Impenetrable Dungeon - Chapter 20

After making the Martial Skill based cultivation technique Delsair, Drathalsiel, Mimphralgos, Azzid, Pharos, Xato and Asura, Marcus decided to make a Magic based Cultivation Technique for Kerrigan. Kerrigan had high magic potential especially in destructive magic like thunder and fire magic. This wasn’t rare in the Bug Race as the Bug Queen could give her soldiers any kind of magic affinity given the proper resources. In fact, a Bug Queen could probably make a God if there were sufficient resources that were potent enough. There have been rumours that some of the Gods’ armies were made entirely of the Bug Race and they devote a lot of their resources into the Bug Queen so that she could make unparalleled subordinates for them. Anyways, while it wasn’t rare for a Bug Race member to be born with a high magic affinity towards a certain element, it was rare to have a Bug Queen that had an elemental affinity much less a supreme elemental affinity. This was why Marcus treasured Kerrigan. Not only does want the infinite amounts of Bug Race fighters that she could produce, she herself is a potential warrior. Moreover, he has a deep bond with her and the rest of his Honour Guards. To him, it feels like they are his children. Therefore, he is willing to nurture them using the best resources that he could gather and he would teach them Martial Skills and Magic to the best of his abilities. They would also make good loyal subordinates that are willing to die for him simply because he commanded them to. However, he is a father to them first before a Leader. Marcus swore that he would never the order inverted and may the Universe Will bear witness to his oath.

Marcus decided to give Kerrigan Thunder Demon’s Wrath due to her high affinity with the lightning element. The Thunder Demon’s Wrath possesses incredibly destructive single target and multi-target spells that could devastate entire mountain ranges. However, this Cultivation Technique could be considered incomplete. This was because the technique solely focused on the offensive and never once must a practitioner of the Thunder Demon’s Wrath defend otherwise he or she would die. This Cultivation Technique was so extreme that masters would often tell their disciples that practice this technique to never think about going on the defensive in a battle unless they had a death wish. They couldn’t even attack for the sake of defending! In some ways, this was even more reckless that Mimphralgos’ Peerless Sword Art! Of course, Marcus would have never allowed such a suicidal battle style to exist amongst the ranks of his Honour Guard. Therefore he gave Kerrigan two Cultivation Techniques to help counterbalance the Thunder Demon’s Wrath. He already had plans of giving multiple Cultivation Techniques to his Honour Guards to contemplate on. He believed that have a narrow world view would lead to one’s downfall and the same could be applied to cultivation. In his opinion masters should practice more than one Cultivation Technique or use a Cultivation Technique that has many other Cultivation Techniques compiled into it. This was they would a wider, more solid foundation which would prevent the pagoda from collapsing on itself due to having a narrow foundation. He decided to withhold the second cultivation technique for now as he didn’t want to overwhelm them with lots of things to meditate on. However, Kerrigan’s situation was unique as she wouldn’t be able to fight at all if she wasn’t given the second Cultivation Technique along with the first; not properly at least. Although this might breed jealousy in the hearts of the others, it was also a good way to test their loyalty and trust in him. A loyal soldier would not worry about getting rewarded but would worry about being rewarded too much. On the contrary, a disloyal soldier would want rewards even if he was undeserving of them and they would be jealous if other soldiers receive more rewards than he does. Marcus decided to use this to decide whether it was worth him investing large amounts of resources into a group of ten who lack numbers in comparison to an army. After all, why would he nurture a poisonous snake and keep it by his side? To get bitten by it? However, he also wanted to use this opportunity to justify his actions of what was frankly favouritism. Ultimately, people would unsatisfied which such a biased treatment if there was no clear reason for it. It would also give the soldiers in his army something to strive for; who wouldn’t want access to the greatest Cultivation Techniques in a ruthless world such as theirs? Deep down, Marcus wanted to also know whether his Honour Guards treated him as a father or simply their ruler and leader as they so imply.

The second Cultivation Technique that Marcus wanted to give Kerrigan was called Sea God’s Rage. Kerrigan also had some affinity with the water element despite being pretty weak but it’s an affinity nonetheless. Sea God’s Rage, despite having the word ‘rage’ in its name, is a defensive technique that focused on summoning monsters to defend oneself and powerful shields that could withstand even time itself. The reason for the word ‘rage’ being in its name is that its only attacking means is a multi-target attack with a massive radius which is capable of wiping out entire continents in a single strike. Another reason is that the surrounding water would dry up when a skilled practitioner of Sea God’s Rage executed his techniques. This was because the water would retreat and surround the practitioner in a defensive tornado made up of water. As for why it has ‘Sea God’ in its name is due to some legends that this Cultivation Technique had been handed down by a Sea God but also because the techniques in this Cultivation Technique would grow stronger in the presence of water especially seawater. In the presence of seawater, the practitioner gains the ability to control the entire ocean as if he was a Sea God.