Earth's Alpha Prime

Chapter 226: Fate Intervenes

[The Earth ORIGIN SIGIL holder, Kay, comprehended Major Rule Mastery and awakened his 4th Innate Exclusive skill, <!-- --><Life Synergy><!-- -->.]

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<Life Synergy><!-- -->: Allows the user to lock onto targets irrespective of the distance and form a Life Synergy Bond with them.

Life Synergy Bonds establishes a two-way channel for Health to flow between the user and the target(s).

The user can maintain a maximum of four concurrent Life Synergy Bonds. (With each higher stage in Mastery, the bonds used can be increased by one)

Duration: Unlimited

Cost: 1 Ruler's Bond Fragment

Penalty: Upon revoking a Life Synergy Bond, the user can't form any more Synergy Bonds for the next 24 hours.

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[Do you wish to merge with the Earth ORIGIN SIGIL holder's memory fragments that contain comprehension over Lv.31 Major Rule Mastery (Stage-4)?]

The moment those notifications popped up, Jay felt a whirlwind of information churn through his brain, providing him with an instant and profound understanding of Kay's new ability. 

It was like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Without hesitation, Jay agreed to merge, feeling a rush as the information about the new ability seamlessly integrated into his consciousness.

At the expense of a Ruler Bond Fragment, either Kay or Jay could establish a Life Synergy bond with anyone, enabling them to transfer Health and save either themselves or the other party. 

It was a profound ability, capable of turning the tide in critical moments. However, it came with a stringent condition: the target must possess a Ruler's Bond Fragment. 

Once that requirement was met, the Life Synergy Bond could be forged regardless of distance, connecting across any divide.

Jay's gaze drifted to the top of Dante's wrist, where a striking tattoo stood out—a navy blue wheel the size of a watch dial. 

The design was intricate, with two navy-blue lines stretching from the center to the circle's border, resembling spokes in a wheel. It wasn't just a tattoo but a mark of Kay's second Innate Exclusive skill, <!-- --><Ruler's Bond><!-- -->.

[Ruler's Bond: Fragments of the Ruler's Bond will be imprinted on anyone as long as they form a karmic debt with the user. Failing to repay the karmic debt will result in a deathmatch with the Ruler.]

The navy-blue wheel tattoo was the emblem of the 'Ruler's Bond,' the spokes represented its fragments, each indicating the amount of help received. 

The skill operated under the 'Law of Rule,' binding anyone Kay or Jay assisted. It was more than a mere favour; it was a System-recognized debt, a thread of karma connecting the giver and the receiver.

Once a Ruler's Bond was imprinted on someone, the benefactor could demand repayment of any favour within the value of the help received. 

If the debtor refused, it triggered a System-recognized Death Match, provided the Ruler wished for it. 

In such a scenario, the Ruler could initiate a Death Match, teleporting the defaulter to an alternate closed space where they had to face the Ruler in a battle to the death. Only the survivor could exit this space.

However, the matter of a Death Match wasn't of immediate concern. Jay didn't dally any longer. 

He expended a Ruler Bond Fragment, and a navy-blue spoke faded from the wheel tattoo over Dante's wrist, visible only to Kay and Jay. 

As he activated the skill on Dante, Jay felt an intangible connection form between them. Instantly, his Health began to pour out as if all floodgates had been opened at once.

The sensation was excruciating. His entire body screamed in agony as he experienced the pain Dante endured. 

Within seconds, Jay lost three-fourths of his Health. If not for the abnormal degree of Health regeneration he had acquired from Pompa's Innate Talent, Jay would have been drained of Health and, consequently, his life. 

Dante's Health capacity couldn't possibly match Jay's, not even half. However, regenerating his lost body parts and vital organs demanded a substantial amount of Health from Jay.

The lost one-third of Dante's body began to regenerate at an astonishing pace, almost rivalling the regeneration abilities of the Plasma Predator.

Jay watched as muscle fibres knitted together, bones reformed, and the skin closed over once-gaping wounds. Despite the intense pain, a sense of relief washed over him, seeing the skill working. Yet, he knew his Health regeneration alone wouldn't suffice. The rapid depletion was unsustainable.

Sweat poured down Jay's face as he maintained the connection, his breath coming in ragged gasps. 

Feeling the strain, Jay knew he had to act fast. His Health regen couldn't keep up with the demand, pushing him to activate Pompa's second Innate Exclusive Skill, <!-- --><REJUVENATE ><!-- -->.

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<REJUVENATE ><!-- -->: For a limited duration, the user's Health remains at its brim unless the entirety of it depletes in one go.

Duration: (Base Vitality/10) =~ 10 minutes

Cooldown: 10 hrs (After the skill's effect ends, the User's Health capacity will be halved for half the Cooldown duration =~ 5 hrs)

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Immediately, Jay's Health surged to its peak. Although his Health fluctuated, it remained stable. 

By the time the effect of the 'Vitality Diffusion' buff ended, Dante's damaged heart had fully recovered. The hole in his chest closed up, along with most of the other injuries, save for his right arm and leg.

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<Vitality Diffusion><!-- -->: The user's vitality is diffused throughout the body uniformly, not limited to vital organs.

Buff Duration: 20 minutes

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Once the buff's duration expired, it took only a few seconds for Dante's body to return to normal. 

Jay finally let out a deep sigh of relief. He knew this was no coincidence. His brother had suddenly comprehended Stage-4 Mastery and awakened a skill that perfectly aligned with what was needed to resolve the crisis. If this wasn't the work of Fate, Jay didn't know what to call it.

As Jay pondered the series of events, he couldn't help but wonder if Dante would have truly died had he not chosen to form a Life Synergy Bond. 

He was abruptly pulled from his musings by a slight movement from Dante's body, a clear sign that he was waking up.

Dante's fingers twitched first, followed by a subtle change in his breathing. His eyelids fluttered as he began to regain consciousness. 

Jay pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and extended his hand toward Dante, who slowly opened his eyes, blinking against the light.

For a moment, Dante's gaze was unfocused, his eyes roaming around as if trying to anchor himself to reality. 

Then his eyes settled on Jay, and his expression shifted from confusion to bewilderment. He was trying to piece together what had happened after he fell unconscious.

His conversation with Jay earlier was long forgotten due to the effect of <!-- --><True Self><!-- -->. He was oblivious to everything that had transpired—from the moment he teetered on the brink of death to his miraculous recovery in less than half a minute.

The first thing Dante saw was the bright smile on Jay's face, something he hadn't seen him do other than when he was with his family.

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