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

Bang!

The ground quaked and crumbled beneath the sheer force of Zarek's fist. A sharp yelp echoed from below, buried beneath the collapsing stone.

Zarek lifted his head, eyes narrowing like a predator catching scent.

"There she is," he muttered, voice low. Then, with a powerful push against the shattered earth, his body launched skyward.

He landed atop the divine temple's fractured surface, what remained of it. The once-majestic temple now lay in ruins, its sacred halls reduced to rubble.

Jagged cracks stretched in every direction, disfiguring the ground with no sanctuary left untouched.

As Zarek scanned the wreckage, a temple guard also looked back at him with a stunned expression.

"Intruder!" he roared, his voice rising above the chaos.

Zarek looked at the person and fell silent for a moment. He then walked up to the man at a quick pace, so fast the man couldn't react and delivered a sharp slap right across his face.

"Ahhh!"

The man reeled back, slamming into the wall behind him, then slumped to the ground. His entire world spun, disoriented and blurry.

He raised his head and glared at Zarek. "Y-you…"

"You, what?" Zarek said, raising a brow. Then he pointed at the badge on his chest that still remained in place. "I am General Kaine. Hurry up and bow to me."

"H-how…" the man gritted his teeth, still groggy and burning with vengeance over the beating. "How dare you!?"

"How dare I?" Zarek mumbled with a soft chuckle. "Are you right in the head?"

He raised his hand, ready to strike the soldier again but the man immediately straightened up, his thoughts snapping into clarity.

Though generals of the Empires didn't hold much authority within the Divine Temple, in fact, they were technically forbidden from even entering, the current situation was one of confusion and chaos and yet, a general was here?

The soldier's mind raced.

'General Kaine, General Kaine, I've heard that name before…'

Suddenly, it clicked. His eyes widened as he looked at Zarek again, terror now etched deep into his face.

"Do you know now?"

"Y-yes," the soldier stammered, trembling.

Zarek raised his fist again, his brows knitted tightly. "But it seems that you don't know."

"I know, I know!" the soldier repeated hurriedly, swallowing hard. Then he stammered, "W-were you able to lift Excalibur?"

"Excalibur?" Zarek tilted his head, chuckling. "This weapon?" He drew the sword strapped to his waist.

The soldier's eyes widened violently the moment he saw it. Though it appeared to be a simple black sword, plain and ordinary at first glance, the image of that weapon had been burned into his memory.

The guard still remembered Excalibur vividly. It was a simple weapon, one he had seen countless times while standing guard to protect it.

Even though it didn't truly need protection, he had always been fascinated by it. And now, seeing it right in front of his eyes, the guard was certain, this was Excalibur.

"How could you have this?" he shouted, his face twisted in shock.

"Guess how?" Zarek replied with a mysterious smile.

"You…"

The guard swallowed hard, trying to stay calm but he couldn't. His mind was overwhelmed with fear, not of Zarek himself, but of the Excalibur in his hand and everything it interpreted.

Then, all at once, excitement washed over him. He jumped up in the air and cried out:

"W-we finally have the chosen one of the human race!"

"Yeah," Zarek replied quietly, his mind deep in thought.

The guard turned and rushed out the door, calling back, "I need to speak with the others about this." His voice brimmed with untold excitement.

Zarek listened with amusement stirring in his heart. This was exactly his plan for now. He could hunt Mirabella later, but first, if he could firmly establish his reputation in the hearts of the people, he wouldn't have to fear her, no matter if she tried to spread rumours or brand him a traitor.

The facts were clear and undeniable to everyone: the fact that Zarek had lifted the sword was the greatest proof of all.

You see, the tale of the chosen one being able to wield Excalibur was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so there was no way they would believe Mirabella's words.

This was the method Zarek intended to use to secure his position, a backup plan, you might say, if he failed to capture Mirabella.

It was always safer to be prepared.

After watching the guard quickly rush away, Zarek's huge form vanished almost instantly as well.

***

Far away, in the heart of the forest, a shadow streaked rapidly through the air. Panting, she glanced nervously over her shoulder, her terrified expression growing more desperate. She pushed herself harder, running at a terrifying speed, over ten kilometers per minute.

But even then, she didn't feel safe.

Her figure was faint, almost completely blurry to the eye, making it difficult to distinguish her clearly.

After only a few seconds, she landed on a patch of cracked earth. Right in the middle stood an ancient pagoda-style temple, strange and unsettling.

The entrance was shaped like a grotesque demon's head, its snarling mouth wide open as if ready to swallow anyone who dared approach. Four Buddha heads sat silently at each rooftop corners.

As the last rays of the fading sun finally touched her, she became visible at last.

Anyone who saw her would freeze, stunned, horrified, and disgusted all at once.

Her face was a twisted mask of ugliness, marred by deep scars and deformities. But that was only the beginning. Her left hand was enormous and misshapen, like a claw more than a limb. Her right leg was equally monstrous, thick and swollen.

She wasn't human anymore. Not even close.

"Damn it, damn it… that bastard stopped my transformation. I'm left with only a half-formed body, I might as well die like this, ugly as I am." Muttering to herself, Mirabella stumbled across the ground, limping toward the temple with all the strength she had left.

"I've already used up my divine energy. If this keeps up, it'll be the end of me."

The realization sank in, the near certainty of her death.

For a moment, Mirabella froze, her eyes losing their luster. Then, suddenly, she erupted into laughter.

"Haha! I'm going to die? Hmph. If you think that's possible, you're dreaming."

She sneered inwardly as she stepped into the temple. Inside, it was pitch black, so dark that even the waning sun's pale yellow rays couldn't penetrate.

Mirabella took slow, uneven steps, limping as she moved, before finally settling on a cushion and sitting cross-legged.

Her breath became steady and controlled.

"I was once visited by a strange bald man," she muttered to herself. "He said he was a Tibetan monk and gave me a technique that could restore me to my prime. I didn't believe it at first, but when the Empire was chasing me, I was forced to test it and it seems to be true."

As she spoke, a red energy flickered to life around her, illuminating the space. The crimson aura swirled and circulated as she sank deeper into meditation.

Then, in just a few seconds, the energy entered her.

Mirabella's world dimmed, and she fell unconscious in the next instant. Her body began to float upward.

At the same time, her wounds began to heal rapidly. Within minutes, she had returned to her prime condition, without a single injury in sight.

It was nothing short of a miracle. The injuries were not as simple as they appeared; they weren't external wounds but internal damage.

Her body was riddled with defects because Zarek had interrupted her merging with his bloodline.

These complications should have been impossible to heal by normal means, yet now, they were disappearing almost instantly.

Just then, a deep voice echoed through the darkness of the temple:

"This stupid woman really fell for it."

From the darkness, a monk slowly revealed himself, clad in a Buddhist robe and with a shining bald head. His steps were casual as he gazed intently at the woman floating before him.

If Mirabella were conscious, she would have screamed, this was the man who had given her the ancient technique to heal from anything and everything.

"When she first appeared here, although she was seriously injured, she was able to maintain her sanity and remain calm even amidst the panic. But now, not only is her body on the verge of death, her mind is consumed by rage, fear, and envy. She is the perfect candidate for corruption."

He chuckled softly, then bowed his head, praying silently in his heart. After a moment, he finally opened his eyes, and within them was nothing but eerie darkness seeping from his eye sockets.

"The Mythos race shall rise again. Those humans and dragons have claimed the world for far too long. We used to rule the world but these two races came out of nowhere in the bloody war and ended it all."