What is this.....?
Where the hell am I this time?
Everything around me is black. Pitch black.
The same pitch black environment. Again.
What hap....
Oh right, I was evolving.
Or did I evolved?
Kai?
Can you hear me? Kai?
.....
.....
Nada. Nothing. What the hell happened to him?
Did he--
"He's fine. He's just unneeded, at the moment."
What the..... "Who is this? Who's talking?" Is that a man or a woman's voice? Or both?
"You don't remember. Not a surprise, however."
"Do I know you?"
The voice chuckled. "Better than anyone else and everyone else."
Okay.... I'm not following.
"You could say we have known each other since the dawn of magic."
"That long....?" The voice doesn't sound like it's lying. "Could you not do that? I'm in no mood for games or riddles."
"Games and riddles?" It laughed. "I thought you're smarter than this. If this was you before your memory lost, you would have quickly grasped the situation and reach an understanding."
Memory loss....?
"You have been watching over me for a long time. Well, not you exactly but your predecessors. You're previous incarnations."
My previous incarnations? The Shepherds? If that's the case then..... Ah. "Is it really you? After all this time?"
"Oh? Seems like you realized who I am, no?"
"Tricky question. Do you have a name? I don't remember you ever having one. Not even faintly."
"Many names but nothing has ever stick. In the end, I'm always forgotten and the one's who do remember me, they kept everything about me a secret. As far as history and historians are concern, I don't exist, never have. Therefore, officially, I am nameless for as long as I have existed."
That's.... sad.
"But.... For a vague term and lack of a better word, they have called me a sheep or a lamb. And you, Hyx Atlas, is--"
"Your shepherd." I continued its sentence. "Your guide. The Harbinger."
"Pleasure to be finally talking with you, face to face..... Well, metaphorically speaking."
"What are you?"
"A parasite? A bug? A mimic? A demon? A creature with an insatiable appetite for power? I'm a lot of things, take your pick."
"You don't know what you are?"
"I do but question is, do you? I have revealed my very being to a lot of people. Yet and still, none seemed to understand or comprehend what I am. Answers, I gave it every time but they don't grasp it, never did. Therefore, I came to a conclusion. Words, are not enough. Actions, in the end, truly does speak louder."
Is this.... whatever the hell is this person another case of nut job?
"You're unconvinced. You're afraid. Uncertain, yes."
"Of course, I am. I don't really know what you are but I know what you have done and what you are doing to me...."
"Ah.... you don't even remember about that. I see. Your wariness is understandable then."
"About what?"
"Our mutual understanding. Do you really think a unison of two souls into one single being can be done without the consent of both parties?"
W-what....?
"This is a consensual decision. We reached a consensus for this."
"W-why would I consent to something like this??"
"Simple. It's because you choose to believe."
"In what?"
"A lot of things. Most notably, her."
"Her?"
The voice sighed. "The Goddess who offered you the chance for another life. The Goddess who is responsible for your reincarnation."
"Why would she.... No. No no no no. For all I know, you could be lying. I-it doesn't make sense."
"If only you could remember...."
"Then make me remember. If I remember everything, wouldn't everything be easy?"
"I'm sure your alter ego have already told you or you have already known. We are unifying into a single soul. That means my memories will become yours and my memories are worth millions and millions of years. What do you think was going to happen if all those memories is dumped into you in minutes, let alone seconds?"
Damn.... the voice has a point, if he isn't lying, that is.
"You chose to believe her. You chose this destiny. I want you to remember, I really do but not without risking of turning you into a vegetable. Which is why, you chose to discard your memories. You believe this route that you chose will bring you closer to your goal."
"And what goal is that?"
"I can't tell you, I'm afraid. I'm not even suppose to be talking you actually. One wrong word, it could trigger those memories coming back like a flash flood."
"Then why are you talking to me?"
"Because.... it felt like you were about to give up."
I am?
"Despite everything you have said or resolved, I can feel hope disappearing from you. You are lying to yourself again and again."
"I am not giving up. I have a family. I have friends who cares for me. I have a bride-to-be. I have a child. I am not going to give up."
"What you have, is more burden. More burden than you think you can ever carry. The burden to protect everything you care for. You can't handle it. Typical of humans to lie to themselves just so they could get through the difficulties that befell on them. That is after all, the reason religions existed. You humans prefer the sweet lie than the ugly truth."
"But I'm no human. Not anymore."
"You are a fool. You're no human? Says who? Says your appraisal? Thing doesn't even have free will nor sentience. Unconsciously, your spirit is breaking. Not even Kai was the wiser because like you, too much burden was also on him and like you, for the most part, he bears the thought process of a human. In the end, you and him, you two lie to yourself to get by day after day. Frankly, watching the sidelines is starting to get sickening."
I want to retort but each of his words hit me hard like the truth that I'm desperately trying to bury.
"What do you want me to do? I didn't ask for this and I ain't even a full fledge adult in my last life but I chose to shut up and bears it all up like a responsible adult anyways. Can you blame me for breaking? Can you blame me for failing even though I have tried so hard, every time."
"The key to survive in this unfair and difficult world, is not to just work hard, but to also work smart. Having just the brains or just the tenacity could only bring you this far. You need both."
"Let's say you're right. I also need to work smart. What do you propose I do?"
"Let it flow. Stop trying to go against destiny. Let it runs its course. Let us become one. Don't fight it. You will only make it worse."
"Meaning?"
"Accept me. Accept yourself. Accept your decisions. Accept your destiny. Accept reality. Smarts don't matter if you do not accept reality."
"It's not easy. You should know that....."
"Yes, it ain't easy but it ain't impossible either. Like I said, tenacity and brains."
"Easier said than done."
"True but what can I do? Unless you are going to make way and let me take over, that's my best advice. What was it that you said to me we both came to a consensus? Everything now will just be all in a hard day's work and at the end of every day, you will look back at the fruits of your labor, thinking to yourself with a smile, that everything was worth it. So-- "
"-- Let's do this."
"Well well, looks like you remember something. That is good."
Those were my words of comfort.
My memories.... some were coming back....
My name.... was Aiden. Aiden Lee.
My previous life.... I was someone born with a terminal illness. Due to my weak constitution, I was confined to a bed with nothing but books, movies, Animes, and the such to appease my boredom for my whole life. My treatment was painful. I endured it every day. My parents are always busy. I have no siblings. No friends nor sympathetic relatives. I was all alone.
All alone without a single shred of freedom.
So, I comfort myself with those words every day. I worked hard to stay alive.
Even so, my hard work didn't matter. I died anyways. Hard work alone isn't enough.
When I finally kicked the bucket, that was when I met the Goddess. A Primordial Being. Oroviosa, that's her name. I remember shortening her name to Visa and she threatened to reincarnate me into a cockroach.
The terms and conditions are still vague but I remember that I told her that I would help her. She was worried about something and I assured her that I would help her with that. I promised her. I was grateful for the second chance. I was warned of the hardship that awaits me but anything is better than being on a bed twenty four seven.
To me, those hardships were freedom to me, not shackles.
It's weird. I was angry and grateful for this second life. Because.... anger was a blue moon to the me before. I was treated like a fragile Chinese Tea Set by everyone.
I wanted this. I was alone. I was shackled. These two scares me more than anything which is why I accepted this life. Anything other than being all alone and strapped to a bed.
"You still have a long way to go, Harbinger but I'm sure you will endure and brave through everything. However, if I ever felt that you're breaking and thinking about giving up the next time, I will take over, capisce?"
I nodded, metaphorically.
"Oh, and a word of advice, an unknown is only feared when it's unknown."
And the voice went silent.
Although not everything was resolved but I felt lighter. I have always felt like I have been put into a grinder but now, the weights are lifted off of me.
[Hyx? Hyx? Are you there?]
[I'm here, Kai. I'm here.]
[Thank goodness. I thought.... I thought....]
[It's alright. I was just.... being educated.]
[I know. Our memories are shared, after all.]
Good. Save me for having to explain. And there's something else....
[And Kai?]
[No need to say. I know. I won't be interfering with the unison any longer but.... do you trust him?]
[No, but I believe. I believe in this second chance that the Goddess gave me. I believe in fulfilling my promise. There is still a long way to go but are you..... are you with me, Kai?]
[Where else would I be?]
[Thank you, Kai. Thank you.... and....]
[I know. I know. Don't say it, Hyx. It's okay. We both know this will come sooner or later.]
[I.... I don't think I need you anymore but I want you to stay....]
[Hyx, I'm not going anywhere. You and I are one.]
[I'm sorry....]
[Your happiness, is mine. Although your mind isn't completely at peace but it is calmer than ever before. I am happy, Hyx.]
[Thank you for everything.]
Kai sighed. [As I have said, I'm not going anywhere. If anything, I'm just going home.]
[I guess you are.]
Without Kai, I don't think I would make it this far. Was he perhaps the manifestation to quell my unease, after all?
[Well, time to go back. I'm sure we were facing something dire?]
[.....]
[Yeah, we were. Now, let's do this.]
[Conditions Cleared]
[Void Exalted (Unique): Lv. 1 - Unlocked]
An unknown is only feared when its unknown, truly.
----------------------------------------
"I thought you will never wake up. After all, she had been screaming for you."
Aedrox told me as I woke up and stood up from my seemingly slumber.
Angie is lying face first on the ground beside him. Wounds cover her whole body. Her wings are all torn up. Black and white feathers scattered around.
Status: Encroached (Progress: Medium)
She's not corrupted but encroached. What's the difference though?
Our child is safe. Looks like she poured all her efforts into protecting the child. Perhaps the outcome of her fight with Aedrox would be a little different if she wasn't bearing a child. She has [Space Magic] after all.
Well, not the time to lament on the past now.
And by the way....
Is this a sub-space? Are Angie and I the only ones in this sub-space besides Aedrox? Since my link with Tom, Djin, and Indara is cut, I think that's the case. The whole place look like a carbon copy of the area I was in.
Guessing this is Aedrox's sub-space? There's no Void energy in the atmosphere except for the ones that are leaking out from him.
"H-Hyx...." Angie managed to call out to me with a stuttering and weak voice.
She is in a very bad shape, to put it simply. She's reserving her energy for our child. The well-being of our child is still her number one priority despite being in such situation. I'm glad she's as devoted as I am.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Now, my initial response would have been to rush in and save her but my mind is somehow clearer. My anger is peaking but I'm not allowing it to cloud my judgement.
"Hmm? What's this? Aren't you furious at what I'm doing to your bride?"
He further provoked me by thrusting a stake into her left shoulder. The stake looks solid but upon closer inspection, it looks like a bunch of smoke condensed into a single stick shape. Appraisal has a simple name for it, Void Stake
Keep calm, Hyx. She's not dead yet but it's kinda worrying since she is encroached.
Hmm?
Strange....
I don't feel panic even now. Anger, I'm feeling it but no hint of panic.
Normally, unrest boils within me in situations like this but now it was a different feeling.
I feel liberated.
"Harbinger! I'm talking to you!"
Oops. I'm facing an opponent now, aren't I? And my bride's live is at stake.
Now, what to do?
I take a look at my stats.
Name: Hyx Atlas
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Race: Violet Tail (Magic Beast)
Status: Mildly Fatigue (Alive)
Standing: Tenrun's Heir
Job: None
Class: Battle Mage
Tittles
-Unparalleled Evolver
-Monster Slayer
-Pain Monger
-Kin Eater
-Ascended Being
-Goblin Butcher
-Friend of the Spirits
-Dryad’s Beloved
-Liberator
-Nephilim’s Beloved
-Arcane Blacksmith
-Miracle Alchemist
-One Who Defies Death
Arcane Arts
-Spirit Magic - Lv. 5
-Spatial Magic - Lv. 8
-Sealing Magic - Lv. 3
-Alchemy - Lv. 5
-Transmutation - Lv. 5
-Forge Fire - Lv. 5
-Awakening (Legacy) - Lv. 5
-Death Inhibitor (Legacy) - Lv. 3
-Mana Overseer (Unique) - Lv. 8
-Soul Harvest (Unique) - Lv. 4
-Void Exalted (Unique) - Lv. 1
HP : 3500
MP: 5000
Overall Power Ranking : A
Effective Combat Power: 5500
- Attack: 900
- Defense: 400
- Magic: 1500
- Resistance: 700
- Speed: 2000
Ho? My power spiked up by a lot. I have entered the realm A-ranks. I even gained a new title and standing is now Tenrun's Heir? What does that mean? Tenrun was a clan? Angie didn't mentioning anything about this.
"Don't ignored me!" Aedrox snarled and sent Void Stakes at me.
I absorbed each and everyone of it with [Famine Shield].
"Has the situation fried your mind? Void are poison to you mortals. You are an idiot to absorb it."
Am I?
Well, my health decreased some but it recovered back to full and my status still only reads Mildly Fatigue.
"H-how...."
Looks like Aedrox is slowly realizing something's different about me.
"Well then, I'll be taking her back." I said with a smile and Angie is right next to me at the next moment.
"What was that!?"
[Spatial Magic: Free Warp]. My new skill. It's a teleportation ability but it also allows me to teleport other things and people, providing that they do not have the ability to resist.
"Still, you're already too late. She's already corrupted."
But her status says Encroached though? Her HP is dropping and so is her Mana.
I invoke the new ability I got, [Void Exalted: Void Skin] and covered only my hand in it. My health is decreasing but not at an absurd rate. Looks like I'm not completely immune to the Void yet but I have some resistance against it.
Along with [Phase Shift], I stuff my hand into Angie's chest. I grabbed onto the foreign essence within her. With a tuck, I pulled the Void corruption out of her. I crush it with my Void-clad hand.
That was easy. Her HP and MP stops dropping. Her status now reads, Weakened.
Now I'm really feeling the word "cheat" in effect.
"Impossible!!"
Aedrox lunges straight at me upon witnessing something akin to a miracle.
Before his bladed arm could reach me, he is hit by an invisible force that sent him flying away from me.
[Spatial Magic: Ripple Impact]. A composite magic of [Distort], [Fracture], and [Free Warp]. It's like bending an elastic object and let it snap back into shape.
"Damn you! Damn you!!" It shouted at me.
I take out the elixir for Angie from her storage ring by using my admin privileges. Judging from her slight reactions, I can tell she's conscious enough to drink it herself but I'm not going to pass on this chance. So I mouth-feed her the elixir.
I feel some response as she is also wriggling her tongue. If she had any more energy, she would have been making out with me now.
After finishing the mouth-feeding, Aedrox has regained its composure.
"You really are worthy to be my vessel."
"I am not in the slightest bit honored." I retort.
I let Angie rest behind me. Her status is still Weakened so she can't rejoin the fight. Just in case, I cast the strongest [Dimension Fort] on Angie. I hope it will last. My defense value is only 400 for an A-rank. I'm pretty sure Engrande has at least a thousand in defense.
Well, Angie's defense is less than a hundred if memory serves.
HP : 2200
MP: 8000
Overall Power Ranking : S
Effective Combat Power: 6000
- Attack: 350
- Defense: 50
- Magic: 3000
- Resistance: 2000
- Speed: 600
Yeap. It really is less than a hundred.
"You are being awfully confident for someone who was just nearing death."
Aedrox zeroed in on me in an instant. I evaded his hand which was going to grab me.
"I wasn't nearing death though?" Well, not exactly, at least.
Aedrox blurs out from my view.
-- Behind.
I turned and blocked an attack with [Shatter Shield]. The returning force sends him rolling away.
Wait.... that's not him.
The figure who I thought was Aedrox fades away like a mirage. Was that a mirror image with a temporary physical form?
"Whoa there." I dodged an attack coming from my blind spot.
"Tch. How did you dodged that?"
"I'm psychic?" I'm not wrong. I do have [Clairvoyant] after all.
Basketball size orbs of Void energy appear around Aedrox. "Dodge this."
Bringing Angie with me, I [Free Warp] out of the strike zone. A huge crater is formed at where the orbs bombarded.
There are still some left over orbs that come chasing me but I destroy it all with [Distort] and [Fracture].
"You're not getting away."
Aedrox proceeds to unleash flurry and barrages of attacks with patterns that no could be predicted by the normal mind but in my case, my mind is no longer normal.
"H-how....!? How did you dodged all that?"
"I'm psychic. I told you."
Ever since my evolution, [Clairvoyant] works so much better now and I respond better to critical situations. Feels like my thought process has been merged with Kai's.
"Bullshit!"
He yelled and swung his bladed arm at me.
"Eh?"
I can't warp? My whole feels compressed.
"Submit!"
The blade found its way into my right shoulder. It stings. It's good that I still have my pain receptors tone down to one. He transforms his other arm into a blade also and thrusts it at me.
I caught that arm with my hand clad with [Void Skin].
Aedrox's rigid face of its vessel turned wide-eye. "Tch. And they call us absurd and aberrant. So what does that make you?"
I fully agree and I don't know.
But damn, Aedrox's physical strength is not something to laugh at. I'm being overpowered.
"But in the end, nothing's changed." He grinned at me.
In addition to his superior strength, some kind of pressure is pressing against me, preventing me from using most of my spells or abilities.
"Not so tough now, are ya?"
What the heck's with his two bit villainous lines?
A stake erupts from the earth below where I stand, it impaled my right leg. Another one emerged and impaled my left.
Honestly, I'm only faring well against Aedrox so far is due to the fact that [Spatial Magic] is the one of the few abilities that is effective against him and I have [Void Exalted] to resist against the Void energy poisoning. In reality, I'm still far from being a match for Angie or Vira. They do have significantly more battle experience than me.
My situation right now is kinda dangerous but it also kinda works in my favor.
Let's hope I don't get overdose.
I invoke [Mana Transmission] and drain his energy. It feels like boiling water trickling down my skin.
"You..... You just don't give up, do ya!?"
"Unfortunately for you, yeah. I'm kinda persistent and stubborn."
Now, he's trying to separate from me but I'm not letting him.
"Tch."He clicked his tongue and detach the arms I am holding onto.
Eh? He can do that? Well, of course he can.
He regrows back another pair of arms. He transforms his right arm into a blade and slashes at me.
I dodge low and spin kick at him. At the same time my foot collide with his body, I invoke [Ripple Impact] but he was only knocked back a few feet. He predicted this but whatever's preventing me from using abilities earlier is gone. I don't know the reason but maybe it's because I drained his energy. Just maybe.
Meh, whatever. I cast [Ripple Impact] again and this time from above. He went face first into the ground.
I stifled a chuckle.
"Harbinger!!!" He screamed out of frustration and humiliation as he did something to the ground. Dark purple veins expanded out like a web from where he put his hands. Void energy spills out.
Oh crap.
I warp Angie into my arms and repeatedly cast [Dimension Fort] around us and also [Magic Enhancement].
"You won't die from this but you sure as hell will wish that you had."
Aedrox said and ignited the spilled energy.
The whole sub-space is then consumed and swallowed in a dark but radiant purplish explosion.
----------------------------------------
"Stop being a coward and show yourself!"
Not ten seconds past after the dust from the explosions has settled.
"I know you're not dead. I know you are hiding. Show yourself and face me!"
I'm glad that I can create a sub-space within another sub-space. Well, not within exactly. More like parallel. Each dimension runs parallel to each other.
Looks like the explosion earlier does not discriminate. Aedrox's vessel is damaged badly and it looks like it could crumble from a single flick of a finger. I'm actually surprise that he hasn't crumble yet.
"You are not dead. You are the Harbinger. You are not destined to die here. You are my vessel!"
Sounds like he's trying to convince himself of the possibility that I might have perished from his attack. Come to think of it, he's sounding more and more like a human with his choice of words and tones.
"I'm right here."
I reveal myself. I let Angie stay in [Proxy Realm]. She should be safe in there.
"It would have been so much easier and less painful if you had surrender from the get-go. Just surrender and submit to me."
"You and I both know that's not going to happen. It won't even be the last thing I do."
I sneakily cast [Fracture] at him while we are conversing. The space where Aedrox was suppose to be standing explodes and scatters the damages.
He dodged it. He's too cautious now.
Hmm? My arm feels like it's in a grinder. With ease, I pull my arm of the imaginative grinder. My arm is fine but the feeling of being ground is still there.
My leg is next to be ground. I escaped from that too.
Just where did he went and where is he doing all this from?
Oh. An image flashed in my mind.
I leaned back and avoided a blade that came out of nowhere. The same pattern repeated a few more times, attacks seemingly came out of nowhere but I understand he is merely hiding in another sub-space and attacking from there. [Phase Shift] doesn't work on him, I found that out by receiving a slash across my arm.
Of course, that wound healed back in seconds. Glad that Void energy no longer hinders my healing ability.
Eventually, he reveals himself and pounces straight at me.
That's reckless.
I dodged with a short range [Free Warp] and retaliate with [Sever].
I did some damage but it healed back. His wincing from my attacks. That means he's taking real damage but he has a faster recovery speed.
Now, this is a stalemate. I'm hurting him but he heals everything back. Appraisal is still unable to read his stats not even his HP or MP.
I should step up my game. Not a time for me to hold back. After all, my opponent isn't just some two-bit villain despite his tone and words.
I use [Awakening].
Black smoke spread from me. I melted into a puddle of shadows. From this shadow puddle, my new form comes crawling out.
After evolution, my Awakened form looks even less humanoid. My features are the same for the most part except that I gained some height, my claws are longer, my limbs are now more fitted for quadrupedal, and my head..... lengthened.....
Not less humanoid.... I don't even look like a human anymore in my new Awakened form.
I am now a complete monster. I look like the miniature version of the monster I saw in my visions although with some different and extra features. Most notably, the tail with a violet pointed tip.
"Impossible...." Aedrox said.
What's impossible....
"Why is the First Beast....."
First Beast? Is that its name or something like a moniker? But First Beast eh, in a literal sense or just a name to accentuate its strength?
Unlike Kai before, the First Beast isn't answering to the questions in my head. Did it went back to sleep? Can I even call it asleep since it's aware of everything that has transpired?
"Harbinger, you and the First Beast are one?"
My head naturally tilts to the side as I thought about the answer.
"Yeah." I said.
Whoa.... I sound kinda like a certain race of squid-like alien space ship from dark space. I am shouting with joy in my mind on how badass I sound but I shivered at the thought of speaking like that with a straight face to others.... especially if the others are from earth.
"Curse it! Curse it all!!"
Knowing that I'm also the First Beast, kinda hooked his nerves somehow. They really do have some history together.
Anyhow, I'll save those questions for later.
I kick off the ground, launching myself at Aedrox. I thrust out my claw.
"Foolish." He splays his hand at me.
My strike is met with resistance but I feel like I'm breaking through all the walls of resistance. I enchant my claws with [Sever] as I swipe at him, tearing the space apart like fabrics. I missed, by an inch. I don't think he dodged but I don't feel like my aim was off.
I can't figure out what it was that made me miss but no time to lament about it now.
He counters with his bladed-arm but I caught it with my tail. He tried to cut my tail with his other bladed-arm but his arm bounced off. I coated my tail with [Void Skin] along with [Shatter Shield].
I throw him away and bombard him with [Ripple Impact].
I follow up with a new composite magic that I synthesized on the spot. [Arcane Orb] energized with Void Essence. [Void Exalted: Void's Roar].
A dark purple beam fires from my mouth.
Aedrox who is still getting bombarded with [Ripple Impact] cast some sort of magic that seems to be distorting the beam.
I create a [Prism] and diffuse the beam, breaking free from the distortion
Aedrox responded with an expanded range of his distortion ability. The beams clashed with the distortion exploded and raised clouds of dust.
Under the cover of the smoke, I [Free Warp] to his six with [Presence Detachment].
I didn't think it would work but it kinda did. Although I do not know if it was a hundred percent since my presence could have just been lowered till the point that he's too busy with what's in front to notice. Nevertheless, it accomplished what I intended for it to.
I can somehow vaguely see that Aedrox has covered himself in some kind of protective shroud. I thrust my claws coated with [Void Skin] into it and pried it open. A wave of unseen force assaulted me like a violent gale as I tore the shroud apart.
Aedrox who finally noticed my presence, turned and attacked me with his two bladed-arms.
The shroud is closing back from being pried and torn but I keep it open with my claws. With both arms occupied, I attack with my tail.
He did the same trick. My attacking tail is met resistance and grinding.
Fuck you. I ain't backing down.
I cast [Fracture] and [Ripple Impact] around my tail, destroying the unseen attacks and hurting myself too in the progress. My tail survived.
My tail broke through the resistances and his bladed arms.
When he's about to teleport, I held him in place with [Psychokinesis].
It still hurts to hold a resisting target's movement with [Psychokinesis]. In fact, it hurts much more than ever before since I'm using it on Aedrox. However, I endured it. And I must be quick. The Mana drain is no joke.
My tail blew his head off. "That's for my bride."
Void energy spilled out and splashes on my skin. I feel energized but also damaged. When I look at my HP and MP bar, my HP is decreasing while my MP bar is increasing. Heh. I'm converting the spilling Void energy into MP but at the cost of my HP. Since the offset for my HP isn't that dire, this is an acceptable outcome.
I then proceed to destroy his other parts with my tail.
I destroy his regenerating left arm. "This is for my child."
I destroy his regenerating right arm. "This is for Muo Li."
I destroy his upper torso. "This is for everyone else that I care for."
I know my dedications won't worth much but this is all to release my pent up frustration of not being able to doing anything back then.
While left with only the lower half, he ignited the spilling energy and created an explosion which created some distance between us.
Once again, the explosion hurt me along with himself too.
I zeroed in on him in the next split second.
Judging from his shocked expression, he didn't think I am this fast. In fact, I do feel like my speed has drastically increase. No, not feel like. My speed has increased as evident from my stats.
I swipe my claws at the regenerating Aedrox. He keeps regenerating, I keep destroying. With every part I cut off from him, I use [Fracture] to crush it. I even tried to use a maximized [Forge Fire] on him. To my surprise, it kinda worked but the backlash was great, I'm caught in the flame eruption. Without the right equipment and environment, [Forge Fire] is really dangerous. If this place was the field at the back of the red building from before, the whole field would already be in a sea of flames.
Uwah~! My HP dropped to sixty percent of its maximum value just from being burned by [Forge Fire] for a few seconds. I healed back to full in seconds, of course. Well, it does make sense for its high damage since it could even melt some very strong metal.
However, it isn't enough to finish Aedrox off. I know I can't kill him but at least I can destroy every last bit of his Vessel. I have to destroy it all in a single attack otherwise he would just keep regenerating.
But damn though, his Vessel this time sure is sturdy. It has yet to break apart on its own accord like before. Does he even still need me?
"Your vessel's doing fine, so far. Do you still need me?" You know, a deep sinister voice doesn't go well with a sarcastic tone. I'm cringing here.
"It does not matter how long it can last. It only matters if it's eternal."
Ah, I see. Only by donning me as a Vessel, he could live eternally. Is it really that good to live forever?
No matter how much I have destroyed, his face still retains that oddly familiar human-like face. I guess that face is the testament for the last remaining and surviving piece of his Vessel. But I blow his head off a few times already, you know?
Nah. Since the appraisal result is still all incorrigible and phonetic letters even now, logic is still not familiar with him.
Well, if he keeps regenerating, then I'll keep destroying. Not very optimal but the most optimal option at present.
I stuff my claw into his chest as he was regenerating that part. I converged my Mana into the claw that I stuck in his chest. Deeming it enough, I invoke [Ripple Impact].
Along with my right arm, his whole body exploded. I was thrown until I hit the invisible wall of boundary limits. The force was so strong that I broke a few bones. My bones immediately begin to mend itself and my arm is regenerating. My bones being mended hurts more than when I broke it. What the fuck is with that logic, body?
"No.... not yet...."
Oh, come on. He's still regenerating. How did Vira even stopped him?
"You heard me but you don't acknowledge it. You still think of my words as jest."
Oh, now he sounds more like what he use to sound like.
"I am eternal. I am immortal. You can't win against me, Harbinger. Just submit."
"You heard me but you don't acknowledge it. You still think of my words as jest." I mimic him. " You and I both know that's not going to happen. It won't even be the last thing I do."
I should stop speaking this way with this kind of voice. Someone stop me!
He is seething his rage through his teeth now. "You.... If you weren't the Harbinger, you would already be dead by now."
"Unfortunately for you, I am the Harbinger."
Still, what now? My abilities are something like sure-kill types. Wide-coverage and highly destructive isn't my forte. That forte is....
"Honestly, you should have woken me if you have that much problem against this pitiful creature." said Angie who just nonchalantly stepped out from [Proxy Realm]. Looks like she has recovered. Her wings are back to its glorious form and so is her complexion.
"You look beautiful." I unconsciously muttered.
"You don't look that bad yourself, my beloved Hyx." She stared at me with her head raised.
Hmm? Oh right, my form is now that of a beast completely.
"Although I say that, our night time is going to have some complications from now on."
Oh yeah.... I always loose control of my form during these heated sessions. Now, what to do?
"You insolence!!"
We were screamed at.
I destroy the projectiles aiming for Angie with [Ripple Impact].
"My magic is ineffective against him but now that we're both here, I don't think that's the case anymore, right dear?"
"Of course. Go get him."
"No need to say it twice, dear."
She said and injected herself with a power-up potion. Though it doesn't work great against someone of her caliber but we need every boost that we can and since this is a sub-space, the damage to the real world would be minimized by a tremendous amount.
Her wings became silver instead of black and white, and it spread even longer and wider.
[Light Magic: Radiance Rising]
The first magic she cast.
The ground beneath us shine intensely with a brilliant light.
[Shadow Magic: Darkness Descent]
Above us, clouds of darkness begin to descent upon us.
When we are all sandwiched between light and shadow, Angie signaled me.
"Now, dear. Do what you can."
You say that but what should I do?
I try dispersing my Mana but all I'm doing is just [Daunt]. Ah, Angie is slightly affected by it. Oops, sorry.
Now.... what should I do?
"Curses!! Let me go!!"
Aedrox is being kept in place with my [Psychokinesis] but the Mana drain is terrifying and my brain feels like it is splitting two ways.
This is difficult. What can I do?
[Void Exalted (Unique): Lv.1 increased to Lv. 2]
[Void Exalted: Aura Diffusion - Acquired]
Okay.... thanks, I guess?
For now, let's use that. [Aura Diffusion].
Dark purple mark tattoos glowed on my body. Void energy leaked out from this marks. I tried to control the dispersing direction so it won't affect Angie.
"Insolence! Insolence! You will regret this!! You--"
I cover Angie's ears with my large hands as he continue to spill out insults and vulgar promises.
The Void energy slowly mixed in with the shadow clouds and luminescence ground, turning the white light into a brilliant purple light and the clouds into dark purplish colors.
"You do not want to incurred every last bit of my Wrath! You will regret this!"
Noisy son of a bitch. "Hey fuck face, shut the fuck up. You're now my bitch. I waited for this. I yearn for this, you fuck twat. Ever since you brought those death upon me. Not a day goes by that I didn't think of how to make you pay. This may not be how I planned for it go but.... it sure as hell brings me great joy to see you cry, beg, empty threats, I long to see your pitiful, disgraceful, and pathetic display. So this is my final farewell to you, I wish we won't be seeing each other again."
Aedrox stares back at me with eyes of disbelief.
"Without a vessel, you can go fuck yourself till another kingdom comes, twat. Now, Angie."
"Didn't know you had that in you. I like that side of you too" Angie said and cast the final spell as the trigger.
[I am light, I am shadow. I am luminance, I am darkness. I am the forbidden union of both worldly essence. I thrive when the sun rose, I am strife after the sun set, I am either and neither. I am the Twin Providence, let there be light and let there be darkness, unite and meld into one, Twilight Transition.]
After a long chant, the spell is invoked.
The use of [Psychokinesis] have drained my MP till less than a quarter. With the remaining amount, I phase us both into [Proxy Realm]. I would love to return to the real world but something is forbidding us to. No doubt is Aedrox but--
-- not for long.
The last thing I witness before going into my sub-space is something like the reality of both light and darkness collapse into each other. A blinding flash engulf my vision just before the phasing completed.
A wave of tremor came over us. It feels like the world has been toppled upside down.
Even in another sub-space, the tremor spreads into even here.
While the tremor persists, I noticed Angie and I gained a title.
I guess we did it?