of the map."

[Or,] Crul added, [they are waiting to see if you actually survive the storm that is coming.]

"Let them watch," Ethan said, standing up and feeling his strength return. "They’ll have a front-row seat to the end of the old world."