-< Sign of Reincarnation:
Description: A phase 7 titan called "Reincarnation" has marked you.
Benefits:-| "Reincarnation" can reincarnate into your body or your child's body. To prevent this, avoid contact with water as much as possible.-| If someone kills you, this curse will be passed on to them. >-
At first, Kemal was quite pleased—but these were not things to be happy about.
He should not have killed Reincarnation.
Kemal calmly sat to the side. Due to everything that happened during the battle, a giant puddle of water had spread across the area, soaking everything. A few trees had also been shattered during the chase, so the environment was no longer as peaceful as before.
The traces of battle could be felt easily.
Kemal began thinking aloud to himself.
"This name answers all the questions in my head..."
Then he stood up and gently touched the water on the ground. A tiny ripple formed, and Kemal felt something strange, as if something had formed a connection with his body.
He quickly pulled his hand back and shouted out loud:
"Damn it!"
Thoughts hit him all at once, everything confirming each other, answering every question one by one.
Phase 7 titans had another name—ancient titans.
That name came from their nature as perfect predators, controlling the habitats and lives of creatures, having lived for millennia.
So then how could the child of a newly-born, weak titan be a Phase 7 titan?
Normally, it wouldn't be possible. But if we assumed that the name of the Phase 7 titan was "Reincarnation"... then that thing must've somehow transferred this mark or curse to the mother, and the curse passed from the mother to her child. Afterward, the titan saw the newborn child as an ideal body and reincarnated itself into it.
After all, all of Deathsea was made of water—how could they avoid touching it? And since the curse could spread not just by killing the titan but also by killing someone who had already killed it—or even simply from mother to child—then in just a few decades, this titan must've turned all of Deathsea into a reservoir of potential bodies. And if it truly had lived for millennia as an ancient titan...
Then probably, all of Deathsea was now suffering from this curse.
So, would they have to kill the entire Deathsea to kill it?
No.
Despite all this, that titan had suddenly become terrified in the middle of the battle and had lost all courage, choosing to run away.
Why would someone who had no fear of death and possessed godlike powers choose to avoid battle?
That was the real question...
But it wasn't one he could answer so easily...
Because something—something was stopping him, as if it was blocking his thoughts...
Blocking...
Oh, right...
It seemed the damage he took during this last use of percentage-based blocking had become permanent.
Even if it wasn't permanent, it looked like it would last a long time, because it still hadn't faded. Damn it—he couldn't even think straight.
He needed to get to Onet quickly—maybe he could help somehow.
He had earned two curses in this battle, damn it.
Or was it... three curses now? It was hard to even keep count anymore. What was the most logical thing to do... a solution...
As Kemal walked, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, and if he were any other person, he would've been incredibly embarrassed by the position he landed in—his butt sticking up in the air.
Due to the permanent damage from using percentage-based blocking, it took an incredibly long time for him to think, and after what felt like just a few minutes—but was actually 40—he finally managed to stand up again.
Then he ran at full speed toward where Onet was.
He was only able to do this by rejecting the damage he'd received through the Ignore Bloodscript—disregarding it and forcing himself to move. But how long could one deny the truth? Especially damage? It consumed a lot of mana, and the mana he'd gathered during those 40 minutes of thinking would only last for 27 seconds.
In those 27 seconds, he had to reach Onet and secure himself. And maybe—just maybe—he needed to find a way to save himself using the Ruler Bloodscript. Or rather, he had to think of a way. Because with this kind of damage, he couldn't even think properly. For now, surviving came first, so thoughts about that titan would have to wait.
He ran the entire distance in just 10 seconds and reached Onet. Onet had just woken up and lifted his head slightly, letting out a few growls as if to say, "What's this lunatic's problem now?"
"Onet! Now's not the time. Son, listen to me. I've been cursed with something that's stopping me from even thinking properly, let alone walking. From now on, I'll only be myself for one minute a day—so take good care of me."
That conversation took 8 seconds. There were 9 seconds left to set up the rule for that one minute.
Using the Ruler Bloodscript, he input a rule: every day, at exactly this time, he would use the Ignore Bloodscript to reject the curse for one minute.
Applying it wasn't too hard, but it still required mana. He quickly pulled out mana crystals from his inventory, though after everything that had happened, even his supply of crystals had begun to run low.
Still, he moved quickly and pulled out enough crystals to cast the spell.
2 seconds remained.
"Onet, my son. I trust you! The rest... is... up... to you..."
And with that, Kemal collapsed to the ground.
Onet was a smart titan—after all, titans had some degree of intelligence. He was quite the sleepy one, but yes, he could help his master.
Even if he didn't always love him, deep down, Onet saw Kemal as his father.
A relationship between father and son, huh...
After thinking that, Onet gently picked Kemal up with one of his massive arms and placed him on his back. Kemal was like a paralyzed doll, though he was slowly starting to move again.
Onet began carrying his father through the gray stones.
They were quite far from the battlefield now, and so the environment had returned to its usual calm.
The gentle sound of birds and water broke the silence sweetly.
Anyone would want to be here...
Any stage 2 human, at least.
Because this wasn't a place that humans considered safe.
Along the way, Onet killed a few birds. He didn't have a flame-based Bloodscript, but that didn't really matter. All he had to do was find a titan or dhune with a flame-based Bloodscript and kill it.
After that, he could either cook the meat using its flames—or just eat it directly.
At times like this, he really wished he had a pair of sunglasses or a hat. Though it didn't show on the outside, Onet had a heart and thoughts too.
He had a lot of things he wanted—and a to-do list he kept hidden from everyone.
Right now, he was on his way to complete two of the most important items on that list.
After a long walk, they found a tree that looked different from all the others—there was a strange plant growing around it... brown in color, covered with tiny seeds. It looked like a sunflower, but it had a huge, upward-facing bomb-like head.
Onet stuffed his mouth full of those seeds.
He knew exactly where he needed to take them.
He carried them to a nearby hot spring and threw all the seeds in, then stirred the water.
And now...
It had turned into a massive coffee bathtub!
Onet sat in the center of the giant coffee hot spring and placed Kemal inside too.
As if he were a doll, Onet tried to pose him just right. Then, he spoke—and this was the first time understandable words came out of his mouth.
"Would you like some coffee?"
Kemal thought to himself, Isn't it a bit late to be asking that...? But since he was still completely paralyzed, he couldn't share his thoughts.
Onet had always wanted to drink coffee with his father—and also to sit in a bathtub made entirely of coffee.
How nice. Now he was doing both, together.
Now that he had more or less figured out how to speak, maybe he could ask for coffee again later. But first, he needed to find a way to nullify that curse.