Vincent's Shadow step was an extremely bizarre technique, and that was saying something in a world populated by monsters and various supernatural humanoids. Whenever he activated Shadow step for any amount of time he was taken to a space he dubbed.. 'The shadow realm'.

In order to activate the ability to its fullest, one had to manifest the emotional force of their loneliness and sadness. Looking back on it and knowing what he knew now, made sense given that it was an ability he had created while in a dark mind-set. His earliest days in the system were not kind to him. Oftentimes he had gone starving for days, or had gotten so terribly wounded that by all rights he should have been dead a thousand times over. But the system wouldn't let him go.

It was lonely and terrifying. But because of that desperation and pain he had found himself here, in this shadowy world. Since it's discovery, Vincent and his plant companion had spent countless hours studying the void-like tunnel of the shadow realm. If one stayed in there too long they would be driven mad by the environment and the ceaseless whispering of countless tortured souls.

Fundamentally it was only meant to be used in short spurts from point A to point B and with time in between subsequent uses due to the physical and mental drain. Vincent, ever the over achiever that he was, had trained extensively to fight in this state and use it in unorthodox ways, going so far as to take some semblance of control over the void. He supposed shadow manipulation probably helped with that.

If he wanted to, the man could travel distances of nearly a mile in a single step, although that took most of his current mana capacity. Furthermore, rather than only being able to travel in a straight line Vincent had the ability to travel omnidirectionally, even mid-step.

While he was within the void of The shadow realm, it seemed to Vincent as if the 'real world' was standing still. He could see and sense his prey easily, their outlines and weaknesses being highlighted in dark shadows.

Vincent flew through the void superman-style at speeds faster than sound. Shadows coalesced around his body and a dark slipstream of tendrils were left in his wake. It took less than a second from the time the man from earth disappeared and reappeared. To the flabbergasted depraved, it looked as if an invisible beast had raked its claws across reality and caused an oozing, jagged tear made of shadows to form in the air before him. From that shadow, a roaring Vincemt burst forth looking like a terrifying demon from the void world.

Vincent plummeted fist-first into the monster's chest with his Wrathful gpames and Maelstrom whirlwind wrapped tightly around them. The beast was swept off it's feet, flying through the air with Vincent saddling it's chest and continuing to pummel him even as they flew through the air. They impacted the ground harshly and dug a trench but still Vincent continued to punch with his energy infused fists. "Gahhh! Diiiie!" He yelled with fury.

His red and sapphire eye glistened in the corners as tears stung his vision. Pain he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in came gushing out as his energy and strength rose rapidly. Subconsciously and without even meaning to he was channeling all of the hatred and pain of loss that all of the people of Garkan had felt since the arrival of these abnormal depraved. They had lost so much.. he had lost so much.

They came to a stop in what was at first a relatively small crater, but with each subsequent punch from the deranged man the ground split further. At this point the depraved had regained enough composure to put up some semblance of a fight and Vincent quickly deployed several abilities to try and subdue him. Plante, in conjunction with Yggdrasil, caused powerful, dense vines containing dangerous, toxic thorns to wrap around the creature and restrain it. Vincent used his gravity manipulation to further amplify the already intense gravity of the planet so that the beast's weight was effectively fifty times heavier than its natural mass would allow.

Combining his sender of flame, his Blazing trail of wrath and his Flamecloak, Vincent lit up like a massive blow torch, causing temperature in the air to quickly jump a thousand degrees. The flames spewing from the man burnt the depraved and made it difficult for the monster to see or breathe. "I will reduce you to ashes!" Vincent promised, eyes glowing brightly before two beams of pure energy shot forth.

The bulky depraved roared, breaking one arm free from its restraints. "Even while being bombarded with countless abilities this thing won't give up!" Vincent lamented desperately. Hsi head was pounding from the continuous usage of Optical incandescence.

The beast twisted and squirmed, throwing a punch that would have taken Vincent's jaw clean off if his reflexes and instincts hadn't allowed him to lean back just enough to avoid the blow. Without missing a beat he leaned forward and yelled before continuing to pummel the creature and blast ita face with his eye beams. He relished feeling thr depraved's bones and flesh crack and compress beneath his blows. He would make this bastard pay. He swore it! On the surface of things he was inclined to think he was winning, and yet.. that damned feeling in his gut just wouldn't go away…

'Lupus! How's the engraving coming along?' He yelled internally. The reply that came was strained and short. 'It's hard to concentrate from this far away.. I'm almost done, just hold on a little longer!'

"Easier said than done!" Vincent growled through gritted teeth. "Graaarg!" The beast beneath him roared once more.

"Fuck!" Vincent cursed his momentary lapse in concentration as he realized in horror the depraved had somehow managed to gather a massive amount of energy in it's four eyes in a very short time span. If he were a betting man, which he was, he would put his last dollar on this being some kind of skill similar to his own. One that was about to punch holes through his head. At the same time, he really didn't want to give up this advantage he had procured. His opponent was taking massive damage and he may jot get a chance like this again..

The creature's head glowed brightly and Vincent instinctively shielded his eyes. "Damn it! No choice!" He was mid-punch when he teleported away in a shadow step, just as the area around them exploded in a violent, pink light.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

When Vincent reappeared he shook his head to clear the cobwebs. "Tsk!" He clicked his teeth and looked down. He hadn't been fast enough to completely avoid the explosion, as evidenced by his smoking and charred right arm. He quickly produced a potion and downed its content as the dust started to clear. The grassy field that was once peaceful and pristine was now littered with craters, cracks and trenches. It looked as if armies of men had blown the place all to hell with a barrage of weaponry.

Standing in the center of the ruined field was the depraved, looking as if it had been put through the grinder but still very much alive. Vincent slowly took in a heavy breath which he released in a defeated sigh. That assault had taken everything out of him and even though his stats had been restored, there was a lingering weariness from having used so much of his body's energies in such a short time span.

Vincent knew that even if his vitals were back to a hundred he would only be able to put out 80% of his usual proficiency at best. Unfortunately, even though he knew this, the man had no choice but to defend himself as the depraved made to continue the battle once more. The beast beat its burnt chest and screamed wildly before charging at Vincent with its arms spread wide. "What the fuck..?" Vincent mumbled in disbelief. "It's not even gonna acknowledge its wounds? Not to mention it doesn't seem tired in the slightest.. Does this freaking zombie have infinite stamina?"

He slid into a battle stance and waited to see what the beast's next move would be as it closed the distance between them. He wasn't disappointed as the beast stopped when there was only a tenth of the original distance between them. It crouched low, bringing its arms across in front of its body in an X shape. It looked as if the creature were trying to turn itself into a cannonball or something, which was almost comical. Even while balled up like it was, the creature was nearly as large as Vincent himself.

Vincent yelped and was forced to dive to the side as the bulky monster began spinning rapidly before shooting forth in the form of a large cyclone. The funnel of force just missed the man's ribs by mere inches, causing his hair to stand on end. He sucked in a breath and rolled into a crouched landing. He looked back with a mixture of concern and rage.

"You bastard.. That ability.." He growled, trailing the beast with his eyes. He watched as the cyclone tore a massive trench along the ground, pulverized a random boulder to dust, and looped back around for a second pass.

Vincent cursed, unable to think or breathe due to the creature's tenacity and plethora of abilities as wrll as his emotional state. Most creatures only had one or two primary skills that they use and focus on due to how long it takes to make a skill worthwhile. It wasn't necessarily uncommon for something that had fully evolved to have several minor skills as well. Mostly these would typically be passive buffs or abilities that were the opposite of their specialization.

But this creature was different.. in a very harrowing manner, it reminded him of himself. It had already displayed several exceedingly powerful abilities that must have been legandary rarity or higher. Among the ones that Vincent recognized were adaptation, strength enhancement, durability enhancement.. And the most recent one it used, The Roaring Fang technique- An ability he had taught to one of his pack members that had disappeared a few weeks ago.

Thinking about it now, it made sense. These creatures devoured others for their stats. Why wouldn't it absorb their skills as well? But what really made Vincent sick to his stomach was that for just a second.. He had felt remnants of the wolf the ability had belonged to. Her personality, her emotions. He felt them the moment the depraved activated The Roaring Fang.

"Zoe.." He whispered.

Vincent closed his eyes for just a moment as a single tear slid down his face.

Congratulations!

Efficiency has risen to 100%!

Righteous fury fills your heart! An inexplicable calm overtakes your mind.

You have achieved a temporary state of Mushin!

For the next ten minutes, none may stand against your blade.

10:00…

9:59…

9:58…

Vincent's eyes snapped open and his Aura exploded outward around him. In an instant he summoned his sword and shield, intending to use his equipments' abilities to earn more experience and adapt more quickly to his opponent. His Ecology and Sixth sense allowed him to ascertain almost anything from his opponents, but their effectiveness was drastically reduced if his enemies vastly outclassed him. The best way to truly understand and opponent was in the midst of battle.

The creature was less than five feet away when Vincent raised his shield channeling all of his intent and energy into a single move. "Ancient Slumbering Tortoise.." He whispered.

There was a massive crunch, followed by a resounding grinding noise akin to metal on metal. The creature slammed into Vincent like the force of a freight train, where it then proceeded to spin at incalculable speeds, grinding its claws against his shield. Vincent grit his teeth but held firm, digging his feet into the ground as he slid backwards a few inches.

When the creature finally came to a dizzying stop it stood to its full height and looked at Vincent with shock and disbelief. "Impossible.." it rumbled. The creature's voice was deep and gravelly. It was difficult to understand even without the system's communication skill.

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "Ahh, so you can speak? Good." He said darkly, standing on his tiptoes to lean closer to the creature's ear. "You'll understand what I mean when I say that what comes next.. is because of the precious little pup you sucked dry to gain that ability." He said lowly.

The depraved's eyes widened as it witnessed Vincent combine three abilities seamlessly into one, "Telekinetic Gravity Strike." Without even lifting a finger, Vincent quickly gathered a dark putrid ball of energy together. It's edges simmered with force and power. In less than a second the ability was formed. Without a word the blast flew forward and exploded in the creature's face at point blank range.

A few moments later..

A massive crater had been formed in the center of the clearing. Of course no one could tell, due to the seemingly infinite black smoke wafting upwards.

6:00..

5:59..

Vincent still had over five minutes left of whatever this state was that he had achieved. "Hn." He mumbled, flicking his wrist. As he did so all of the dust and debris was cleared from the area by a burst of focused telekinesis and gravity.

Lying in the center of the 20 meter deep crater was the depraved, looking battered and unconscious. He was mumbling something which, thanks to his massively enhanced senses, Vincent was able to hear.

"Power.. I can feel them.. their energy. So many different.. flavors." The creature smiled lecherously, blood dripping from its mouth. "..And you've brought them all here… to me." As the beast spoke it drew itself up to its knees. "Give me more poweeeer!" It screamed, throwing its head back.

Vincent's eyes widened. 'Wait a minute.. looking back on it even when I had Camouflage activated he somehow hit me effortlessly..!' He reached out one desperate arm as he came to the conclusion that his opponent could somehow sense energy like he could. "No don't!" He pleaded. But it was too late.

He wasn't even sure when the monster had done it. He had been too focused on the enemy before him. He hadn't noticed when the dark purple seeds, creates by the depraved, sprouted from the ground around several members of his pack and began devouring them.

"Grahh"

"Roaaar"

"*whine* Fatheeer!"

"Noooooo!" Vincent clutched his knees and fell to the ground as his enhanced senses and amped Network of Souls caused him to feel each of their pains and deaths on an intimate level that only he knew. He heard Dawn roar and bark out an order for the rest to retreat. He knew he needed to move. To help them. He could feel the others pounding him with emotional messages but he could only focus on one thing.

He watched as the remnants of his packs' souls were dragged down into the pit and subsequently devoured by the hideous monster. The souls were sucked down its gullet like noodles, making wet gagging sounds.

His head was ringing. He could hear voices. His eyes were slammed shut..

And then they shot open and an eerie calm took him once more as he slowly stood on his feet. He blocked out the messages from his companion and pack members.

Looking down over the rim of the crater at the slowly transforming creature, Vincent finally spoke. "Thank you.. I needed that. You've just taught me a hard lesson.." He said. This creature was sent here for him. He didn't know how he knew, but he did.

In that moment, Vincent hated himself the most. He hated that it had to come to this for him to finally see the truth.

As long as he was at war with the system. For all of eternity. Vincent would be forced to hunt alone.

End of chapter 33