My SSS-Rank Clone Talent: I Level Up Endlessly!

The chained woman stared at the blue flare, her gaze instantly going vacant. All her struggles seemed to fail as her body went limp.

After a minute, a pained expression flickered across her face, but in the very next moment, she lifted her head to look at the blue flames again, her eyes even more blank, as if her very soul had been lost.

"Master, please tell me, what should I do?" she spoke in a cold, hollow tone.

Grey's ears twitched at her words. He glanced at the woman with a hint of disbelief, then looked to the fox before him and said:

"You really did it."

"Hehe," the fox Grimoire replied with a playful giggle, locking eyes with Grey.

"Ha." Grey exhaled a breath of hot air, taking a moment to steady himself. This Grimoire was incredibly powerful, her abilities were already numerous as a bronze rank, but now, having reached silver rank, they had only grown stronger.

She now possessed the ability to spread a grey mist that could confuse all seven senses of an opponent.

Just that ability alone was terrifying, because no one could defend against it without a very specific Grimoire.

"Master, I'm very useful," the little fox said, nudging his hand, seeking affection.

"Yes, you are." Grey smiled, rubbing the back of the fox head. Then his gaze shifted to the chained woman, his tone turning ice cold. "Now, tell me, is Alice really the daughter of Mirabella?"

"Yes, no," the woman replied in a flat, monotone voice.

"What do you mean?" Grey furrowed his brow, confused.

"Alice can be considered her daughter because she is made of pure divine energy. So, you can see her as Mirabella's daughter, or even as Mirabella herself," she explained.

"Herself!?" Grey's pupils dilated in shock.

"Although Mirabella was born with the miraculous ability to absorb fate energy and convert it into divine energy, in the end, she still had a mortal body. Every time she used that divine energy, she was pushed to the brink of collapse. With the gathering of countless people, the amount of divine energy became too much for her body to handle. So, she started using the excess divine energy to create… her."

"Are you saying that Alice is entirely made of divine energy?" Grey swallowed hard.

"Yes," the woman nodded blankly in confirmation.

Grey froze on the spot.

The implication was simply terrifying. This woman had a body made entirely of divine energy, yet her soul remained human, she had been born human. But if divine energy alone could create life without any external influence, then this...

"I might have underestimated the true might of divine energy," he muttered under his breath.

Even Zarek, who wielded divine energy and possessed a strong affinity for it, couldn't sense that Alice was nothing more than pure divine energy.

If Alice was truly made of divine energy and nothing else, then divine energy itself was far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.

"It might really be a power the gods reserved for themselves."

Grey sighed quietly, thoughts swirling in his mind.

As far as he knew, there were only two gods in this world—and both could likely wield Divine Energy to levels far beyond his understanding. Zarek was already on the path to becoming a god, just as Mirabella once was.

But one question nagged at him: gods were said to be the hope and prayers of entire races. Does that mean they, too, were beings made purely of Divine Energy?

It seemed likely, if Mirabella could create Alice from nothing but divine energy alone.

With every passing second, every new thought, Grey's understanding of Divine Energy deepened.

Back in the real world, Zarek's eyes flickered with a subtle change as he stared at Alice.

His pupils were gleaming while looking right at her without even a blink of his eyes.

Alice, barely conscious, felt a tingle down her spine; her eyes completely snapped open, and she looked at Zarek with complete terror.

Her very instinct was screaming at her to escape. She desperately tried to flee, but Zarek's Telekinesis firmly held her in place.

Then Zarek walked towards her step by step, getting closer and closer until he was just inches away.

His boundless blue pupils looked straight at her without a flinch of his eyes.

"Do you know?"

"Wh… what?" Alice shuttered, feeling fear deep down her very soul.

"That you are entirely made up of Divine Energy?" Zarek curiously observed her. At this moment, Alice only had confusion and horror etched on her face.

"What do you mean?" she spoke with a confused tone. Even though there was terror lingering in her voice, there was confusion too.

"So you don't know, huh?"

Zarek rubbed his chin as an evil grin gradually appeared on his face. "So, it's time for you to die."

"Huh?"

Alice was even more confused until she saw Zarek extend his palm right in front of her. Under her horrified eyes, she felt a terrifying pulling force that seemed to engulf and shallow her existence.

Her hair slowly withered, crumbling into dust that gathered beneath Zarek's palm–then her ears followed.

Bit by bit, Alice realized with growing horror that her skin was dissolving, her bones fading, every fragment of her being transforming into radiant golden particles, swirling into the shimmering heap in front of Zarek.

"Ahhhh—"

Alice screamed with all the strength left in her lungs, her voice shattering the air as if trying to resist the inevitable. But Zarek did not waver; he continued to absorb the divine energy she emitted, his cold eyes fixed on her with an unfeeling indifference.

Even Melissa instinctively stepped back, whispering silently to herself, What is he doing to her?

Then immediately her eyes widened at the subsequent event of Alice turning into golden dust and completely gathered into a fistful of it under his extended palm.

"How… how is this possible…!?"

Melissa couldn't contain her disbelief.

Zarek stared at the fistful of Divine Energy in his palm, a deep, primal hunger swelling from the depths of his heart.

He swallowed hard, eyes locked on the shimmering energy.

If he consumed it, he was certain he would undergo a terrifying transformation, the sheer concentration of Divine Energy was beyond anything he had ever encountered.

Fortunately, he possessed the perfect skill: Adapt, allowing him to adjust and handle even the most potent energies.

If I can't handle it, then I'll just adapt to it. However…

Zarek's gaze shifted to Melissa.

Melissa looked at Zarek, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. "What?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

"Nothing," Zarek replied with a low chuckle. "I just need a peaceful, quiet place where I can be safe. Do you know of one?"

Melissa's lips curled into a grin:

"Well, actually…"

***

In a spacious, empty hall, a woman sat upon a golden throne, resting peacefully. Her eyes were hidden beneath blindfolds, making it impossible to tell whether they were closed or open.

Gentle knocks echoed from the doors, accompanied by desperate pleas from beyond but she remained utterly motionless.

Then, with the faintest movement, her head tilted downward, gazing into the darkness below.

Her fist clenched tightly as she gritted her teeth.

"How dare he?"

Her legs lifted off the ground, defying every law of gravity.

A brilliant golden light radiated from her entire being, illuminating the hall with divine power.

The door snapped open, and the people who were growing desperate by the second were revealed to be a frail man in glasses, cold sweat pouring down his head.

When he looked at the state of Mirabella, he was stunned on the spot, fear written across his face. "What happened?"

"Alice, she is…" Mirabella paused. Her eyes fell on the frail man, and his body immediately burst apart, not giving him even a chance of survival. His existence vanished just like that—completely meaningless.

"There is no use for you now."

Her tone was cold. "I allowed you to free Zarek, but not to harm my daughter."

Terrifying divine energy circulated around her as her feet touched the ground. The ground immediately parted, and she walked into it.

Zarek, who had been following Melissa, suddenly froze in place, his pupils darting upward toward the ceiling.

A terrifying surge of divine energy was hurtling toward them at breakneck speed—like a storm unleashed.

"What's happening?" Melissa spun around, eyes wide with confusion as she faced the motionless Zarek.

"Melissa, hide. As far away as you can," he warned, voice grim. "You don't want to bear the brunt of what's coming."

Planting his feet firmly into the ground, Zarek tensed every muscle.

Then, with a brutal burst of power, he launched himself forward. His figure tore through the air, trailing a deafening sonic boom and crashing through the wall in front of him, leaving a gaping hole in his wake.

Mirabella changed course, trailing after Zarek.

"So it's you, Mirabella," he murmured, eyes narrowing as he glanced at the fistful of shimmering particles, like grains of sand, clutched tightly in his hand.

Without a moment's hesitation, a grin spreading across his face, Zarek opened his mouth and devoured it…