The Inheritance game ended, a scoreboard appearing above it.

Nicolai, and all the others, sat back and raised their hands from the podiums, letting out sighs of exhaustion. He couldn't help but feel, like them, some gladness that it was over.

He looked over his holding. More than half the board was his. The war had waged endlessly, and with Simulations on the case Nicolai's troops had gradually moved forward. Given another day or two, he would have won. Alas, he hadn't been able to take the Yin-Yang Rotation Symbiote. It had happened to spawn some time ago, at a time when the Cultivators had managed a successful push and seized the centre, before he fully claimed that area. Even since they'd tucked it away in their heavily fortified base.

Still, he was very satisfied with his performance. He'd never expected to do so well.

Inheritance Rankings:

1: Nicolai

2: Hao

3: Xin

4: Jinxiao

5: Tong

6: Wan

The game recognised him for fighting alone against all the others, with the highest ranking.

Small orbs of energy, shimmering in a rainbow of colours, rose from the board. One orb went to each Cultivator, with the largest going to Nicolai.

He closed his eyes and accepted it into his mind and Soul. It was information, a great wealth of information about Refining Symbiotes, Upgrading and Sidegrading and even touching on how, precisely, one should go about gaining Tier 2.

It unfolded within him and he understood. Tier 2 hinged on locating certain rare Symbiotes. The exact same Symbiote as this Inheritance gave as "basic" Symbiote. You needed to have a full set of Nodes, and then one would place these Symbiotes within one's Nodes, plus a few other materials, and create a Refinement Centre. It sounded simple, though he had a feeling the actual process would be more difficult than the description made it sound.

Nicolai felt something else from the orb, some other knowledge. A secret. Something about a way to reach Tier 2 with some kind of advantage.

He allowed the information fade into his mind. He had to focus. He raised his head to take in Hao, and saw the man was gazing right at him.

He let fear move across his face, and turned his eyes away.

###

Hao smiled, seeing the barbarian sudden fear. The smile faded the moment his eyes returned to the score.

His name should be in first place. He knew it. They all knew it. The shame of seeing the Barbarian's name where his should be burned like a fire in his stomach.

'No mention of what happened here leaves this place,' he hissed, casting a murderous look at his four servants, his four fools. 'Should I ever hear mention of this, from anyone, all of you will die.'

'Of course, lord,' came the servile chorus, but he barely heard.

The air glowed before Hao and a bag appeared. He snatched it and opened its draw, peering inside. He didn't need to Examine the bag because he recognised it. It was a Symbiote container bag, blessed by a Symbiotic Ritual to be capable of suppressing and containing Symbiotes. These bags didn't last forever, but this one was fully charged.

Inside was the Yin-Yang Rotation Symbiote, and he smiled grimly upon seeing it. At least he had that. He noted that the Symbiotes were not in a pre-weakened state, to be easily broken-in, as they sometimes were. It would have to be done the hard way, later.

He should be happy. The Yin-Yang Rotation Symbiote was the greatest reward, nestled peacefully in amidst the others. It wasn't of much use to him, but his siblings were still in the Node clearing stage and would greatly benefit from it. Not to mention the significant longer-term benefits to the Clan. Father would be pleased.

But happiness was far from him. His eyes skimmed over the rewards then he scrunched the opening closed and stuffed it away, and once more he looked to the barbarian.

There rested the real treasure, the one he wanted just for himself. It hung on the back of the Barbarian, sullied by the individual's touch. Not for long. The Barbarian snatched at his own bag, barely glancing at it before stuffing it into a pocket. Hao could sense the man's mental state, and what he felt made his mouth stretch into a vicious sneer.

He had just put his strange helmet back on, but it didn't matter. Hao could feel his fear, his unease. It bled out of his Soul and was present was in his every movement. Always looking around, hunting for the way out when it would appear. Silent and stewing, twitching and jittery. The calm and confidence he'd shown in the game, with his strange advantage, had begun to fade as the end came. The man knew what awaited him outside the Inheritance.

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Hao continued to gaze directly at the barbarian, just to add to that fear, and Hao wore a faint smile, now. He was going to destroy the man, and he wanted to make sure the barbarian knew that. He wanted to see him run. He wanted to see him panic. He wanted to see him die.

He'd dismissed his worries about the "friend" the man had spoken of. The barbarian had been aiming to trick them, earlier on, that was all. There was no friend. The barbarian was alone, and would be dying alone.

The barbarian knew that when they exited, his time would draw swiftly to a close. Hao had worked out how to deal with his weapons, now, and they knew the Barbarian couldn't use the Artifact. It was possible for someone to use an Artifact a Tier higher, if their Soul was strong enough and they found the proper energy for it, but practically unheard of for someone to find a way to use one two whole Tier's above their own.

Hao intended to hit the man with the Red Face immediately, which would require him to once more break the Barbarian's Soul Sense. Easily done. Considering what the barbarian was capable of, he also knew what the man would do.

He would seek to flee at the greatest possible speed, and armour his Soul Sense as much as possible. But, stuck in the Inheritance, there was no way for him to have made any real improvements in either realm.

Hao remained wary, however. What if the Barbarian had combined some Symbiotes, to create something better suited? Rarely, it was possible to do so in a way that wouldn't ruffle an Inheritance's restrictions. He didn't expect it to happen, but you never knew. The Clan's Battle Master had a saying: Expect the mountain to collapse, and falling stones are mere dust.

Then the other danger, the true risk, the only reason he felt a hint of anxiety. Sometimes Heavenly Inheritances sent the participants to a common room, from which they would leave together. Other times, it would split them all up and distribute them widely. If it was the latter, it would become difficult.

He had taken the time to adjust his setup to help him in either case. The distribution of Symbiotes throughout his Nodes had been shifted, as he retrieved Symbiotes he normally kept stored in his heart Node, and switched them out with those in his other Nodes. He had previously had a number of emergency use Symbiotes, there to get him out of unexpected danger he couldn't handle, ready to hand. He'd also possessed a powerful defensive grouping of Symbiotes in his left arm, to help defend and disengage from Cultivators with powerful spiritual methods—typically the greatest danger.

Now, he'd put them aside in favour of bolstering his offence and pursuing abilities.

It was a risk, but it would only be necessary for a short time. With these changes he would be able to quickly kill the Barbarian and take his Artifact. From there he would return to his normal setup, which was more balanced and less risky.

There wasn't any need to worry about the barbarian putting him under pressure, after all. They knew the man's tricks now, they knew his limitations, and Hao knew what he would do.

Even now, the Barbarian practically screamed his intentions as he stood there, staring upwards as the floor of the Inheritance glowed and they began to rise, the ceiling peeling back above them. His body was set to run, and he had moved as far as possible from Hao and the others. Hao could only snort, amused. Pitiful.

The elevator that the game room had become crested, and then the game board sunk into the floor as the layout shifted. Now they stood in a large open space, with comfortable chairs and tables, but little else. There was a doorway at the far end, natural light shining in through the opening.

Welcome to the Intermission Room.

Here, you may rest and prepare yourselves before leaving the Inheritance.

As before, combat is not permitted here, nor may people from outside access this room. Thus, you are safe to break-in the Symbiotes you have gained as Rewards from the Inheritance.

This room will be closed one day from now, and all who remain within will be forced out.

You may leave at any time; simply exit through the doorway.

Hao breathed a slow sigh through his nose, relieved. They weren't split up and cast across the nearby area, which would have been quite bad, as the barbarian could've been put a long way from him, and he would have had to regather his team. This type, in comparison, was very good for his purposes. They would all leave from the same point. Pursuing the barbarian would be easy.

'Go!' he cried to the others, as the barbarian launched himself at the door.

The others threw out their Imbued Swords, and Hao hopped onto his Artifact Blade as they dashed after the barbarian.

The barbarian burst through the exit and into the sunlight of the jungle, but they were out behind the man a moment later.

A great shield went before them, like the prow of a skyship, and it brushed aside the immediate wave of explosions from whatever strange methods the Barbarian threw at them.

Hao knew how to deal with these attacks, now. He wouldn't lose another of his group to them.

The shield wrapped them tight as they moved close together, the others hopping onto their Imbued weapons while Hao extended the effect of his Artifact Blade, which allowed flight, to their own.

Together they rose into the air, and followed after their prey. The Barbarian was moving quick; even a little quicker than last time, though not by much.

Hao smiled. The man wouldn't get far.

'Feed your Soul Senses into mine,' he commanded, and focused, activating the Tier 2 Many-Armed Mantis Symbiote which allowed him to receive the Soul Senses of up to nine Tier 1's or three Tier 2's, boosting his own.

He formed his empowered Soul Sense into a great and powerful tendril, which struck out.

He caught at the Barbarian. The Barbarian resisted the first strike, and the second. Hao's eyebrows rose, impressed in spite of the enmity he felt for the barbarian.

But the next broke the man's Soul Sense, and Hao activated the Red Face Symbiote, pumping its venom into the man. Once that was done he activated a second Symbiote, which created a network of force around him. If he could simply glue the barbarian down and stop him running, this would end here and now. The man tore his way out of that quickly; there was something strange about his Soul, he was unusually good at Soul Striking and a strange darkness moved through it, twisted it.

Some weird Symbiote, no doubt. Hao's Soul Arm faded, as he could only sustain it for a short period. Regardless, he knew he'd done enough, there was no need to expend more effort creating another.

While in such close contact, he had felt the man's emotions, too, bleeding out.

Terror, dismay, desperation. All mixed together, a reassuring combination. The barbarian knew he was going to die. Knew there was nothing he could do; nothing but run, and hope for the best.

He wasn't going to find another Inheritance. Heaven didn't like them to be too close together. He had no more tricks; if he did, he wouldn't have felt such emotions, wouldn't have been so desperate. Hao was able to watch the man closer up with a flying eye he had created that kept pace, and observed the man's frantic movements with satisfaction.

Hao snorted and settled into his preferred pose; one foot balanced on the hilt of his Artifact and the front a short distant from the tip, upper body turned to face forward, hands behind his back, shoulders back and chest out.

It was a pose he'd practised many times in front of a mirror before perfecting it, and it gained him many appreciative ooh's and aah's from the girls in the Clan, when he flew hither and thither on his business.

Perhaps the Barbarian would be lucky enough to turn and witness him flying regally above, before they landed and took the man apart.

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