Ringo kept his eyes closed in the training room, feeling the changes within his body, he had already adapted his physiognomy, each cell now possessing MCs.
He had been trying to merge the MCs with his lineage, trying to find a gene capable of fusing with that energy, but he could only sigh in the end, there was no way to fuse. Even when he did fuse, the MCs were merely converted into energy for his cells, nothing more.
The problem persisted, there was no basis, much less genes, so it couldn't even copy the functions of that energy.
Frustrating, yes, but for now, he could only give up.
He opened his eyes as he felt his cells vibrating, they were becoming increasingly stable. This was not a good thing, he was reaching the limit of what he could achieve in Grade A.
The only way to continue progressing was through a change in living standards, that is, advancing to Grade S.
Even training with Ames wasn't helping much anymore, he could say that in terms of pure physique, he was superior to all Grade A Supers in the galaxy. His energy had also reached a point of saturation, even his soul could no longer absorb energy. He had practically stopped consuming souls and left everything to Hila and the others.
He thought that when that moment arrived, he would feel happiness, but the truth was that he felt irritated, the feeling of being on top couldn't lessen his frustration at not being able to take another step forward.
Sighing, Ringo pursed his lips, he knew he needed a fight that would truly allow him to move forward, but that was also why he was worried.
He couldn't just go find a target in the galaxy, no, what he needed was a life-or-death fight, a fight that would put everything on the line.
Ringo is a cautious guy, he prefers to have plans for his plans and hated to gamble everything, if he could have a thousand ways to survive, he wouldn't accept 999.
This paranoia and insecurity led Ringo to where he is now. He didn't think there was anything wrong with it, in his mind, living is the greatest victory. He didn't want to be like those Pugilists who might bet their lives on any fight.
However, he knew he had no more choices, he was trapped, and this whole thing frustrated him to no end.
So, he was ready, ready to leave.
Ringo would follow that intuition, an intuition born when he reached the breaking point, an intuition that was heightened by his precognition, he could sense that in the galaxy, there was something or someone that could truly put his life at risk, while at the same time he could give it his all.
Ames wouldn't do, the woman wouldn't come on strong to him, he knew that, and so did she. He really needed to be at risk.
So Ringo began making his preparations.
The first thing was Black Spider, he left everything with Hila and left.
The clones in various places also returned, even the one from Dark Star. Fortunately, Ringo had already done enough work, most of Dark Star's high command was already Ringo's, so he could leave calmly, although he hadn't found a chance to assassinate the leader of Dark Star.
The Nightmare marks were also removed one after another, he first spent time with Hila, Eva, and Emma, before returning to Aquamarine to spend time with Melissa, Aurora, Emma, Jack, and Will.
They all sensed something was wrong, but Ringo only said that he needed to go on a mission and would lose contact, unable to leave clones behind.
They understood that Ringo wouldn't change his mind, so nobody stopped him.
Ringo spent a few days having fun with his women before finally getting closer to Ames.
The woman was training, something truly rare, with her eyes closed, covered in greenish energy, she floated above her throne with her legs crossed while her hair fluttered in the wind.
As soon as Ringo approached, she didn't stop at first, it was only when he reached the front of her throne that she opened her eyes, and they stared at each other for a long moment.
-You're leaving.- She said.
-Yes.- Ringo nodded calmly.
They remained silent for a moment longer, Ames finally closed her eyes again, Ringo stood still for a moment, looking at her.
She wasn't the most beautiful woman in the galaxy, nor were her physical attributes what Ringo preferred, although she could be considered beautiful, she wasn't the type to move nations.
Even so, Ringo found himself unable to take his eyes off her for a moment, everything she had done for him, everything they had been through together, he remembered. He was only sure of one thing: she was important to him.
Looking away, he turned to leave, his steps firm.
As he was about to leave, he heard the soft voice say. -Come back soon.
Ringo stopped, he froze, for a moment he wanted to turn around, go to that woman and kiss her.
He turned his head, seeing that she was still floating with her eyes closed. He seemed undecided for a long moment before letting out a soft laugh. Yes, he was overcomplicating things.
It wasn't the right time yet, he would take her for himself, but only when he returned, when he could finally look her in the eyes as an equal.
He looked at her for another moment before saying. -Ames, when I get back, we'll go for a walk together.
It wasn't a question.
He turned and left.
Ames didn't say a word from beginning to end, it was only when Ringo was already far away that she opened her eyes, a faint smile crossing her lips. -Traveling together, right? Well, I'll be waiting.