Lord of Annihilation

The race continued for a few hours as the duo, with Lucius leading the front, continued to follow after him. During this period, Olivia continuously met one challenge after another.

Some rock fragments were thinner than the others. The gravity in certain areas greatly varied. Elevation was added to the barren terrain. And at one point mid-way, Olivia tripped and almost lost control over her soul power.

Nevertheless, she managed to preserve and continue. The dangerous challenges and close shaves with death, allowed her to improve her skills at rapid speeds. 

For it is only under great pressure, that one's full talent and abilities are brought out.

Lucius, who was leading the charge, understood this statement and carefully chose the route. 

The main purpose of coming to this planet was to train Olivia. That being said, Lucius chose a route that provided, just the right degree of danger and challenge, stimulating her to improve at the quickest rate possible.

Ka'lor'ah had already informed him of the challenge, and Lucius deliberately played along. This process lasted for a few hours before Lucius came to a stop.

Ka'lor'ah, who was flying in second, lagged behind Lucius by a few dozen seconds, whereas Olivia, who was the final one to reach the finish line, lagged by a full minute.

"Well, looks like I won." Ka'lor'ah happily gloated over her exhausted opponent.

Olivia was bent over with her hands clutching onto her knees. Her entire body was trembling like a leaf, as a result of the intense workout.

"Haa…haa…that's not…haaa…fair…at all…" Olivia protested.

"Life is not fair. Try being born with wings next time. That might help." Ka'lor'ah did not give in to her protests. 

Flying over to Olivia, she deliberately went next to the latter's ears and whispered. 

"If you want to impress Lucius, you'll have to try much harder than that. Just this much effort is nowhere near enough to overcome the hurdle of his heart."

Hearing those words, Olivia's eyes sharpened and the proverbial fire within her was alighted. Ka'lor'ah, satisfied by her actions backed off and loudly announced.

"Those snacks are mine though. I'm not giving them back." 

Ka'lor'ah's new body came equipped with all sorts of functions and features. The sense of taste was naturally one of them. As such, Ka'lor'ah had taken a liking for sweets and snacks although her body did not require them for sustenance. 

With limited stocks available on the ship, Olivia, being the only other person on the ship who also partook in their consumption, was in fierce competition with Ka'lor'ah.

This race was simply one of many such competitions.

"Are you two done?" Lucius intervened.

Seeing the two look towards with attention, Lucius continued.

"We are done for today. The day cycle is approaching and staying outside is dangerous." He specifically looked towards Olivia during the last part of his sentence.

"Anyways, we shall rest for now and wait for the day cycle to end. After that, we will continue with the training." 

Lucius then looked towards Ka'lor'ah and said.

"The race is not over yet. It's on temporary hold. You haven't won anything." 

"Boohoo! That's unfair!!" Ka'lor'ah protested, but a dangerous look from Lucius quickly shut her up.

Quieting her protests, she felt a gaze on her body, quickly tracing it back to the smug face of Olivia. Extending her small tongue in dissent, Ka'lor'ah soundlessly mouthed the words.

'This isn't over yet. I will have my snacks!'

Understanding the words, Olivia replied by mouthing her own.

'You will try.'

The two then looked away from each other, turning their heads to the side.

It was then…

"Deploy Domain: Corpse Mountain Range."

…Lucius deployed his Domain.

----------

The trio suddenly found themselves surrounded by darkness. 

"Light." Lucius' monotonous voice suddenly rang out and a sphere of light appeared within the area, chasing out the darkness.

Once her eyes had adjusted to the sudden changes in light, Olivia looked around and found herself inside a cave. 

The walls and floor of the cave were strangely sticky and damp, nothing in likeness with rocks. The entire space was colorlessly monochromatic, save for herself, Lucius and Ka'lor'ah.

Opening her mouth, Olivia suddenly realized that no sound would exit her mouth. She then tried to blow but realized that no wind was present inside this space either.

"We can rest inside my Domain. Do not exit this cave, especially you, Ka'lor'ah." Olivia heard Lucius speak and looked towards Ka'lor'ah.

"The Domain isn't complete and carelessly wandering will result in your death. I will not be able to save you."

Olivia found the latter moving her tiny mouth, but no sounds exited. 

Confusion first appeared on Ka'lor'ah's face, followed by an aggrieved look. Her mouth and body moved a lot, in what seemed to be in a fit of complaints and curses.

Lucius as usual ignored her and walked towards a stump-like projection within the cave. On closer look, however, there was a trace of satisfaction on Lucius' face. 

The same satisfaction one would have when the annoying kid is finally quietened by his parent in a movie or a supermarket. (AN: We've all been there, and more than once have I felt the urge to shut them up. FOREVER.)

Sitting on that stump which seemed to be constructed from the coiling of intestines large and small in size, Lucius pointed his finger towards Olivia and spoke.

"Speak."

Instantly, Olivia felt a strange, imaginary weight disappear from her body. With the disappearance of that invisible restriction, the ability to hear sounds returned to Olivia.

The sound of her heartbeat, the uncomfortable squelching of what was definitely flesh underneath her feet, the flutters of Ka'lor'ah's wings, and the rustling of her clothes…all sorts of audio information filtered into Olivia's brain.

"Is this your Domain?" Olivia asked Lucius.

Nodding his head, Lucius replied.

"Indeed. A small area within it. Do not leave this cave or you will meet with death." He warned once more.

Lucius was still in the process of perfecting his Domain. While it was mostly stable, there were still a few unstable areas and dangerous portions that would definitely kill third-party intruders.

Taking a seat atop of another, similar stump, Olivia continued with her questions.

"Shouldn't Domains only be brought out for battle? Isn't there a time limit for their duration?" 

Recalling the tidbits of information given by Ka'lor'ah and what she had observed and learnt herself, Olivia found Lucius' actions puzzling.

Yes, it provided them safety from whatever dangers were present during the day cycle on that strange planet. But what was the point, if the Domain could only last for a few minutes before disappearing.

Hearing her question, Lucius slowly explained.

"Yes and no."

"Domains are 'primarily' used for battle, but that isn't their only purpose. Upon reaching Stage 4, soul power will no longer be the main factor driving your advancement. Instead, your advancement into the latter Stages will be dependent on your Domains."

"The size and quality of your Domains, alongside their complexity and stability will be the basis for your advancement and the main center of your power."

"Once your Domain reached a certain level, and if your body can handle the burden, you will naturally rise into the next Stage. Of course, given that all other conditions have been met."

"As for the time limit…that only exists for incomplete Domains. Domains that are complete will be capable of self-sustainment. Therefore, it's important to build a Domain with complimenting set of Rules and create a cycle with your soul power."

"As long as the Domain isn't actively being used in battle or is damaged, the soul power consumed with simple deployment must be net-zero." 

Looking back, almost all of the opponents fought by Lucius had a Domain that only focused on attacking. While this wasn't the wrong approach, since the primary use of a Domain was to battle, it wasn't correct either.

Those Domains, due to their lack of completion lacked the self-sustainment quality. In fact, this was a problem plaguing a majority of Stage 3 beings within the Universe.

Having an incomplete Domain not only meant the existence of a time limit, but it also meant that the owner of the Domain would never be able to ascend into Stage 4.

After all, the primary requirement to ascend into Stage 4 was to have a complete Domain. There were also individual secondary requirements that varied from soul to soul. (E.g. [Killer] had the; take ten billion lives and overcome the [Trial of Madness], to enter Stage 4)

Thus, the great dividing line between talented (with potential) and untalented (without potential) Stage 3 existences was the completion of their Domain. 

Those who could complete their Domains could ascend into Stage 4, while those who could not, were forever stuck at the Peak-Level.

Now having being informed of this information, it makes sense why Lucius decided to focus on Olivia's domain to improve her degree of power. 

Were Olivia to possess a completed Domain, she would not lose out to those old Peak-Level Stage 3 beings with longer cultivations and greater time-limits on their Domains. 

"How…long will it take me to form and complete my Domain?" Olivia hesitantly asked.

Stage 3 was the next obvious step in power, and Olivia's greatest want at this point. Her worry mostly stemmed from wanting to meet Lucius' expectations and not disappoint him.

Hearing her question, Lucius did not immediately answer and carefully pondered. Ka'lor'ah, who was also sitting in the side, also became serious upon hearing Olivia's question.

The lack of an immediate answer greatly worried Olivia. Each passing second only heightened her tension and pressure.

After what seemingly felt like an eternity, she heard Lucius respond.

"If you were to follow my training plan and complete each lesson and test on time...a single year. It will take you a single year to reach Stage 3 and form your initial Domain."

"As for perfecting it, it will depend on chance and opportunities."

Just as Olivia was growing despondent on hearing that her Domain's completion was in the hands of fate, she heard Lucius' voice thunder suddenly.

Looking at him, his handsome face was incomparably solemn and resolve shone within his eyes. A monarchical majesty was contained within his dignified voice.

"But I for one do not have any faith in luck, chance, or fate. So hear me when I say…I WILL have you complete your Domain in four years."

"Neither Fate nor Order, or even the Universe can stop me from accomplishing this task."

This declaration which was in defiance of the Rules, the Lords, and even the Universe itself, shook the entirety of Lucius' Domain and thoroughly shocked Ka'lor'ah and Olivia. 

However, in response to his words, the [Annihilator] soul within his body rejoiced in pure exhilaration.

A strange feeling assaulted Lucius' body and a light of inspiration appeared within his eyes. A smile unconsciously formed on his face as he understood the meaning of the inspiration.

'I see. So that is how I reach Stage 4 in [Annihilator].'

Through the endlessly beguiling fog of advancement, Lucius had finally found the path to a higher power. 

The road to Stage 4 was in sight.