A sealed iron door bursts open. External damage dispels surrounding enchantments and scrolls.
*BOOOM!!*
I glance inside and furrow my brow. It's another stranger.
"Tch..."
I'm already reaching the bottom, this is the last cell on the chamber's wall.
"Kill those who resist!"
*BOOOM!!!*
*BAMMM!!*
"Arghh!!"
"Die!"
Above me screams the disastrous battle between security personnel and captives I released. The prisoners are doing a decent job holding back those knights.
I jump down the cell to the floor. One last cell remains rooted deep beneath the chamber. A small hole with iron bars lies in the middle of the ground.
I run to it and finally find my father chained in the small room beyond the bars.
!!
But...why is his cell in such a solitary position?
"Stop."
A voice rumbles in my ears. Loud and clear. The disturbance from above vanishes as a barrier of mana appears. A sense of chill runs down my spine.
A silhouette reveals his presence in the shadows, a bald old man wearing a blue coat and pants, his uniform adorned with priceless gems and gold lining.
!!!!
What the fuck...? Why is he here?
His calm and distinct aura sets him apart from many grandmaster swordsmen, he is the Warden of The Royal Prison, Darilyus Natuilles.
The tension on the eastern frontlines between Darto and Icaris should have deployed Darilyus there!
"Are you committing Desertion?" I say.
"...What?" He raises his brow.
Shit...The future changed again?!
Darilyus draws his sword. His gaze fixated on my hilt.
"Surrender yourself," Darilyus says. I sense no killing intent.
...
According to statistics, an ordinary person can become a Master Swordsman if they dedicates their entire life to training. However, the Grandmaster realm is a different classification. One Grandmaster can decide an entire war and win against hundreds of Masters.
The requirements to be acknowledged as a grandmaster are rather vague for many reasons but every grandmaster has one thing in common. Their aura is dense enough to disrupt the mana around them.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
A cerulean blue aura naturally appears from his sword, completely replacing the colour of the blade. His aura seeps out from the edge and dances in the atmosphere.
The mana in my body trembles; My instinct screams to run. I grip the handle of my sword tighter. The sound of a drumming heartbeat numbs my ears.
My sight catches his aura that spreads across the area. It's different from a Master's domain where the aura is blasted out, Darilyus has full control of his dissipated aura.
...
----------
Darilyus Natuilles
Fate: 10902
Role: Minor Character
Talents:
-Sword Tier 11
-Mana Control Tier 2
-Speed Tier 8
-Cooking Tier 2
-Alchemist Tier 2
Attributes:
-Water Tier 1
Skills:
-Unbreakable Fortitude
-Sage Insight
-Lighting Reaction
-Battle Foresight
Extract?
[Yes][No]
------------
Darilyus underestimates me and plans to subdue me. If his guard falls further, I might find a chance to drink the potion and deal considerable damage, especially after I extract him.
But...I don't want to kill him.
He might not know me now but we met in the future of my previous life. He was the only one willing to help investigate my father's death. Occasionally, he gave donations to my family and taught me various skills.
...
Betrayal from an obvious spy killed him. A kind fool until the end.
"Please...my father was..."
...I have no excuse. My father did commit treason and I'm an intruder who broke into the prison. We are both criminals.
Darilyus walks closer. "Do not resist."
"Please listen to me...please let this go. Just this once. My father disobeyed orders to find me. I was in danger."
"And in the process, Lorain fell."
"Keuk...someone orchestrated this!!! There is a true mastermind behind all of this!"
He stays silent.
...
"Please don't make me do this," I say.
...
It hurts. Guilt stabbing every part of my soul. It didn't hurt this much when I participated in illegal activities or destroyed the lives of many strangers because it had to be done for the people I love.
Darilyus throws one slash, instantly erupting the walls behind me.
"Final chance."
...
"F-Fuck..." I mumble. "D-Damn it...fuck...fuck..."
Darilyus furrows his brow as his gaze shoots to my face. I wonder what expression I'm making now?
...
Hey goddess...this power I have...can I extract his talent and skills without affecting his fate?
...
...
----------
It is not possible. Stealing his innate abilities will inevitably diminish his fate.
----------
...Yeah, I know.
Fuck...
----------
Fate:519820 -> 530722
Karma: 209100 -> 300299
You've obtained the talent:
-Mana Control Tier 2
-Cooking Tier 2
-Alchemist Tier 2
Talent:
-Sword Tier 8 -> 10
You've obtained the attribute:
-Water Tier 1
You've obtained the following skills:
-Unbreakable Fortitude
-Sage Insight
-Lighting Reaction
-Battle Foresight
Your sword talent has surpassed the single digit, a physical integration may commence on your command. Your life will be sustained
Would you like to commence Full Integration?
(Your current state can withstand the process)
----------
...Yes.
"Creak...Crack!"
My body twists and breaks, bones broken, and veins severed.
!!?
"What...are you doing?!" Darilyus exclaims. "What's happening?"
The brutal sound of bones and muscles snapping fills the air. My limbs curl with chilling horrors and my torso expands and contracts.
The terror ignites Darilyus to attack. One slash from his aura decimated my body to many pieces of blood and guts.
To his surprise, sparks of golden electric blaze through the gore, connecting cell to cell and tissue to tissue.
"Divinity?" Darilyus mumbles. Any attempt to attack the monstrosity receives a mysterious rebellion. He can only watch as my body reconstructs into an ethereal physique, one blessed by the goddess.
...
Of course, I was unaware of that phenomenon. To me, I experienced his entire life in under four minutes in my mind realm. My enhanced soul, perhaps, engulfed his fragmented soul. I didn't suffer any consequences.
"I do not want to anger the gods, apostle of an unknown divinity," Darilyus says.
"Then let me go."
"You know I can't do that...So be it."
He leaps behind me and throws a slash that I ducked to avoid.
?!
Following another vertical cut, several blades of mana dives from the atmosphere. I flawlessly dodge his cut with a sidestep and deflect all the mana.
...?
Darilyus instantly notices something wrong. His movements feel sluggish, his senses amiss. Nevertheless, it gave me enough time to swallow the potion.