Chapter 119: A Matter of Mood (10)

The barrier formed by integrating the entire legion’s power didn’t seem like it was working at all. Just looking at Gith-Za-Rai’s expression made that clear.

The Ashen Knight had stopped moving, but he didn’t appear troubled in the slightest. The geometric circuits etched into his dark gray armor flashed.

Pshht!

A massive sphere of light shot into the air from his orange-glowing gauntlet. I instinctively turned to look at Isabelle.

Her eyes widened. She swallowed hard and gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. She looked utterly powerless. The moment the world turned blindingly bright, the massive sphere exploded.

Booooom!

The massive sphere exploded, scattering thousands—no, tens of thousands of light beams in all directions.

Death and destruction. The chaos was brief, but the silence that followed was long. The weight of instant annihilation and devastation settled over everything.

However, not everyone died. Isabelle, a few others, and I had survived by standing behind Gith-Za-Rai. The Ashen Knight tilted his head, mildly irritated that some had lived, and began walking toward us.

"R-run..."

I swallowed my words and glanced around. No one was in any state to flee.

"

Uh... uhhh!

" Gith-Za-Rai gasped raggedly as she was riddled with holes like a beehive.

Everyone behind her stood frozen. Isabelle, too, could only tremble sporadically.

Crunch!

The Ashen Knight crushed Gith-Za-Rai with a swing of his sword. The sound of bone and flesh being pulverized in equal measure was sickening.

Thud.

Death walked forward, swinging his sword from top to bottom. The Skeletons standing behind the necromancer were sliced apart in groups of three or four with a single stroke. The greatsword cut through them effortlessly, leaving a thin layer of bone dust on its surface.

Tap.

"

Ugh... uuh

...."

Before I knew it, only Isabelle and I remained. Pure terror gripped her, and her hands trembled violently.

Clatter.

I picked up a sword, not knowing whose it was, and pointed the tip at the Ashen Knight.

This thing....

I realized something. I didn’t know why, but I could tell that I was the only one who could attack him. Isabelle was stronger than me, but she was paralyzed by fear, unable to move properly.

Even Gith-Za-Rai had been overwhelmed with dread when facing the Ashen Knight. Yet, the pressure I felt was bearable.

Is it because this is my second encounter?

Although his appearance startled me the first time, I hadn't felt a fear so strong that it froze me in place.

I have to do it.

He looked down at me coldly. Beyond his helmet, crimson light burned and swirled.

Πόσο ασήμαντη είσαι......

I couldn’t understand a word, but it was the same language as before. The Ashen Knight lifted his greatsword into the air, ready to tear me apart.

Whoosh!

However, it passed right through me.

[You have acquired Two-Handed Swordsmanship Lv. 4!]

[You have acquired Two-Handed Swordsmanship Lv. 5!]

[You have acquired Slash Lv. 2!]

[You have acquired Cleave Lv. 2!]

This is it!

I recognized the pattern. Having experienced it twice, I was certain now. I wasn’t simply dodging his attacks—I was absorbing them.

The red circuits on the Ashen Knight’s helmet flashed. The patterns covering more than half of his face glowed a deep, furious red. It was the same reaction as before.

Next is....

Shhk!

Dozens of swords materialized in midair like wings.

Wooooong!

The void itself groaned as it split open. The floating swords rained down on me.

It's exactly the same!

Swish!

The swords passed right through me, and a hollow emptiness remained in the air where they had struck. Everything was the same. The circuits on the knight’s body flared with rage, burning a furious red.

Would my attack... work?

Realizing I wouldn’t be hit gave me a strange surge of courage, igniting the will to fight.

I kicked off the ground, sprinting forward with my sword raised. It was the fastest I could move.

Whoosh!

However, my sword cut nothing but air. The Ashen Knight's speed was so great it felt like an illusion. The knight completely ignored me and moved past.

Squelch!

I turned around, hearing the horrifying sound of flesh being torn apart from behind me. Isabelle Simone, still trembling in fear, had been impaled through the stomach and lifted into the air like a skewer.

A massive greatsword protruded from her back, jagged bone fragments piercing her organs.

"

Arghh... ahh, ahhh!

"

Just moments ago, Isabelle had flushed at the mention of the marquis’ name. Now, her pupils dilated in shock.

The Ashen Knight flicked his sword, and Isabelle dropped to the ground like discarded trash.

I stood there, staring blankly at her. She was already dead.

I lunged forward, swinging my sword. Yet, my sword didn’t reach him at all. The Ashen Knight had already distanced himself, glancing back at me briefly.

His presence was suffocating. The scattered blood and corpse fragments seemed to swirl into the air like dust. He stepped into the gaping void and into the grotesque underbelly of the world.

The void collapsed shut behind him. There was no seam. The slaughterer had vanished.

"..."

Clatter.

I picked up a sword beside me and used it to push myself up from the ground.

I looked around. Death had blanketed the battlefield like a vast curtain. Once again, I was the only survivor.

Since this was my second time, I regained my composure much faster. I forced myself to move and take a step forward.

Thud.

My foot hit Isabelle’s corpse. I looked down and saw her stomach gruesomely torn open.

He’s not on humanity’s side.

The Ashen Knight had massacred Gith-Za-Rai's army. I had assumed the Ashen Knight was on the emperor’s side, but if that were the case, he wouldn’t have killed Isabelle, Captain of the Imperial Guard. His true allegiance remained unknown.

Regardless, Isabelle was dead, just like last time. Marquis Leandro would find out soon.

Is he going to start chasing me now?

The thought of having changed nothing left me feeling restless. I gently closed Isabelle’s wide-open eyes.

"..."

Stepping over the wreckage, I approached Gith-Za-Rai. Rather than a corpse, she resembled a ruin. Rather than murdered, it was more accurate to say she had been destroyed.

I recalled her final words.

"Tell me not to give up just because I couldn’t find it. Tell me to dream parallel to the Sun of Lindbrum."

The Sun of Lindbrum... parallel dreams...

I didn’t know what it meant. These had been her last words—her final token, given in the hope that it might stop her next time.

Would it truly make a difference if I used those words?

Standing before Gith-Za-Rai’s corpse, I fell silent. My emotions were mixed, but what I needed to do now was brutally simple. I reached toward the necromancer’s shining remains.

[Target has undergone skull integration.

Special conditions fulfilled.]

[Epic Skill: Essence Absorption Lv.1 detected.

Epic skill holder limit (1) confirmed.

Adjustment process complete.

Absorption authorized.]

[You have acquired Essence Absorption Lv. 2!

Assimilation Rate has decreased!

Assimilation Rate: 81.53%]

I absorbed yet another epic skill, neither a rare nor a unique skill.

[Your bones have fully adapted to the Essence Absorption process. Instant digestion of absorbed abilities is now possible.]

[— Digestion time: 24:00:00 → Instant

— You can now absorb essence far more efficiently.

— The amount of essence that can be extracted from a single corpse has increased by 50%.

— Essence absorption is now possible from corpses up to 7 days old.

— The maximum stat cap for absorption has increased to 75.

— The grade of absorbable skills has increased by one tier!

— Due to Essence Absorption Lv. 2, skill absorption is now limited to rare-grade skills.

Standing atop this immense tragedy, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. The amount of essence I could absorb had increased, and the maximum stat cap I could reach through absorption had risen significantly.

The time frame for skill absorption had expanded from within forty-eight hours of death to within seven days. Above all, the most enticing prospect was the ability to absorb rare skills. If I could acquire rare skills, the efficiency of essence absorption would reach an entirely new level.

Thud.

I sank to my knees in front of Gith-Za-Rai. Carefully, I placed her hands together, closed her eyes, and tidied up the remains.

"Next time," I said softly.

As I stared at her blankly, a tangled mix of guilt over taking, satisfaction from my gain, and the responsibility to protect the future swirled within me.

The glow faded. I could no longer absorb anything from her, not even skills akin to the Lord of Bones. It seemed essence absorption had been the final act.

Tap.

I turned back toward the corpses of the imperial guards and Isabelle. The pit no longer gleamed as brightly, with only seven corpses emitting light, including the two wizards lying further away.

My standards have gotten higher.

I absorbed the knights’ essence and gained a few minor skills such as Sword Training, Horsemanship, and Mounted Spear Combat.

Training... might be useful if I ever get a chance to teach Lena.

Of course, that was only if I had the opportunity. If the marquis were after me, I’d likely be dead soon. Health, Agility, and Strength remained unchanged.

There wasn’t a single knight whose stats surpassed mine. I also absorbed Isabelle’s essence.

Maybe...

I wondered if I could absorb Insight, the prerequisite for using Sword Energy, but that was impossible. Instead, my Agility and Strength surged.

Another message appeared.

[You have acquired Sword Energy Lv. 1!]

[You can manifest a faint sword aura at the tip of your sword. At low proficiency, weapons frequently break. As the level increases, the manifestation range and control will improve. Sword Energy Lv. 6 and beyond is classified as a separate tier.]

It’s finally working.

But another message immediately followed.

[Insight Lv. 1 is required.]

[Skill cannot be used.]

Hmm.

The message stated I needed to attain some sort of realization about the sword. However, such realizations were never easy. Isabelle’s corpse no longer emitted any light.

Tap.

Now, only the wizards remained. Unlike last time, when they had been reduced to nothing more than bloodstains, their corpses now radiated a bright glow.

They didn't glow as bright as Gith-Za-Rai’s, but even from afar, their luminescence was distinct. I stepped past the lifeless, non-glowing corpses and debris to reach them.

The wizards' severed necks lay open. I didn’t have the time or concern to reattach them. I reached for their bloodstained robes, now a deep crimson.

Absorb.

Wooooong!

A powerful green light surged into my bones, reverberating throughout me. It was my first time absorbing magic-based essence. I focused on drawing in the energy from the wizards who could invoke magic without mandalas, reagents, or scrolls.

They were the Wizards of Azure. Although they fell into Gith-Za-Rai’s massive trap and died, they were not weak. With a flick of their staffs, they could conjure flames, freeze the ground, and summon lightning.

Only two hundred wizards of the Tower existed in the entire empire. Now, I stood before the corpses of two Wizards of Azure, ready to steal their power.

Wooooong!

Since I had failed to save the necromancer, I had an obligation to absorb every last drop of essence from this place.

[You have acquired Magic Charge Lv. 1!]

[A secret technique that allows wizards to invoke magic without scrolls, mandalas, or reagents. Stores magic within the caster’s Arcane Heart and triggers it through circuits.]

Magic Charge?

Magic Charge was an unfamiliar concept. I knew that without an Arcane Heart, magic training was meaningless. However, I had never heard of this technique before.

Is this something exclusive to Tower wizards?

It felt like I had peeked behind the curtain of a secret society. The world was far deeper and wider than what I knew.

A system message popped up.

Ding!

[An Arcane Heart is required!]

[You cannot use the skill.]

Clatter.

I lowered my skull and looked inside my hollow rib cage.

An Arcane Heart, huh....

I lacked even a normal heart, let alone an Arcane Heart. It wasn’t something I could simply find and implant, either.

Hmm.

For now, I continued absorbing. Bright green light flooded into me, and more messages appeared.

[You have acquired Blaze Lv. 1!]

[You have acquired Blaze Lv. 2!]

[An Arcane Heart is required!

Skill cannot be used.]

[You have acquired Wind Blast Lv. 1!]

[An Arcane Heart is required!

Skill cannot be used.]

[You possess Blaze and Wind Blast.

Releasing new skill: Flare of Detonation Lv. 1.]

[An Arcane Heart is required.

Skill cannot be used.]

[You have acquired Thunder Strike Lv. 1!]

[An Arcane Heart is required.]

[You have acquired Ice Barrier Lv. 1!]

[An Arcane Heart is required.]

[You have acquired Frost Lv. 1!]

[An Arcane Heart is required.]

This is getting frustrating....

Ironically, the only skills I could use were the ones I had absorbed when their light had dimmed.

[You have acquired Double Casting Lv. 1!]

[You have acquired Meditation Lv. 1!]

[You have acquired Meditation Lv. 2!

— Meditation clears distractions and calms the mind.

— Deep Meditation allows one to confront their inner self.

— Has a low probability of granting Insight.

— At higher levels, Meditation enables the creation of personal conceptual spaces or clairvoyance.]

[You have acquired Focus Lv. 1!]

[You have acquired Focus Lv. 2!

— Concentrates scattered consciousness.

— Enhances training effects of skills.

— When combined with Meditation, its effectiveness is greatly increased.

— At higher levels, Focus allows manipulation of sensory perception.]

This could work.

Even if I couldn’t use magic without an Arcane Heart or access Double Casting, both Meditation and Focus were highly useful skills in the present. They enhanced training efficiency, but more importantly...

[There is a low probability of attaining Insight during Meditation.]

Ding!

I opened my skill window. I checked the Sword Energy skill I had absorbed from Isabelle.

[Insight Lv. 1 is required.]

[Skill cannot be used.]

If I use Meditation...

Unexpectedly, I found a clue about unlocking Sword Energy.