Her words echoed in his ears and mind, over and over again!
It was as if they had been etched into his very soul.
She would be his Queen, and he would be her King.
She had spoken these words without hesitation, and they stirred an emotion within Achilles- a sense of grandeur that not even the countless powers he had assimilated could evoke.
This was Rose Adrian.
He, the Ninth Adrastia Emperor King, had found a Queen to complement and accept who he was fully!
Achilles held her hands tightly, as though he never wanted to let them go. His gaze locked deeply onto hers as he spoke softly.
"Then there's something I need to do. I have to ensure that my Queen becomes as strong as possible- that she can withstand any dangers that are to come."
His voice was vibrant with determination. "I was able to make you stronger before by nurturing you, but now, I can do even more. Would it be okay if I try?"
Rose's face was already blushing from the words she had spoken earlier as she could only nod quickly, her head bobbing up and down like a pecking chicken as she was unable to form words in her current state.
Achilles smiled knowingly, closing his eyes as he held onto her hands. He could feel her mental state as if it were his own.
'Put aside the feature of Combination for now…' he thought to himself, focusing on the second capability he had unlocked.
A limited type of assimilation- one that could extend to other Existences.
The ancient words of his lineage from before echoed in his mind.
He did not have to grow stronger alone, for an Emperor King always needed his guards.
But Rose was no mere guard.
She was something far more important.
The moment Achilles activated the ability of Limited Assimilation, an innate understanding washed over him.
His mind was flooded with the knowledge of multiple rulings passed down through his lineage.
The Lineage of the Adrastia Emperor King!
Only the Emperor King could assimilate anything.
To elevate the power of others, there was a limitation on the number of people he could assimilate. He needed to have the material to be assimilated ready, and both sides had to be in physical contact.
And once Assimilation was initiated, only that specific essence could continue to be assimilated into the chosen person- no other.
This was the true definition of Limited Assimilation.
But for Achilles, these limitations were more than enough.
Because when it came to the strongest available source of Assimilation that he could use right now…
They were standing on it.
Well, they were currently on a floating landmass in the skies, but he still had his vines covering the Leyline Fracture that was healing and extended down below as he was always in contact with the Organic and Inorganic Terrestrial Planetary Body!
Achilles made his decision.
'Assimilation,' he whispered.
But this time, he wasn't assimilating it into himself.
His target was the very planet beneath them.
He tapped into the vast sea of power that was the Organic and Inorganic Terrestrial Planetary Body and allowed its flow to pass through him and into Rose.
A tremor spread through the air around them. An even stronger tremor followed, emanating from Rose's body as her existence surged with complexity.
Achilles watched as the assimilation of an Organic and Inorganic Terrestrial Planetary Body flowed into her, triggering an utterly astounding transformation.
Rose was already powerful. He had nurtured her with Evolutius Energy, and she had awakened an Ancient Physiology, attaining eighty-one complete Meridians.
This transformation granted her the qualities of a planetary body, causing an unfathomably powerful change to occur.
One only needed to look at Achilles to understand how terrifying this power was.
Even before awakening his Meridians, Achilles could effortlessly defeat those at much higher stages due to his assimilations.
Currently, with just a single illusory star above him, where he was classified as a Minor Ethereal Physiology Master, he could easily overpower Major Ethereal Ancient Ones who could only be challenged by Apex Ethereal Physiology Masters.
And now, he was bestowing a portion of that power upon another.
Rose's body trembled and quaked as a terrifying pressure built around her. Above her head, illusory stars began to appear.
The nine illusory stars spun wildly above her, glowing with immense power. Achilles continued the flow of assimilation, feeling the energy approach a threshold- the First Echelon.
He allowed the flow to continue freely until the nine spinning stars above her head… began to converge.
Closer and closer they came until they fused.
From this fusion emerged something extraordinary.
A dazzling, solid star bloomed above her!
It was like a vibrant green sun, adorned with feather-like wings that radiated verdant flames.
The piercing cry of a phoenix echoed through the air, with its power being so overwhelming that if anyone else had been present, they would have been incinerated by the sheer intensity of it.
But Achilles took it all.
Wondrously, he endured it as…
[The First Echelon of the Organic and Inorganic Terrestrial Planetary Body has been reached by the Assimilation Subject, Rose Adrian.]
[The level of Existence Corruption of the target, Rose Adrian, has reached a point where further assimilation is not recommended at this moment.]
These words flashed before Achilles' eyes, prompting him to stop the flow of assimilation instantly.
He had personally withstood and alleviated the Corruption of Existence as the power coursed through him and into Rose. But despite his intervention, her existence had still undergone immense changes, and traces of corruption lingered.
It was already an incredible feat that she had reached the First Echelon of the Organic and Inorganic Terrestrial Planetary Body.
The abilities that came with this advancement were immense!
And then, there was an even more ridiculous fact.
More than three illusory stars represented someone powerful enough to be classified as a Major Ethereal Physiology Master.
But Rose did not possess mere illusory stars anymore.
She now had a solid star.
She was already walking the path of an Apex Ethereal Physiology Master!