Run (7—Last Part)

Ciemnosc's blood was being invaded by pure energy, which was, in turn, converging from all around him and being sucked into his skin, but mostly his Psychogenic and Dantian regions. They were merging, becoming part of his Power Energy, turning into his blood, and... more!

The pure energy swiftly touched his blood but became Power Energy afterward, yet the blood was still there. It was only going through washing and transformation as it became his blood alone and not a mix of all three. Acting as his real blood, it became dark, black, and all-consuming. That was when Ciemnosc’s lacrimals started expelling thin threads of black blood.

Without any delay, his ears, nostrils, and under his nails. They all began oozing black blood thinly. It was also right then that Ciemnosc started feeling back the pain from the past. But he also confirmed something else as it returned to his being and to torment his everything.

This pain didn’t come from breaking into the Conflagrate realm, but his All-Devouring Force Chronicles! It was his bodily strength! It was having a breakthrough and not his cultivation realm. It was the fact that, once again, his body was changing and evolving!

He had already achieved its 2nd level, but now he was breaking into its 3rd level! Perhaps the last one, or maybe just the beginning of many more levels, but whatever the case, Ciemnosc’s bodily strength would increase, and his resistance and body’s defenses were bound to grow just as much!

Ciemnosc felt the pain grow, and his ‘that something’ began enhancing those sensations. He immediately began to be tormented. His ‘that something’ began hurting, and his body started trembling. His fingers became crooked, but he maintained the gesture of his hands semi-intertwining together. His trembling body wouldn’t let go of that gesture as his cultivation base grew foggy. It was changing.

But as more time passed and his All-Devouring Force Chronicles progressed in its breakthrough, his skin began cracking open, revealing his bones and flesh inside as dark blood oozed everywhere!

His body was painted black after just seconds of breaking through both, his body no longer able to hold it, his fingers had a hard time maintaining their gesture and became crooked, but also more rigid; stiff.

“GGRHHRRR!” Ciemnosc’s fangs came out. His Claws Out were intrinsically triggered by instinct and naturally. But for a split instant - his fangs and claws seemed natural and genuine, not projections as they had been until now. Black substance, opaque yet consuming light and everything else that could be reflected on it, or even just touched.

His smallish claws grew from the size of a teenager’s nail to the tip of one’s finger, not the thumb. Its size increased 4 times at the very least, Ciemnosc’s thumbs penetrated his skin, which was already cracked open, and more dark blood oozed out from his hands’ bone structure.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHWWWAUAAAAHHHRRrrrrr!” Ciemnosc couldn’t hold it anymore. He threw his head and arms backwards. And in that instant, it seemed as if the entire air around him was broken apart and sent to unimaginable dimensions. Cracking noises resounded, and whistling ‘pews’ went off, bouncing around the chamber before dissipating when accidentally bouncing back onto Ciemnosc’s body… Which grew back flesh, blood, and veins.

As for his bones, they were pitch black. His blood regenerated and refilled his body, dark blood-colored. His flesh was rosy, creamy, and tender. And when skin grew back to cover it, it was slightly pale as always, but it gave hints of growing paler. His veins, tendons, and bone marrow became pitch black as well… from an inconceivable darkness.

And as his skin grew to hide his inner body, his Claws Out, all became a tiny bit more real and not as opaque as before, while veins bulged, just as his muscles had grown. His heart thumped hard. And his Psychogenic and Dantian Links became ever more prominent, taking turns to show their growth to Ciemnosc. They had a stout fortitude and mysterious, magical look to themselves now, not just hidden in darkness but forming a kind of body-link that longed to connect everywhere and not just between each other.

“GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!” Ciemnosc’s head was thrown to the back. Just then, at his last moments of being awake, his eyes widened full, and the sclera lost all white and became wholly pitch black. His skin was covered in the same ‘darkness’... And as his pupils and irises shrunk one last time to an unprecedented level, he had a vision. He was about to discover… what ‘that something’ was!

Thud.

But he then fell apart, and his consciousness drifted off. At last, he felt as if someone - who was watching over his well-being all along, but not over him entirely, felt anxious and hurried…

. . .

Later, on the next day.

Ciemnosc had woken up already. The early morning’s light was plastered on his face as his bare body met the sky and nature in his most free state. His ding dong dangled, as it is habitual as ever since years ago, and his slightly more muscular body was exposed to the eyes of nature. Some insects and poor animals experienced the nightmare of seeing a rare specimen going crazy, too.

Ciemnosc had even spread his arms to the side and legs as he faced the east, with the Little Lake to his back. Ciemnosc wasn’t fond of the sunlight; but he felt incredible feeling the world’s coldness. It was still snowing, after all. Though much less than during the previous years and the last few months.

After greeting the world, Ciemnosc dressed himself up to remind himself he wasn’t an animal despite his hobbies of being naked and eating anything tasty and nutritious.

With his Claws Out, he examined the changes in his body after reaching the 3rd level of the All-Devouring Force Chronicles. The claws at his hands were particularly more prominent, longer, and slightly wider. But they remained as thin as when they first sprouted from his fingertip and the tip of his toes. It was the same for the claws on his toes, no difference with his hands.

His fangs were another matter. They not only protruded from his teeth but from his gum this time. And yet, they had also grown to be just 1 cm longer than his canines. That also meant their thickness had increased to match his teeth. In fact, they were just a couple of millimeters thicker than his teeth. And like the rest of his bones, they were white, unlike what they seemed just many hours ago.

His blood was also still red, but Ciemnosc felt as if it was an erroneous result, as if something had gone wrong with him. Yet, just like his ‘that something’. He couldn’t figure that out. Having learned from previous experiences, Ciemnosc didn’t dwell much on it and ignored his blood after watching it dark whenever he worked with his dark Power Energy.

He experimented enough to know that if he used the Power Energy in his right foot and cut the skin of his left jugular. Even if the blood was dozens of meters away from his body and foot, it would turn dark, and only after stopping the manipulation of such would it return to being red. In other words, Ciemnosc played like a dumb idiot for a good while until he got tired. He also played with the rest territories of his body to know if it worked the same… He just couldn’t help himself.

Ciemnosc could, of course, feel his new strength. It had soared a whole damn lot. And if he had 8,000 kg of bodily strength at the first level and double that amount at the 2nd level. Indeed he now held a bodily strength of 32,000 kg without a doubt. Was it not that much now? One could only imagine the atrocities he could make with prowess such as this… He especially needed no Power Energy even to face peak Conflagrate realm cultivators.

As for Obsidiafying realm cultivators, even as Ciemnosc had become a Conflagrate realm cultivator himself. All he could feel the difference between his Power Energy from before and now was that he could do things with it like he could not before. Not much about strengthening other than the apparent enhancement of one’s Power Energy when breaking through one realm to another. As it already is with stages to a much ‘limited’ degree.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Without caring about his date, Ciemnosc flew around for a bit. At first, he thought he would be faster than even Obsidiafying realm cultivators. But found his speed just the same, but much slower than on the ground. His speed and slight agility had increased, especially the former, after reaching the 3rd level of the All-Devouring Force Chronicles. He was, for sure, faster than any Obsidiafying realm cultivator on land, water, and even jumping and skipping through. But in the air, he was pathetic. To say the least.

There was also another feeling of discomfort, one that Ciemnosc understood only after breaking into the Conflagrate realm himself. Which was… it didn’t feel like flying at all!

Rather than flight, it felt like he was floating, not even actually levitating, so to speak. His speed was deplorable. Thus, it was no wonder every flying cultivator chose a flying mount over any other and at their current cultivation realms more than anything.

Leaving that aside, Ciemnosc’s Spirit Sense had increased in range. Of course. Not much could be said about its functions. He was already capable of much even before becoming a Spirit Gathering realm cultivator. He just kept studying until he found things he could and might be able to do in the future. Though Ciemnosc still didn’t know why every unknown flora or fauna he saw, from time to time, all seemed familiar to him. Similar in some way

From a range of 400 meters, it spiked up double to 800 meters. And the limit of Vocón Link had increased to 80 meters. It was pretty linear and systematic, but it also represented formulas, so to speak. But he was lacking what he most needed, and yet he also knew not what the shit was ‘that something’ at the same time.

Many answers lay on his ‘that something’ which he was helpless to. In any way, all he could do was worry about his current task and his current appointment with a pretty lady. Pretty potent and scary lady, who asks for dead, and he will deliver. Literally asking him for death.

After playing around for a bit, indecently or childishly, Ciemnosc walked to the Little Lake and left behind footsteps with already his Claws Out, no shoes on for he hated doing them, and now thanks to his grown claws. He walked up to the shore without shoes, his humble-styled clothes kept dry in his Covert Space bags, and with only a shirt on his torso and boxers to cover his lower body. It was going to be a pool date, after all.

And from what Sister has gossiped to him before, if a man takes his shirt off for her before getting to work. Which could mean he may like her and be better with her than others. Oh, and she, of course, grew crazy each time that was proven true.

In any case, Ciemnosc was behaving very respectfully as he went to the shore fully clothed. He was doing this as a favor to a man he doesn’t know, and that can elude his senses, and that was overly powerful to be able to change reality as if it was just child’s play. And that behaved like a little child, telling him so many incredible stories and fantastical legends.

But why did I feel this comfortable around him and ‘trust’ his words like that?’ Ciemnosc was thinking to himself as he neared the dark blue waters. He remembered how it felt to spend those few days with that man like he was taking care of a child, a small family member, and even his own creature. And he was the old uncle who didn’t like kids but ended up loving the motherfucker, at last.

It also felt like he was hugging a child as the kid sobbed and sobbed in his arms, venting his heart out on Ciemnosc’s chest. While Ciemnosc held the child lightly but caringly. The thought made his eyes narrow unconsciously. And that also felt like whenever Leen was sobbing in his arms, naked, in bed, and after his maneuvers and ‘skills’ had made her feel so ‘kind’ that she couldn’t stop sobbing in return.

But either way, all those 3 things were different to each other. And when Ciemnosc was losing his mind on those things altogether, a tremendous tremor ran through the soles of his feet.

Rumble rumbleeeeeeee!

“!!” Ciemnosc’s eyes opened wide, and his bum fell on the floor as the earthquake seemed to be focused in a small range of 10 km around with him as the epicenter. His claws adhered to the dirt, went through the snow, and held onto some grass that turned into ice after such a long time buried beneath the snow and on the shore of the Little Lake.

SPLASSHHH~!!

The water broke out in a soaring torrent into the skies! The body of water was forced upwards, and it was so gigantic that Ciemnosc’s whole field of vision that his eyes couldn’t even see half the thickness of whatever was now ‘standing’ on the deepest waters of the Little Lake right before him.

Splash, splash splash splash~.

Ciemnosc lifted his head little by little, his eyes already upturned as they looked high into the figure lighted up by the sunlight, which faced him back and looked at him with its intelligent eyes. Ciemnosc felt mesmerized for a few seconds when he saw the similar but bigger eyes he witnessed the night before. It was morning now, and besides those eyes being out in the open, they looked majestic too!!

Grrruuuuuwllll. The creature growled or voiced out as it greeted Ciemnosc. Somehow, he felt as if it was showing its respect. Thus, Ciemnosc sobered himself up and sprung up to his feet, patted his boxers and shirt, and presented his claws to it before looking directly into its eyes back.

Click-pshift.

“You might be someone else’s friend, right?” Ciemnosc asked. The Creature kept its eyes on Ciemnosc, and only then did he start feeling like he was being idolized. The Creature growled at last and nodded its head as a tail barely 1/15th of its body thickness came up the water. Grwoooololooooowwll.

“Then… A pleasure.” Ciemnosc said, his hands making a little gesture up towards it before cracking the bones on his back. That movement alone made the air behind his back flip and twirl for one second before calming down. The influence his mere raw physical strength had over the world was extreme.

Grrrrrrrrraaaaaahh. The Creature growled again. This time with all of the water it had brought up into the air, falling and revealing its whole body. At once, Ciemnosc looked at it and studied it… only to come to the same conclusion as he did before. It was simply majestic.

A white body with a single light, aquatic blue-colored fringe that went from its tail to its neck. A tail that had already soared higher and higher into the sky and showed its greater width and length, which continued to do so as Ciemnosc studied the Creature’s body. Besides the singular blue fringe, another violet-colored fringe accompanied it, thinner and less striking than the blue one.

The Creature had an ample but fatless body, which looked like a slug’s, without the sliminess and excreting of juice from all over its body. It didn’t seem to have any antenna, tentacle, or limb. Only its tail and a pair of protruding, pointy, and very long but thin ears at the top corners of its head. They looked like the combination between a fox’s ears and a long and sharp beak.

Its eyes were a pair of twisted oval-shaped ones, with their half bent over and forming a cute deformation. Each eye was positioned to the side and towards the center. While its head was ‘small’ for its whole, gigantic, several hundred meters long, and more than 100 meters wide body. It had no neck, other than a smaller protrusion from its torso and no nose, only a mouth that opened whenever it growled extensively to show its fewer but enormous silver-plated-looking fangs.

Its eyes had a violet border surrounding them, showing a kind of eye shadow, followed by a light aquamarine blue, though only at the upper section of each eye, unlike the violet color. All its eyes were was a glowing white that was so powerfully illuminating even in the early morning.

Kriaaaaaaaaaaaah!! It screamed at once. Ciemnosc saw its body move at a fast speed, with great agility. It lowered its head to face Ciemnosc directly, opened its jaws, and showed more those teeth taller than any wall he had seen and slightly less thick than the same. Each of those teeth gave Ciemnosc a dangerous sensation, but they were also hidden by its mouth’s lips, upper and lower. Which only meant one thing.

‘That’s one weakness.’ Ciemnosc looked up, fearless, to the excitement and ecstatic state of the Creature. He began floating upwards, his body tracked by those gigantic, cute white glowing eyes. The Creature’s mouth opened slightly, hiding her teeth as she witnessed Ciemnosc’s diminutive claws and fangs. He couldn’t be looked down upon like this, though. It was an injustice for him. She was just too big for him!

Whoosh, swish, whoosh whoosh, whistle~...

Ciemnosc looked at the Creature up close, just 10 meters separating each other, as she allowed him to remain just 1 meter above the height her eyes were. They looked at each other; she looked at him, and he looked at him. It was an ongoing moment as Ciemnosc enjoyed the sensation of being a few hundred meters above the ground level tirelessly. He felt something he had longed and lacked for so long… ecstatic battle lasted!

Grrriiiw krii krii kriiii. - “...” As Ciemnosc smiled, the creature revealed her inner mouth without her lips showing her teeth. She couldn’t explain it but felt very content seeing Ciemnosc smile, grinning with anticipation and eagerness. Looking into his atramentous eyes, her own showed a tiny dot of the very same bottomless pool of darkness, all-consuming…

Whoosh!

Grawh! She suddenly gnawed her jaws forward. Opening wide enough for half a mountain’s length like those around the Moribund Yearning Cult, she suddenly had Ciemnosc helpless as she didn’t even need to fly. Her body was long enough to bring her a good enough base to support her every corporeal move. As for the Little Lake, just before she gnawed her jaws at him, it began freezing… Not just around her as it spread all over the Little Lake.

…