Nyx slowly reformed next to him as Leo stared at the remains of the Apex Frostwraith Reaper. It had been going so well, and yet, his Ruination still failed to do what it was supposed to. It went out of control just like he had feared it would.

"Dammit," he mumbled again.

"Hey, at least you tried," Nyx said, resting a part of her tail on his shoulder. "I honestly expected this to fail during the first phase. That you have managed to cut off its connection to the rift is a miracle in itself."

Leo clicked his tongue. "Yeah, I know. It was a long shot, anyway… Still, I was so damn close. If I had more control over Ruination, more experience, then maybe…" His shoulders sagged. "Oh well… that's a lesson for the future."

"Exactly." Nyx flashed her best feline grin. "Next time, you will get it right. Although, maybe you should try this out on something weaker than an Apex Nightmare… You were really playing with fire here."

"I will consider that," he smiled wryly, only to wince a moment later. He tried to hide it, but with the feline standing in front of him, it was pretty much impossible.

"Leo? What's wrong? Don't tell me you overdid it."

He grinned. "Very well, I won't." Before he could say more, another sharp pain shot through his body. "Never mind, I definitely overdid it."

"Leo!" she growled. "You promised. Bellatoure, now!"

As if I didn't plan to use it anyway, he thought, rolling his eyes as he downed the enhanced mixture. It burned going down at first, but the sensation quickly changed to a cool wave, soothing the damage Ruination had caused inside him.

"Much better. I should be fine by the time we have to leave."

"Good," Nyx harrumphed, keeping her eyes narrowed at him. "Next time you try to push yourself past your limit, I will slap you and knock you out. I swear."

Leo raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. Just wanted to finish what I began.That's all. Really thought I could do it, too. High risk, high reward, as they say."

Judging by her scowl, the feline wasn't satisfied with this apology. "You aren't using Ruination again unless it's an emergency. Understood?"

"Aye, aye!" He mock saluted, trying to unload some of the tension.

It must have worked as Nyx sighed and slapped the back of his head with her tail. He just chuckled as the hit didn't even make him stumble.

Well, it's time for the loot. We don't have much time left here anyway.

Time remaining: 24 minutes, 25 seconds

First, Leo summoned the remaining System notifications. There weren't many of those, but like always, they brought some very nice news.

Apex Frostwraith Reaper (LVL: 89) slain | Experience awarded | 832 Ether gained

Congratulations! You have reached level 80. Class and Racial attributes have been distributed.

Must have been close to seventy-nine. If the Supercluster had only given him three levels, it seemed unlikely a single Apex Nightmare could almost match that. Although the beast had controlled the entire third layer, so maybe there was something to it.

Another thought for the future, he mused and dismissed the notifications as his gaze fell to the pile left behind by the Nightmare. At least I got its weapon.

With a chuckle, Leo crouched before the pile and grabbed the frozen scimitar. Like he expected, coldness washed over his hand, spreading frost across his fingers. It was uncomfortable but not enough to make him drop the weapon.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Frostwraith Scimitar (Epic):

A weapon naturally born through the cultivation of Ice Essence by an Apex Frostwraith Reaper. Despite its weak base, this scimitar is almost indestructible to anyone without proper knowledge. After endless years of strengthening, it became as sharp as some weapons straight from the furnaces of Master Smiths. Additionally, thanks to its first wielder, anyone using this scimitar may draw on the element of ice.

Oh… His eyes widened a bit. The sounded powerful, but not for a moment did he think it could grant the ability to use another affinity. Sure, the Blades of Chained Inferno allowed him to wield Bloodfire, but that was only by enveloping the weapon in flames—nothing more.

Let's see…

Leo stood up and aimed the sword in a random direction. His Essence went out next, entering the blade and mixing with its energy.

Now, if I do this…

With a flick, a cluster of sharp icicles shot out of the scimitar. They didn't fly too fast or do any damage to the cave's wall, but for a first attempt, it wasn't too bad.

Definitely has some potential, he hummed and stored the weapon in his soul. He then returned to the pile and snatched the remnants of the Reaper's cloak. Identify activated but gave him nothing in return.

Leo frowned but still took the cloth with him. Even if it didn't hold any true value, perhaps Naz'Tor would want it. Maybe it wasn't a body part like the alien asked for, but it was better than nothing.

"Now, what are you?" he whispered as he gently picked up the rough blue-red shard resting atop the pile. Like the Frostwraith Scimitar, it radiated a natural aura of coldness.

Interesting. Identify.

Dormant Soul Shard (Unique):

A tiny shard of the Apex Frostwraith Reaper killed by the Prime Indomitus Venax. The soul resting inside is dormant and not ready to be awoken yet. Shards like this have countless uses. Warning! Destroying the shard means destroying the piece of the soul sleeping inside it.

Leo glanced at Nyx. "See that?" He nodded at the shard. "Looks like I didn't fail as hard as I thought."

The feline furrowed her brow, eying the item warily. "Don't tell me you want to somehow—"

"Not now." He waved her off. "I'm not that mad, but just think! I will need to experiment a bit more and probably fail a few more times, but this could work. Well, maybe… Anyhow, it's a project for far, far future. We have more important stuff to worry about now."

"Exactly. Glad we are finally on the same page," Nyx nodded. "Can we go then? Are you fine now?"

Leo stretched his body, bracing for the pain to return, but none did. Just to make sure, he summoned a spark of Ruination, letting it course across his limbs and torso. Once more, no pain came to mess with his day—he smiled.

"I'm good, but gimme a second."

Even though he didn't promise Naz'Tor anything—and he already had the cloak—he still wanted to get more for the merchant. That was why he returned to the remnants of the Nightmare and scooped some of the leftover dust into a small bag he had inside his soul.

I want to see his face when I hand him some dust and a tattered cloak. Leo chuckled, already imagining his next meeting with the merchant. Even if the alien didn't have a normal face, he bet his reaction would be priceless. Unless, of course, those items somehow had some value.

Yeah, no.

"All right, let's go. The Void is waiting!" He exclaimed, eyes on the Void Gate.

Nyx gave him a weird look. "Where is this sudden excitement coming from? You said it yourself—we're going deeper into the Void, not back to Earth."

Leo shrugged. "For once, I'm trying to keep a positive outlook. Maybe it will pay off."

"Or jinx us."

"Says the one who has already tried to jinx us. Multiple times at that."

Nyx huffed. "I resent that. I was merely commenting on my observations."

"Yeah?" He quirked an eyebrow, fighting back a grin. "Then let me tell you that your observations aren't appreciated. At least not always."

"Sod off," she grumbled, flipping him off with her tail.

"Oh! That's a new one." Leo couldn't hold back his wide grin any longer. "Who taught you that?"

This time, Nyx didn't grace him with an answer and simply sped up. Not that she could go far, as they were already almost at the Void Gate.

"Fine, keep your secrets," he said, patting her head as they stopped by the gate. "Ready to go? Point of no return."

"Not like we have a choice."

"True…" He sighed. "Meet you on the other side then, hmm?"

Nyx nodded, and together they stepped forward, right into the swirling portal of the Void Gate. They might have conquered the rift, but now, the entire Void awaited them with open arms. Only time would tell if they could survive its embrace.