Galaxy Fall: All My Skills Are Maxed-Chapter 123: What The Hell?!!

​Mirabella stared at him for some seconds, fighting against the crushing, suffocating gravity of his maximum-level aura. She slowly raised her hand and showed him the newly acquired Military Cadet badge resting in her palm.

​"If you don’t trust me, you won’t give this to me, am I wrong?" She asked, her voice surprisingly steady. She knew that a man of his intellect wouldn’t hand a piece of the Empire’s military authority to a suspected spy.

​Hayatobi’s intense, suffocating pressure instantly vanished. He relaxed on his seat, leaning back as the ambient energy in the room returned to normal, staring at her with a mix of relief and deep curiosity. "With you, anything is possible... So you encountered the devil cult member in the lower world?"

​Mirabella nodded her head, recalling the fragile lower server. "Yeah, he was working with some ignorant humans from Earth... He took over a village and so," Mirabella stated, placing the heavy green badge securely into her dimensional system storage.

​"I also copied two more skills from him, anyway, he escaped before I could kill him."

​"That is ok," Hayatobi nodded, accepting the tactical retreat of the cultist. The terrifying, star-filled crimson in his eyes shifted back to its normal, calm silver. The leviathan had returned to slumber.

​"Mirabella, when you enter any public dungeons, always remember to wear your badge, it helps at times," he said, offering a piece of vital survival advice for the lawless Abyssal Gate. The Dragon Empire’s crest carried a heavy deterrent. He then added, "You can go now. You need your rest for tomorrow."

​Mirabella nodded. She stored the golden skill scroll in her system storage, turned on her heel, and walked towards the heavy oak door. She grabbed the brass handle and looked over her shoulder at him one last time.

​"Thank you for this."

​With that said, she walked out, closing the door softly behind her.

​Inside the quiet office, Hayatobi leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Mirabella... How far can you grow?" he thought, staring intently at the closed door, wondering if he had just recruited the Empire’s greatest savior or its ultimate ruin.

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​Mirabella walked out of the towering administrative building, heading to her personal house. As one of the academy’s elite ranked students, she wasn’t relegated to the crowded dormitories; instead, she was given a separate, luxurious building shielded by privacy runes, where she stayed with her loyal companions, Elizabeth and Cupcake.

​"Welcome back, Miss," Elizabeth said, smoothly opening the heavy front door before Mirabella even reached for it.

​Mirabella nodded at her silently and entered the lavish parlor. She bypassed the opulent decorations, walked directly towards a plush velvet couch, and sat down heavily, staring blankly at the vaulted ceiling.

​"What happened, Miss?" Elizabeth asked, her sharp eyes picking up on the lingering tension in her master’s posture, staring at her in confusion.

​Cupcake leaped gracefully onto the furniture and lied on the couch, closing her eyes contentedly as Mirabella began to mechanically caress her soft white fur.

​"Elizabeth, do you know the leader of the devil cult, or at least, their goal?" She asked, her mind shifting from academy politics to the grand, overarching threats of this universe.

​"The leader of the devil cult... Hmm." Elizabeth held her jaw, her eyes glazing over slightly as she rapidly accessed her internal intelligence network. After a few moments of deep processing, she shook her head in frustration.

​"Can’t remember anything from the data. The devil cult’s leader is too secretive and cautious. He has never showed his face in anything..." She stared at Mirabella, her tone turning grave.

"There goal? Well, they kind of believe in the devil, and are doing whatever is possible to resurrect him."

​Mirabella nodded slowly, her gaze still fixed on the intricate patterns of the ceiling.

​’This devil, is he Angra Mainyu? Back then, I was powerless to face him, but with my current strength, I can easily get rid of him... But, he is not the main mastermind, he’s just a pawn in the game,’ she thought, the bitter memories of her past life’s ultimate failure resurfacing. She closed her eyes, visualizing the true enemy pulling the cosmic strings.

​’I need all the powers in this world... I believe it will be enough to take on that witch.’ She opened her eyes, a cold, determined smile forming on her face. The Dragon Empire, the academy, the dungeons—they were all just stepping stones to her ultimate revenge.

​"Um... Miss, please pay attention to that girl called Jessica," Elizabeth stammered suddenly, her voice breaking the heavy silence, staring nervously at Mirabella.

​Mirabella and Cupcake both turned their heads towards her in unison. "Huh?"

​"I overheard her master, the Master teacher of the sword empire asking her to kill you if there is any given opportunity... And with the competition coming up, she will surely try it," Elizabeth warned, revealing the lethal, inter-empire politics brewing just beneath the surface of the upcoming tournament.

​Mirabella stared at her for a long moment, completely unfazed by the assassination plot, then closed her eyes again in mild annoyance. "I already said it, and I will say it again. I don’t die. Others die, but I don’t die."

​Dismissing the threat of the Sword Empire entirely, she sat upright, her focus shifting to her immediate progression. She snapped her fingers.

​A spatial ripple distorted the air, and the golden box given to her by Hayatobi appeared with a soft thud on the small glass center table before her.

​"Now, which skill will I gain from this scroll?" She asked herself with genuine anticipation, as she reached in and took the heavy, energy-infused scroll from the box.

​"Is that?" Elizabeth was shocked, her eyes widening as she recognized the sheer density of the aura radiating from the item. She was staring at the golden scroll, recognizing its Legendary-grade status.

​"Yes, Lord Hayatobi gave it to me," Mirabella answered casually, breaking the wax seal and rolling open the ancient parchment.

​WHOOSH!!

​Instead of the usual golden glow of a skill absorption, the scroll violently shattered into shards of pure black light. The dark energy flew all around the room like a localized hurricane, rattling the windows and instantly stunning her, Cupcake, and Elizabeth.

​"Umm? Does it usually behave like this?" Cupcake asked in absolute confusion, her fur standing on end, watching the thick black smoke which aggressively flew all over the sitting room, defying all standard system logic.

​"This is also the first time I am seeing this," Elizabeth said, her combat protocols engaging as her guard became fully active, stepping protectively toward her master.

​Mirabella remained seated, her eyes tracking the chaotic anomaly. She stared at the smoke, which violently flew from right to left:

’What sort of skill is this? I don’t understand it at all,’ she thought, watching its every unpredictable move. Her vast knowledge from her past life had no record of a skill manifesting physically like a living entity.

​The thick smoke abruptly stopped flying around. It condensed and hovered directly above them, the temperature in the room dropping to freezing. Then, its amorphous form started shifting, molding into a distinct shape, and the next moment, two massive, glowing eyes appeared from within the darkness, staring straight down at Mirabella.

​".....?!!!"