The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns: An OP Xianxia Returnee LitRPG

Chapter 11: She Does As She Pleases!

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My mother led us to an Inn near the Adventurer’s Guild, where we would register later. She had to pay the Inn Owner, a tall tiger-faced man, one gold coin for a day. This is the currency of a few of the Tower's worlds. You use these Gold Coins to pay the inhabitants and buy anything from them. Such Gold Coins can be acquired in the exchange center, where you can exchange real money for them.

Apparently, this was only made recently due to the cultural exchange between the Tower Inhabitants and Earth. Currently, the twenty or so worlds are on good terms with Earth, or mostly their leading Kingdoms or Nations. Because each Tower God controls their worlds so much, wars and opposite forces don’t break as commonly.

However, I did read online about a few large incidents where Tower Inhabitants attacked and invaded cities around the world. Especially inhabitants of Floor 6, Floor 15, and Floor 20, all of such Worlds are mostly filled with aggressive races and warmongering nations and kingdoms.

If it weren’t for the organized Hunter Association and our World Class Hunters, those forces would have continued to further expand. Some of them retreated, but not all of them.

Nonetheless, that was not my problem anyway.

“Now that we can rest here, let’s talk a bit.” My mother said, “The rewards you got are a bit too ridiculous. Usually, people get at most C-grade items, but you all get S-grade items? And Ruby somehow didn’t have to do anything at all!”

“Mom, come on, I am just as confused as you are!” Ruby protested. “This is all because Big Sis carried us inside her inner realm.” 

“I suppose it is my fault, yeah, but why does it even matter?” I shrugged. “I said I wanted to make you stronger, and these rewards will help Ruby get stronger. Open your items and use them all, Ruby. Don’t feel bad about it.”

“A-Are you sure? I still feel kind of guilty, big sis… I mean, you carried me, and I was just a sitting duck. Do I even deserve all this kindness and help?” Ruby felt slightly guilty, her blue eyes shining slightly brighter than sometimes.

My little sister was so cute even after eleven years; that sincerity of hers is something precious. Just her guilt alone is enough of a payment for me because I know that her good heart will not grow corrupt due to the things I do to help her.

“Don’t worry, Ruby. Your big sister is here to protect you, love you, and help you. I won’t ever ask you for anything in return for the things I give to you.” I smiled, kissing her forehead and hugging her. “I love you, my cute little sister. I’ve been all alone for eleven thousand years; the only thing that keeps me moving is the fading memories of you and Mother. Seeing you here is enough payment.”

“Katherine…” My sister sighed as tears flowed from her eyes. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t think about that… It must have been hard.” She hugged me back. “I’ll be here for you too; just ask me, and I’ll hug you anytime, alright?”

“Fufu, alright~” I kissed her forehead. “Now! Enough is enough; use those items and become stronger, Ruby.”

“A-Alright! If you insist… Then I’ll take them.” She nodded with a serious expression.

She quickly stared at the items; she got the exact same things as I did, including a big egg that was supposed to be a special “pet” familiar that would be linked to the player. It apparently can level up on its own and progressively become stronger to help you out.

I don’t need such a thing myself; if I could gift the egg to my mother, I definitely would, but all items acquired in the Tutorial are “bound” to me through the System Status, so they cannot be gifted. If I attempt to do so, the items will be destroyed, or so I assume.

I would like to try that; perhaps if I can cut the connection, I can gift them? But I believe bothering so much for a few little items that barely hold any power compared to what I have is a waste of time.

Anyway, my items so far were: [Divine Healing Elixir (S Grade)] x5 [Divine Mana Elixir (S Grade)] x5 [Gold Weapon Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Gold Armor Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Gold Accessory Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Random Skill Book (S Grade)] x1 [Classless Skill Slot +1 Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Magic Skill Slot +1 Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Legendary Monster Pet Egg (S Grade)] x1 and [Golden System Gachapon (S Grade)] x10

The Elixirs appeared to be healing items, so I simply hid them. The Mana Elixirs looked very interesting, though, so I might consume them to accumulate more Mana and learn how to produce them by tasting them.

The tickets were very interesting and strange items—some sort of metallic scroll imbued with divine runes and advanced magic runes connected to the system. When activated through will, it summons an illusory Gacha game of sorts, where you get a random item from a group of assorted items.

Then there’s the System Gachapon, which is the same as the tickets but with more items. And then there is the Legendary Monster Pet, which awakens and hatches once I imbue it with my own Mana and other energies. The monster was apparently born based on my abilities, talents, affinities, and potential.

The skill book was self-explanatory; using it grants a random S-grade skill. And then the Slot Tickets are also self-explanatory, helping me hold more Skills. Because I have already accumulated a few more that I can no longer equip.

Indeed, there were some system notifications I ignored throughout the tutorial.

Ding!

[Because of the amazing control and absorption of magical elements, such as Fire, Ice, and Lightning, you have harnessed the power of the elements within you!]

[You learned the [Triple Elemental Magic: Fire, Ice, Lightning (A): Lv1] Magic Skill!]

Ding!

[You have proven yourself to be an unshakable, overwhelming slayer of all Devils. Your ruthlessness knows no bounds.]

[You learned the [Demon Killing Arts: Lv1] Classless Skill!]

[You acquired the [Devil Slayer] Title!]

Ding!

[Your power to channel time itself and shape it to your own liking is incredible. Not even the concept of time can resist your overwhelming magical prowess!]

[You learned the [Partial Time Flow Manipulation (A): Lv1] Magic Skill!]

Ding!

[You have mercilessly killed someone who was believed to be the strongest of the World of {Arcadia}, and who had taken complete control of this world.]

[Therefore, you’ve become the new Ruler of Arcadia, and all magic ever conjured by the former Ruler over their subjects has been dispelled. Millions of souls have been freed from brainwashing and curse-type spells.]

[For freeing a world from such wicked evil, you received the Title: [Savior of Arcadia]!]

[The System Function: [World Ruling] which is reserved for Climbers who have reached Floor 80, has been unlocked ahead of time.]

[You can now manage and visit the World you’ve acquired through the [World Ruling] interface at any time.]

I don’t think I have the time to manage a world, so I will simply leave it alone. Whatever happens to it, it is not my responsibility. But maybe if I ever feel like going on a vacation, I might visit it.

Anyway, regarding the other skills, the only one that interests me is partial time flow manipulation, which I acquired right away. The other two were placed in the “Stored Skills” category, and I can’t use them unless I place them in the other Skill Slots.

About the Titles, Devil Slayer is useless; why would I need more attack power against beings I can easily kill anyway? It is utterly pathetic. And then there's the Savior of Arcadia; apparently, it gives me buffs and authority over that world, but only if I go there. It's useless too.

“I wonder if I can just delete Titles? They’re just cluttering and useless all the time…” I sighed to myself. 

“Look, big sis! I got cool red armor!” My sister called for me as my mother was looking at her with surprise.

Ruby used the tickets, obtaining S Grade Armor called [Fire Dragon Scale Armor], which imbued her with a part of the soul of a fire dragon. Interesting. 

“You look good in that!” I clapped. “What about the others?”

“I have this rainbow-colored ring and a katana.” She showed me. “The ring’s called [Valhalla’s Treasure Ring], and it boosts my magic power and mana a lot while giving me the ability to access an inventory! It’s so useful! The inventory is not empty either; it comes with magic weapons I can summon on foes to attack them. Oh, and the katana is called the [Phantom Shikigami Devil-Slayer Katana]. It contains a thousand evil spirits inside, and it can slay monsters with explosive phantom flames!”

“Oooh, that’s so interesting." I pretended to be surprised; I’ve seen even more incredible things before. “With this, you’ll surely clear any mission.”

“Yeah!” She nodded. “Wait, right, we need to do missions, isn’t it? And ten of them!” She said. “But doing just the low-ranked ones won’t fit, won’t it?”

“I’ve already done that requirement a while ago, so I suppose it is going to be just both of you doing it.” My mother smiled. “Nonetheless, I can still guide you around.”

“Thank you, mother. And yeah, the message said something about giving better rewards based on the rank of the missions completed, isn’t it? So if we complete the highest-rated missions, won’t Ruby get the best items again?” I wondered.

“A-And you too, Katherine.” My mother laughed. “I’m surprised at how little care you’re giving to the amazing things you have.”

“Ah, if I could gift them all to you, I would, Mother.” I sighed. “But indeed, I do not care much about them. But well, I will use a few now, for the sake of it.”

I decided to just roll with it, open it, and use all the items I got. It seemed that, although I could only see them as little toys, my family saw them as invaluable and incredible items. If I looked down on them, it could be insulting to my mother’s efforts as a D Rank Hunter until now. 

[You have used the [Gold Weapon Ticket (S Grade)] x1!]

[You received the: [Lava Dragon’s Flare Cannon (S Grade)] x1]

[You have used the [Gold Armor Ticket (S Grade) x1!]

[You received the: [Quetzalcoatl’s Divine Feather Dress (S Grade)] x1]

[You have used the [Gold Accessory Ticket (S Grade)] x1!] 

[You received the: [Underworld Ruler Necklace (S Grade)] x1]

The equipment I acquired was rather interesting. The cannon was, well, a gigantic, red-colored cannon I could easily handle. By activating it, the cannon would fire giant cannonballs made of fiery lava to deal explosive damage. It can also recharge with Mana to unleash a Lava Dragon breath through a certain range, but it needs to cool down after using it once.

The dress was rather beautiful, if slightly flamboyant, and made of green, red, yellow, and blue-colored feathers, shining with slight sparkles of divinity. It was quite beautiful, and it offered wind magic manipulation and flight with no Mana cost.

Lastly, the necklace was somehow connected to a Realm known as “Helheim” where a contract with a Goddess of Death was formed with the item. By activating it, it is possible to summon ten Random Undead from the Underworld between B to S Rank in strength. They stay until they die. Interesting, but I don’t need help or an army.

[You have used the [Random Skill Book (S Grade)] x1!]

[You learned the [Emperor’s Conquest (S): Lv1] Classless Skill!] 

[You have used the [Classless Skill Slot +1 Ticket (S Grade)] x1!]

[Your Classless Skill Slots have increased by +1!] 

[You have used the [Magic Skill Slot +1 Ticket (S Grade)] x1!]

[Your Magic Skill Slots have increased by +1!] 

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[Emperor’s Conquest (S): Lv1]

[Skill EXP]: [0/10.000]

A Special Classless Skill that only mighty Emperors might acquire.

Unleash the conquest of a mighty Emperor, conquering lands, nations, kingdoms, and people. The larger your {Territory} grows and develops, the stronger you will grow, and comparatively, the mightier your people will also become.

By activating this Skill it is possible to unleash a {Conquest} against a designated land, kingdom, nation, or similar thing. Once a {Conquest} is successful by slaying or forcing the leader to surrender, you take over their land through the {Territory Takeover}.

Lands you’ve conquered are below your total control and power, becoming areas you can instantly teleport into. You can manage and assess every single person that lives in each {Territory} you possess, and based on their abilities and stats, you gain extra stats as well, and you can even borrow some of their powers temporarily. 

Those below your authority can grow ten times as fast as well as develop new abilities, skills, and talents. This Skill Levels Up as you conquer more Land, unlocking new Abilities or Effects with each Level.

Level Bonus (1): Increases All Subjects Stats by +10%, and their Talent Growth Speed by +20%.

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This was quite an amusing little Skill. It feels slightly connected to that other System Function I had unlocked. But should I care about conquering lands? I had already done so much before. I only want to do as I please. Conquering and managing land is such a chore that I would rather never do that again if possible.

So, for now, I have no interest in ever using this Skill, but it is quite interesting, yes.

[You have used the [Golden System Gachapon (S Grade)] x10!]

[You received: [Divine Skill Fusion Ticket (S Grade)] x2 [Skill Copy Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Yggdrasil’s Divine Seed (S Grade)] x1 [Martial Power Growth Elixir (S Grade)] x3 [Guild Creation Ticket (S Grade)] x1 [Dungeon Key (S Grade)] x2]

Oh, more strange items. Tickets that allow me to combine up to three Skills without any cost and without needing them to be max level. A ticket that can help me copy a random skill from any target as long as the skill is S Grade or below. A seed of a mythical, world-creating tree, elixirs that increase Martial Power Stat, a ticket to create a Guild and two Dungeon Keys of S Rank.

“Quite amusing…” I said while drinking the Elixirs. “Hm, it tastes like mango juice?”

[You have consumed the [Martial Power Growth Elixir (S Grade)] x3!]

[Your Martial Power has increased by +3.000!]

[You’re overflowing with Martial Power! Your Physical Strength and Stamina have risen tremendously.]

[You learned the [Basic Martial Arts (C): Lv1] Skill because of your high Martial Power Stat!]

“Oh, I do feel a tiny bit stronger after that." I smiled, licking my lips. “Now, you’re the last little toy. Let’s see…”

I decided to try something outrageous, as I imbued as much Ki Energy, the little Mana I had, Immortal Essence, and a few drops of Primordial Essence into the Legendary Monster Pet Egg all at once.

FLUOSH!

For a moment, I thought the egg would explode. Instead, it absorbed all the energy gluttonously and voraciously, slowly changing its blank white color into one of pure golden radiance, with rainbows and clouds across its entire eggshell.

[You have imbued tremendous quantities of foreign energies into the [Legendary Monster Pet Egg (S Grade)] x1!]

[The [Legendary Monster Pet Egg (S Grade)] is slowly absorbing the energies and evolving, becoming a powerful new Pet. But this might take some time…]

[Incubation Duration: 30 Days.]

“It seems I need to wait until it hatches…” I sighed. “Ruby, is it the same for you?”

“Yeah, it says I need to wait for 12 Hours.” She nodded. Her egg had turned red and black, showing fiery red flames. “How much for yours, big sis?”

“Apparently, a month.” I laughed.

“Wait, a month?!” Asked my mother and sister at the same time.

“Oh well, now that we are done with these little toys, Shall we go look for a Class now?” I asked with a pleased smile. “After that, we should eat dinner and go to bed. The day is slowly coming to an end. It has been a rather eventful day, without a doubt.”

“I-I guess so; let me guide you to the Class Changing place then.” My mother liked acting as our guide.

“Sure!” Ruby was very excited. 

We walked out of the Inn Room once we were done with our things. Walking through the beautiful medieval city was quite a nice break from all the huge skyscrapers of New York. The people who were following us were still there. They sneaked around buildings, hiding in the shadows while keeping a watch on us. I don’t know what they intended to do, but if they got an inch closer to us, they would receive a fitting punishment.

“And we’re here.” My mother pointed in the distance.

A gothic-styled church greeted us, big enough to cover an entire block of the city. Its gates were guarded by two tall and bulky paladins. Both were elves with long white hair and sharp emerald eyes, wearing golden and white armor. The gates were open, and they allowed entry for everyone. But they were still watching for anyone suspicious. 

Because I could easily suppress my intimidating aura, we were able to easily enter without making them think I was a monster. Entering the church, there was a small line of Players, each one deciding on their Class.

If it weren’t for my mother and my sister holding my arms while looking at me with a rather... very angry expression, I would have already skipped the line again.

“Just be patient and wait.” My mother told me.

“Don’t make a scene like before." My sister insisted.

“I wasn’t making a scene; I was merely—ah, forget it.” I sighed.

We only had to wait ten minutes before it was our turn. I let my sister decide on her class first. They had to enter a chamber and choose based on a list of options. These options were generated automatically and offered by the Tower Gods, apparently.

The strongest Classes were given by Tower Gods, but with the Class came restrictions and requirements, such as, usually, becoming one of the Tower God’s Avatar or Sub-Avatars. I told my sister to choose the Classes that didn’t require the Gods' Authority.

“I chose Magic Swordsman! It was the strongest one that wasn’t below the Gods' jurisdiction.” She said.

“Good girl. Now’s my turn; wish me luck… Or not.” I shrugged.

I stepped forward into the chamber as it closed down behind me. The projections of class lists appeared in front of me. There are hundreds of options. I could barely see the list of classes without the jurisdiction of the Tower Gods, most of them were glowing with bright colors.

[Many Tower Gods are interested in you! They have offered you their strongest Classes.]

[Available Classes: 119]

[Divine Spear Wielding Monarch Of Light (SSS Rank Class)] [God Tower Contract Required]

[Barbarian Titan Queen Of Primordial Frost (SSS Rank Class)] [God Tower Contract Required]

[Abyssal Lord Of Eternal Death And Darkness (SSS Rank Class)] [God Tower Contract Required]

[Tyrannical Empress Of the Golden Divine Sun (SSS Rank Class)] [God Tower Contract Required]

[Abyssal Void Warlock (SS Rank Class)] [God Tower Contract Required]

[…]

The list went on and on, with a variety of fancy names. It seemed that each Tower God wanted me on their team; even those who said they hated me still offered me a contract with their Class.

“Interesting, so all these Classes are bound to the Gods, isn’t it?” I wondered. “To their souls, isn’t it?”

[The Gods of the Tower nod in unison.]

[They’re impatient! Please choose a Class already!]

“Of course! I will choose… All of these… And this one too, and that one.”

[Warning, you can’t choose more than one Class.]

“Why should I care? {Primordial Spiritual Body Arts}: {Photon Injection}”

My hands transformed into translucent masses of divine rainbow light, Photon Energy overflowing with Primordial Essence. They trespassed the system list of classes and quickly grasped into the very core of their existence. I saw links—countless links connected to over a hundred different Gods.

[The Gods of the Tower are shocked!]

[They ask you what you’re trying to do!]

[They order you to stop immediately!]

[System {Administrators} are being called immediately!]

I felt my hands being suddenly attacked by hundreds of beams of darkness and void, titanic tentacles attempting to tear them to shreds. But they were completely unfazed. I grasped all the threads—these divine links connected to the Tower Gods—and broke them.

Crack, crack…!

[The Gods of the Tower are all panicking!]

[They’re trying to pull back their Divinities, but it is impossible to do so without taking tremendous damage!]

[They implore you to stop!]

“Consider this your first punishment for having invaded Earth, and for killing half of the population with your monsters.”

CRASH!

The screams of hundreds of divine beings reverberated across the entire Tower as I did that. At the same time, I pointed my fingers at the Administrators attempting to stop me, firing beams of Photon Essence. Their bodies quickly exploded into pieces, one after another. I don’t know how many died, but at least a few dozen “Administrators” immediately perished.

[ERROR!]

[SYSTEM ERROR!]

[SERVER ERROR!]

[Many System Administrator deaths have been detected.]

[The Link between the Tower Gods and the Classes has been broken!]

[You have stolen their Divine Essence Fragments!]

[ERROR!]

[The Tower God Classes are available to choose- ERROR]

“Silence.” 

I grasped all the “System Fragments” which were constantly shifting and distorting and fused them together with the Divinity Fragments I acquired, combining them through my Primordial Alchemy into a blue-colored pill overflowing with power.

FLASH!

[You have combined hundreds of [Divine Essence Fragments (??? Rank)] with the [Glitched System Class Fragments (??? Rank)]!]

[You have created the [Divine Class Pill (??? Rank)] x1!]

“Thank you for the meal.”

I swallowed the pill, as I felt my power quickly rise. Each divinity fragment was full of rich Mana and Divine Essence, an even higher form of Mana. Above all, I was able to see their appearances, how they looked, and even a few pieces of their memories.

“I see, how interesting. So these are the “Tower Gods”!” I laughed. 

[You have acquired the Divine Class: [God Eating Calamity: Ragnarök (Primordial Venerable Rank Class)]!]

[10 Classless Skill Slots have been unlocked.]

[Class Skill Tree has been generated; you can now learn Class Skills using Skill Points.]

[All your Stats have increased by +2.500 for acquiring a Divine Class!]

[Your Level Cap has been increased to 999!]

[You acquired your first Class Skill: [God Predator (SSS): Lv1] Skill!]

[Use God Predator to devour the Divinity of Gods and their Avatars and steal their Divine Powers.]

[You acquired the Title: [Primordial Calamity: Ragnarök]!]

“Hmm, yes! Much better now.” I laughed out loud.

[Several Gods of the Tower have fallen unconscious after the damage they have taken.]

[The ones that have stayed conscious are incredibly furious about what you’ve done.]

[They have declared war against you!]

[And will not stop until you’re dead!]

“Come! As many of you as you can! You’ll need the numbers if you ever plan to kill me.” I challenged them. “Your little tower is interesting, but I will not let you take Earth from me. This is my world.”

After that, I turned off their notifications and walked away from the chamber, as if nothing had happened. However, many of the priests of the church and the paladins panicked the moment they saw me. The Aura I exuded was dangerous; it seems this Divine Class was clear to their eyes.

“S-She…! SINNER!”

“What has she done?!”

“She hurt the Gods?!”

“How… What?!”

“P-Paladins! Kill her!” The priest far away quickly ordered, as a dozen Paladins came rushing from outside the church. “Quickly! KILL HER!”

I’m sorry, mother; it seems I’ve gotten into some slight trouble once more.

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