Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Aurolio voiced his question and got an answer from Elita.

Corrupted Deities were as simple to explain as they were complicated.

The simple part was that they formed as a result of something going wrong with the Broader Existence of a Divine being.

The complicated part was that a Corrupted Deity did not just spawn from a Deity. Even fresh Divines could become Corrupted Deities. Additionally, there were a nigh countless series of ways the Broader Existence could be tainted, forcing the creation of a Corrupted Deity.

This was why Serenity didn't bother explaining the specifics of Corrupted Deities back when Skullius asked her (following his battle with Caxellac).

But there were two main ways this occurred.

One, was when a Divine failed to extend their Constern – their limited Divine life – causing their Broader Existence to expire. In some circumstances, it didn't just expire, leading to a true death. It got Corrupted instead.

The second most common way was recognised in Deities.

Deities had a mandate to create worlds and feed from them just as their creations naturally fed from the world they (the Deities) created. If a Deity failed to reach a certain level of nourishment, they would lose their strength, and in worst cases, they turned into Corrupted Deities.

Just like with AKHASHA's Unit to Ascension system, the establishment of Prime and Wicked Treasures, and the Limited and Unlimited Contract system tied to Exotic Parlous Natures, there was a Primeval Deity behind some of the ways a Divine could be Corrupted.

After all, Corruption gave unique powers to the Corrupted Divine being.

After Elita explained all this, Aurolio didn't feel any better about what Future Skullius was walking into.

"If they have unique powers and their Broader Existences are compromised then—" he began, frowning.

"I'll be just fine," said Future Skullius as he stood up. In the three minutes it took Elita to explain the fundamentals to Aurolio, he had decided how he was going to go through this Trial and how he was going to handle the Corrupted Deity Nunax, or rather, Jadeenis.

Time was moving in the outside world, almost in sync with the time here in the Bosom.

If his guess was correct, the younger Skullius was already in talks with Luserus or perhaps a few steps ahead of that, preparing his other trump cards.

As he sighed, Future Skullius scratched his face while staring at the notification in front of him, telling him that he had a little more than four minutes remaining before he would be assessed.

"I told you all, right? You're only spectators here."

Everyone tensed as the future Hybrid said it.

This time, it wasn't because of some vague, elusive authority that commanded them every time he spoke with stern intent.

No.

This time, it was a more tangible, measurable might that turned them stiff.

Amras sifted out of Future Skullius' Broader Existence, first as a cool, rising outpour of serene energy. But then its volume and pressure of release continued to rise without end.

Amras.

Amras

Amras!

It wouldn't stop pouring out.

Right then, Elita realized that Future Skullius had no intention of unleashing that one secret power he was hiding. Not yet.

He really was unlike his younger self. His base strength was not to be taken lightly.

There was an explosion that nearly gave all the spectators a heart attack in the next second, and the Empyrean Bosom trembled slightly.

Now, Skullius was coated in a rising pillar of silvery energy that caused space to shudder with a series of unending thunderous booms.

Elita, Kenno, Red Rage and Aurolio jumped back.

'Oh my…" Susu'k's voice came, sounding bewildered.

What was this?

And then the guidance field flexed a notification in the vision of the spectators.

[The assessment begins]

[Processing current Standard Unit rating…]

[8,780 Standard Units]

…!

The four gaped.

'That's over halfway towards the target!' thought Elita, her eyes wide.

But how was Future Skullius going to increase his rating to 15,000?

Well…

…!!!!

The spectators turned pale.

The ring of Amras blasting upward widened and its density increased a hundredfold. Before Elita could curse, she was smashed into the ground, as was Aurolio and Kenno and Red Rage!

Thankfully, this was the Empyrean Bosom, and Susu'k was there to spare them the pain of eating the goldmeraldglass pavement. The ground transfigured into something soft like a pillow for the four.

But the pressure crushing them persisted. It was like some harsh gravitational force that continued to intensify rapidly.

Susu'k couldn't extract the four from Future Skullius' proximity. They were part of the subjugation as spectators after all. He did, however, send Strawlers their way. They hugged the four and transformed into translucent sets of merigold plate armour, shielding them from a majority of the gravitational malevolence.

…But Skullius was only getting started.

His eyes were closed for focus.

He murmured:

"[Justified Maximum: Overload]"

[Just Light] romanced [Maximum Catalyst] and rushed through his body and soul.

Bright merigold trails rushed through each and every one of Future Skullius' cells and his body was suffused with a blinding merigold glow that surpassed Red Rage's radiance by leagues.

[Processing current Standard Unit rating…]

[10,679 Standard Units]

[…]

[Processing current Standard Unit rating…]

[12,100 Standard Units]

[…]

[Processing current Standard Unit rating…]

[14,782 Standard Units]

But that wasn't the best of it.

[Justified Maximum: Overload] was an Andori that combined the Insurgent Magnus' powers with Maximum Catalyst to push the limits of Skullius' body and soul for a specified amount of time.

The Andori gave another push.

[Processing current Standard Unit rating…]

[17,891 Standard Units]

And another push.

[23,700 Standard Units]

By this point, the Bosom was quaking violently even though nothing sustained any damage.

The spectators… were more than a little terrified.

Even with the Strawler armour, they felt the stabbing sensation that Skullius' Amras instilled in anyone close enough. It flared like a violent tsunami that was close to devouring the Empyrean Hatcher in the distance by then.

The value for Skullius' Standard Units was terrifying!

It was nearing that of a fledgling Deity!

How did this make sense?

Elita wanted to know as she lost another sliver of melanin, her eyes opened wide in terror.

How was Future Skullius doing this?

The Broader Existence couldn't just spike in power like this?

Was it the number of Andori he had at his disposal?

Indeed, his Amras reserves were freakish, but they alone couldn't account for this strength either!

How could one contend with Deities in basic presence alone when they weren't a Deity themselves?

…But the value for Skullius Standard Units jumped yet again!

[27,900 Standard Units]

And this was as much as Future Skullius' [Justified Maximum: Overload] could push him. Indeed, this was a neat trick that was supposed to last for a limited time.

But well…

Future Skullius sighed.

"[Justified Maximum Constant]," he declared calmly, and yet another Andori was activated.

It forcibly shrouded each one of his empowered cells with a shroud of purple gold, pinning their super-empowered individual strength to that super value. Indeed, that strength would now be a constant until Future Skullius decided to deactivate [Justified Maximum Constant]. He had enough 'energy' to keep it running as long as he liked after all.