Seventeen people. Seventeen human lives. Seventeen deaths to add to his body count.

The stench of death filled his nostrils as his gaze drank the sights before him, burning them into his memory. He did it; he killed them like pigs. The moment they walked into the nest, their lives were forfeit. They just didn't know it at that time.

And all of that because a fucking dead god had to interfere. Leo shook his head, taking a seat on a Vetilim-covered bench. I hope you're happy Geron, Nikra... In the end, it's all your fault.

Yet, despite those thoughts, nothing could change the fact that he was the one to slaughter those people. Geron's and Nikra's actions brought him to this point, but it was he who took their lives without any hesitation.

There was no other way.

As much as he would have liked to free Payne's group from Geron's influence, he had no idea how to do that. Even if he sacrificed weeks, or maybe even months, trying to find a solution, he couldn't be sure he would succeed. It was way beyond him.

Besides, as he told Lily, he didn't plan on saving everyone he met. Nobody aside from him and his family mattered in the long run. If killing Payne's people could raise their chances of survival, he would do it again and again.

And that's the hard truth. Leo sighed, staring at the corpse of the Winged Emissary. Hopefully, there is something for you all in the life after death. I'm sorry, rest well.

With that, he stood up and went from corpse to corpse, turning them all to dust in a matter of seconds. Like before, he took all the leftover equipment and stored it deep in his soul. The Emissaries' legacy would live on whether they wanted it or not.

That should be it. Now, notifications. Come on, System. Show me what you got.

Blessed Emissary x16 slain | Expirience awarded | 1463 Ether absorbed

Winged Emissary (Light Valkyrie LVL: 27) slain | Expirience awarded | 328 Ether absorbed

Congratulations! You have reached level 39. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.

One level for over a dozen human lives. I don't know how to feel about that. Leo grimaced, dismissing the notifications and the wave of power that washed over him. What happened, happened.

He looked around the massive chamber one more time, spotting the single tunnel leading deeper into the nest. He had no reason to walk out anyway—might as well finish what the Emissaries started. His trip back to Wolford could wait a bit, and he could really use this to take his mind off what he had just done.

I should contact Nyx first. He decided, opening their link. Yet before he could say anything, the ground trembled again and then again. Far away explosions echoed all around him, the sounds barely reaching him this deep in the nest.

Now, it begins. You better take the bait, Payne.

'Leo? Why did you open the bond?' the feline asked, obviously hearing his thought. 'Are you done already?'

Yeah... He muttered. All seventeen of them are dead. They won't hurt anyone again.

Nyx remained silent for a moment. 'Are you... are you okay?'

Leo smiled slightly. Been better, but nothing I can't handle. I guess, now I'm really a monster. Not even Lily can deny that.

'It doesn't matter who or what we are,' the feline said. 'We did what was necessary. We did what we had to do to survive. Now, we continue living.'

"That we do," he whispered.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Nyx, of course, was right. Unfortunately, unlike her, he was a human not that long ago. The Void could change him as much as it wanted, but a small link to humanity would always remain connected to him. Well, maybe in a few years, that wouldn't be true any longer, but who could really know?

Everything's good on your side? Leo asked, deciding to focus on what was important.

'Pretty much. I struck fast and didn't give them a chance to fight back. The winged one tried, but he had no idea how to face someone like me.' Nyx chuckled. 'It was honestly amusing. I almost decided to play with him for a bit.'

Of course you did. He rolled his eyes. The less he thought about the feline toying with her prey, the better. Are you deep into the nest? We can finish what the Emissaries started if you want.

The feline hummed. 'I had to chase them for a bit, so I should be close to the final room. If you think your sister can wait a bit for me, then I will gladly kill the nest guardian."

Go for it. I plan to do the same here.

'Have fun then. I know I will.'

Leo chuckled, shaking his head as their link went silent again. He dropped Stealth Shroud completely and extended his blades. A single Koukar flew to his side, and together, they descended into the tunnel leading into the depths of the nest.

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Blood dripped from every inch of his body as he cut and slashed at everything that came his way. None could survive the power of his new evolution combined with Kiss of Death and Phantom Erasure.

Brutes lost their heads before they could even punch him. Reapers collapsed into four separate parts before their blades even got close to him. Sprinters and Walkers died in heaps as not even their ability to wield Essence could save them from his cold fury.

The swarm kept coming at him from each side. Some Voidlings crawled out of the Vetilim on the floor, while others dropped from the walls or the ceiling. At this point, Leo didn't even have any idea where he was because it definitely wasn't the Westfield shopping center any longer.

Opening ahead! He growled, activating his shadows along the walls and filling the entire corridor with spikes of all sizes. The swarm let out a final screech before falling silent, clearing the path toward the exit as they all collapsed.

"And that's it," he muttered, turning to his only companion. How the hell did the lone poison-type Koukar survive all of that? He had no idea.

"Well, friend, there you go." He pointed to the tunnel's exit. "Go and see what's waiting for us there."

The half-bee, half-hornet, gave a nod and shot past him, flying into the chamber ahead. Leo followed slowly, devouring the corpses around him in the meantime. No reason to waste resources.

"Holy shit," he mumbled when he reached the end of the tunnel. The chamber before him was even larger than the one in which he fought the Emissaries. It also looked more like an underground jungle cave than any room he had passed on the way here.

There were trees, massive bushes, vines, and tall grass everywhere, all painted in the colors of the Void. And then, in the middle of it all, stood a single creature, at least twice as tall as him.

It resembled all of the Cursed Voidlings he had fought until now. It was like someone mashed all those monsters into one thing, hoping something unique would come out.

And maybe it did...

After all, how else could he describe a creature with multiple bodies sewn together? Its base form might have looked the most like a Cursed Juggernaut, but he could also see parts of Screamers, Reapers, Walkers, or even Crawlers attached to its body.

Disgusting... What the hell are you?

Cursed Amalgam (Voidling) | Rank: E+ | LVL: 36 | Type: Special, Regenerator, Armor, Might, Surface, Fire

Amalgam? Leo quirked an eyebrow. Fitting... Bestiary?

Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Cursed Amalgam

Expected Potential: N/A

Arsenal: N/A

Known Weaknesses: N/A

Cursed Amalgams are a special type of Voidlings, even among the Cursed variants. They are born during cluster evolutions, and their form, maximum potential, weaknesses, and strengths depend wholly on the creatures taking part in the process. Amalgams must always be approached with caution. You can never know what one of them is truly capable of.

Now, that's a lot of nothing. He sighed and focused on connection to his remaining minion. Fly around it, but don't get too close. Annoy it a bit.

Instantly, the Koukar flew down from its perch on one of the Vetilim trees and dived for the Amalgam. Dozens of crimson eyes turned to the new arrival as the massive beast raised its multiple arms.

The Koukar continued to fly in circles, sometimes spitting poison on the Voidling below. The Amalagam remained unfazed as flames slowly spread over its body, intensifying with each passing second. Soon not even an inch of the beast was left untouched by the fire.

Then, with a deafening roar coming from its countless mouths, it unleashed the flames in a massive dome, incinerating everything in its path—including the Koukar. The attack didn't end there, and not even a second later, the fire erupted again and again, consuming more and more of the chamber with each burst.

Leo blinked, rubbing his eyes as the attack finally stopped after the fourth blast. The Amalgam sat down, its multiple eyelids closing, hiding its crimson gaze from the world.

Huh...