Ex-Rank Awakening: My Attacks Make Me Stronger - Chapter 367

Chapter 367: EX 367. Lord’s Vow
“But above the Saint Rank… there’s something else.”

A faint shiver went down Eden’s arms. Adrian leaned forward unconsciously. Even Nikko’s ears tilted, instinct sharpening. Racheal felt her heart beat once, hard, as if her soul recognized what was coming before her mind did.

Leon exhaled.

“A talent’s final rank,” he said,

“A Lord Talent.”

****

A Lord talent.

Leon watched their reactions quietly. Awe. Shock.

A hunger they couldn’t hide. He let them feel it without saying a word.

Because he understood exactly why they reacted that way.

A talent was intertwined with the soul.

To evolve one wasn’t just evolution, it was transcendence. And the strength that came from it… no amount of training could compare.

Leon lifted a hand, gathering their attention.

“Before anything else,” he said, “you need to understand why I’m able to do this.”

His gaze swept across his squadmates, his companions, his burdens, his responsibility.

“As you know I have two talents.”

“My original talent—Attack. An EX-rank talent.”

EX rank? Leon’s squadmates were aware he had two talents; he had told them in their first meeting in Pandora.

At that time, however, he had not revealed what those two talents were.

Adrian and Eden were unaware, and Nikko only knew about the first talent, as Leon had told both her and Elizabeth.

It was Rachael that was the most lost, hearing this for the very first time. As for Malachi, he was completely clueless.

But Leon wasn’t done.

“And my second talent… the one I awakened after changing my race to a void spawn: the Overlord talent. Mark.”

Both Elizabeth and Nikko stiffened. Eden and Adrian exchanged glances. Racheal’s fingers tightened on the map, her eyes wide.

Out of everything Leon said, it was what came next that pierced them to their core.

“It’s the Overlord talent that births the Lord talent,” Leon continued.

“After all… an overlord should have lords. Those who expand his domain.”

Elizabeth whispered it first.

“…Lord talent.”

The room fell breathless.

Shock rolled across their faces in waves.

Even Nikko’s composure faltered, her eyes widening ever so slightly. Racheal looked stunned, her lips parted in disbelief.

‘So Saint rank isn’t the peak…’ she realized.

Leon could practically feel their anticipation bleeding into the air.

They wanted this, desperately. Talent evolution was the greatest high a trial taker could ever experience.

It strengthened the soul, deepened potential, and detonated one’s power.

And the talent Leon promised… was at the very summit.

He watched them. He didn’t need to be a telepath to sense their urgency.

Their eagerness. Their hunger.

Leon exhaled slowly.

“Alright,” he said, voice steady and calm.

His domain pulsed outward thick, absolute and all-encompassing.

“Let us begin.”

****

The air inside the meeting hall tightened as Leon continued.

His domain pressed against the walls, clearing away every chair and table until nothing stood between him and the squad gathered before him. They formed a half-circle around him, tension humming between them like a blade waiting to be drawn.

Malachi stayed against the wall, arms crossed, watching in steady silence.

Leon stood at the center, calm and composed. He finally understood the full scope of his Overlord talent, Mark.

Ascending to the divine stage had given him clarity he lacked before.

Back then he had tested Mark on beasts, expecting something to happen.

All those tests had ended the same way: with the beasts dying.

At the time, he assumed it was a failure.

Now he knew better.

Those beasts had no talents.

Mark behaved like a parasitic talent—feeding on another talent, strengthening whatever it consumed.

When it touched a creature without a talent, it fed on their life force instead.

That force wasn’t enough. So they died.

Leon’s own case was stranger though.

When he awakened Mark, the talent tried to feed on his EX-rank [Attack], but it couldn’t.

Mark had taken only the smallest bite of that overwhelming power, and even that caused a violent chain reaction.

He was absorbing massive amounts of corruption at the same time, and the clash of energies forced his evolution, turning him into a Void Spawn.

Mark had failed to evolve his EX-rank talent, so it evolved something else.

But that wasn’t the purpose of the talent.

Not today.

Today, Leon would use Mark exactly as an Overlord should.

His domain flexed again, rippling across the floor like a tidal wave of pressure.

Each of his squadmates lowered their heads, sensing what was coming.

Nikko stood directly in front of him, Racheal at her right and Elizabeth at her left. Adrian held position at the far right, while Eden, with Blessing perched on his shoulder waited on the far left.

Leon’s voice carried across the hall, steady and absolute.

“Kneel.”

They didn’t hesitate. One by one, they dropped to one knee, heads bowed, power stirring faintly under their skin.

Malachi exhaled slowly, watching the ritual with a mix of awe and curiosity.

To begin the process, two steps were required.

The Lord’s Vow.

And the Lord’s Blessing.

Leon already knew how the vows must be spoken.

The words rose from him naturally, as if carved into the very marrow of his being.

“Do you swear to place the will of the Overlord above your own desires, even if it costs you your life?”

Their voices blended perfectly.

“Yes. we do.”

“When faced with betrayal, will you choose loyalty or mercy?”

“Loyalty.”

“Do you swear your talent exists to serve the throne, not your pride?”

“We do.”

Leon stepped closer, shadows of his domain swirling behind him.

“If the heavens reject you, will you still obey me?”

“We will.”

“Then speak,” Leon said. “Do you offer your will, your power, and your fate to the throne?”

“We offer them without hesitation.”

Leon nodded once. The domain pulsed in answer, as if satisfied.

“Good,” he said quietly. The temperature in the hall dropped as power began gathering around him.

“Now receive your blessing.”

****

-Authors Notes-

Thank you for reading! Also, there will be a mass release if we reach the Top 60 in the Golden Ticket rankings. We didn’t hit Top 50 last time, so I lowered the target. Let’s go!