GodlySkeleton

Soul of Blades - Chapter 78: Sovereign World

Authors note: Enjoy.

Chapter 78: Sovereign World

Alex held the world treasure firmly in his grasp. The tiny intricate designs held stories of realms, knowledge and powers lost to time— things that seemed unlikely to be touched by modern minds. 

A relic of a lost era.

When Mei's eyes landed on it, she stepped back, a genuine look of terror flashing across her face as her fingers trembled, pointing.

A world treasure, she had called it. An object of immense value that cultivators sought, and with it, one could lay claim over worlds or traverse between them. The term felt somewhat familiar to Alex, as though he had heard it once, in a dream.

Or in a vision.

"How do you have that, Alex?" Mei asked, tentatively stepping closer with a quivering voice, her steps cautious as though she expected the sphere to explode, or worse. She moved to Alex’s side, struggling to mask the fear that Alex’s suprahuman sight saw threatening to break through.

Alex held the sphere before him, turning it over to study and sense the workings of its infinitely complex design. 

Sections of its interior appeared to exist in more than three dimensions, more than four, even. The device held the tiniest pieces that moved and spun in ways that reminded him of the entrance of his ‘Sovereign Executioner’ into reality, or the small features of the maddening realm of the Endless library. It was as though the treasure had been designed to harness energies that expertly warped space and twisted reality.

"It was a quest reward," he lied swiftly.

Meis sharp gaze fixed on him, hard and unyielding. "Don't lie to me. That's impossible."

Alex let out a sigh, deeper and longer than he intended. "After my defeat by Jun Li…" he began, choosing each word carefully. He wished he had something better to say, but the pounding in his head from overusing his dao was clouding his thoughts. “… I found this.” He stretched his arm forward, allowing Mei a closer look. “It was just... there, discarded not far from where I had fallen." He paused, looking directly into Mei's eyes. "I didn't know for sure it was the cultivators'."

Another half-truth.

Silence hung between them, a chasm growing deeper with every passing moment.

"But you suspected it was from Jun Li's?" Mei inquired with raised brows, her expression and tone revealing nothing of her thoughts.

Alex simply nodded. "Do you know how to activate it?"

Mei ran her fingers through her hair with movements that conveyed stress, it was apparent to Alex she was trying to process the revelation. "To activate it," she began, "You've got to inject your qi. That's how they do it, or at least, what it looks like they do," she admitted, rubbing her temples. "It's what Yan Hau's escort used to transport us here."

Alex's eyebrows knitted in concern. "And is it safe? Can they... track me?"

She looked pensive for a moment, her lips pursed. "I haven't heard of any world treasure being able to directly do that. Although, it's a moot point. The imperials can trace any system user through their 'soul-signature'. It's a unique mark given to both members of the Empire and anyone with the system. No matter where you are, so long as you're on a world connected to the system, you're exposed. If a cultivator wants to find you, they can and will."

She hesitated before adding, "Mistress Yan Hau probably recorded your soul signature when she sent you here."

His thoughts raced, the implications of her words slowly sinking in. "So, Mistress Yan Hau has my soul signature? You're sure?"

"Most likely," she replied, her tone hinting at resignation.

The reality of his situation had deepened, to abyssal levels. It had become abundantly clear that running might not be an option. Not from Mistress Yan Hau. Not from the Imperials.

The hope he had held of slipping away unnoticed, escaping the clutches of Mistress Yan Hau, seemed to evaporate. If she desired, she could locate him anytime. As for Jun Li, he could only hope that the formidable warrior was acting alone.

Alex was not ready to deal with cultivators breathing down his neck. Not yet, anyway.

"Then it's settled," he murmured, feeling the need to act. He sat down on the grass and cradled the world treasure. Closing his eyes, he sought out his inner qi, trying to connect with it, to awaken the dormant power within the artifact.

Mei's voice broke through his concentration as he sensed her leaning over him, casting a shadow on his seated form.

“What are you doing?"

"Trying," Alex responded tersely, feeling the energy building within him. Yet, his qi remained elusive, unyielding. He couldn't manipulate it, not even a hint of movement.

"To activate it," he grunted.

Despite his efforts, his Q felt impossible to influence. As much as he tried to manipulate it, the strange energy remained stagnant, unyielding. He could only sense it and not much else. Realization hit him; 

Where Qi and cultivation was concerned, he still had a lot to learn.

Standing up, Alex muttered grimly under his breath, "Maybe I should go back to Mistress Yan Hau after all."

Defeat washed over him. Without some form of mastery over his qi, traveling between worlds was an impossible feat. His eyes met Mei's, a resigned acceptance apparent in their depths.

"Crazy guy," Mei muttered, shaking her head, her voice filled with concern and worry and her eyes never leaving his form. Yet, as she spoke, her expression became wild and excited. 

As if she couldn't wait to see more. “It's like every second with you brings a new danger." 

Alex finally looked up to see her grinning face, "I don't think you need me to find danger. Judging by how we got here, you seemed pretty danger-prone before I came along." He retorted, forcing himself not to smirk or appear smug. 

It led to his delivery dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey. Low blow much," Mei muttered glumly as she kicked a plume of earth and dirt in his direction.

Alex side-stepped the bulk of the spray with inhuman speed but didn't manage to avoid it all. 

"Heh. low blow. Geddit?" She smiled, overly pleased with herself. Alex suspected her joke hadn't been intentional. 

He kicked back, his higher-ranked feet tearing through the earth and sending a spray in her direction. She summoned her shield too late.

Shortly after they packed, hunted, cooked, and settled in for the night, thoughts of hunting the world's strongest ancient long forgotten.

***

The next morning, Alex woke to a painful pounding behind his eyes, and foreign energy pressing into his skull. His surroundings felt hazy and non-present, fluid. 

He opened his eyes, and the pounding intensified as he woke to a realm entirely different to the one he had slept in.

Notifications flashed before him.

Confused, he briefly read through the flash of notifications— they brought clarity and understanding to his maddening confusion. 

[24 hour period depleted]

[Grade E Skill - Electric Arc - Mastery: 0% - Skill Unmastered]

[Grade E Skill - Electric Arc (Temporary) Removed]

[Vessel of Madness Initiating]

[Connection Established]

[Please Select A New Skill]

Then, Alex closed his eyes once more, employing a myriad of passives, 

all to search for the closest wells of power.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 77: Hidden Treasure

The voices abruptly stopped. The immense pressure surrounding Alex ceased. The silence was violent, leaving an emptiness in its wake.

He could breathe, but agony remained. His body was a battleground, pain, and energy warring within him.

His skill was still destroying his body.

"Whatever you're doing, you need to stop!" Mei shouted, her voice laced with urgency as she rushed to his downed form. "My healing skill... it’s not that strong!"

Blood spurted from Alex's mouth, red and visceral. He searched inward, through the agony, desperate to find his Qi.

He found a storm instead.

His skill's energy raced through him, a wild horse tearing his body apart. Yet there, in his navel, faint hints of his Qi blazed defiantly. Realization struck like a lightning bolt – he needed to find a way to release this skill from his body, as he had the first time.

"My sword..." Alex gasped at Mei, desperation painting his words crimson.

With a swift motion, Mei’s hand reached out. A shield of energy manifested beneath Alex’s abandoned spare sword, floating it towards his spasming palm. She placed the sword into his hand with determined precision.

"RUN," Alex yelled, his voice raw and torn. "Keep your distance no matter what happens."

Mei's eyes, wide and vibrant, flashed skepticism and worry. But she nodded. She jumped back—a blur, a streak of purpose—matching Alex's speed effortlessly.

Alex focused within. He remembered the sensation the first time the skill activated; it had surged from his navel to his heart, then to his arm and out into his sword in a trail of fire.

He outstretched his arm—spasming, yet determined. He attempted to seize the energy and guide it to his heart. It bucked and brayed the entire time, and was impossibly difficult to control. A wild animal refusing the reins.

But Alex held on, through clenched, gnashing, and bloody teeth. He tried anyway.

With difficulty, the energy moved. Once the energy reached his heart, it shot towards his arm and out into his sword. His arm tore in multiple places as the skill travelled through it, but his body was finally free from the trapped skill energy's constant destruction. He focused, his muscles straining, and sweat mixing with blood on his face. He glanced at his sword's tip. His heart both soared and plummeted at what he saw.

A vortex.

Voracious and hungry. It tugged viciously at Alex’s hair and his clothes, gnawing at the world as wind whipped around him. It began to consume his sword and the surrounding rocks, grass, and earth with violent suction.

It was then he realised he couldn’t move.

Panic and uncertainty assaulted Alex as he realized he was unsure of how exactly he was reborn, and he had no guarantee that he would survive a third death. After all, he didn't even understand how his skill worked.

He clawed at the earth, desperate to escape the vortex’s merciless pull.

"Alex!" Mei yelled taking a single step closer, her face a vivid streak of concern.

“STAY BACK!” Was all Alex could manage to yell as he struggled.

It was futile. Alex was rooted in place, a prisoner to the voracious forces for a second time.

The vortex completely consumed the demonic sword and his entire arm, along with everything close by in a sphere of destruction.

Mei's hands were a blur, conjuring symbols in the air—seal after seal, intricate and precise. She attempted to form large barriers between Alex and the chaotic vortex that still swirled around beside him like a bulwark holding back a storm.

But they shattered. Each and every time.

"Damn it!" Mei spat out, her fingers moving frantically as she hissed an endless string of words. The raw frustration in her voice was a physical thing, as tangible as the wild energy that still raged around them.

It was skill names, Alex realised, she was summoning countless skills to keep him safe.

Mei began to summon shield after shield in earnest, her face a portrait of desperate determination. She shifted, frantically trying to protect and move him and began layering shields. But each shield crumbled to sparkling particles of mana, swiftly consumed by the portal.

And the blood. There was so much blood.

Alex’s arm was missing to the shoulder, and pain continued to engulf every facet of his being.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the vortex winked from existence in a burst of sound and compression, both collapsing in on and consuming itself with a sound like the rush of a violent vacuum.

A sudden ‘womph’ that rumbled the earth.

Dried streaks of tears mixed with torn earth swam across Alex’s cheeks as he rolled over to realized his arm was now missing. His heart sank before a surge of energy from the Qi in his navel caused him once more to seize.

Residual energies from the vortex- a rush of swirling indescribable energies and a collection of Qi, swirl chaotically, before streaking to Alex's amputated arm.

His small flame of Qi shot forth, traveling through his body in strange patterns, before racing to his severed and torn shoulder and surrounding it in a fiery dark light. At the same time, the gathering of residual energies left by the vortex swirled in chaos before streaking to Alex’s amputated arm.

A tingling and tearing pain appeared as his arm seemed to regrow at pace. Alex could see hints of metal and a swirling mess of energies, including both mana and Qi, coalesce and form in the void where his arm used to be. The swirling energies of mana, energies, and Qi were solidifying.

Rebuilding.

"That is one freaky ass skill you've got there," Mei commented, her voice a mix of awe and curiosity as she watched his arm slowly regenerate. She stepped closer, tentatively, observing the strange phenomena with eyes lit with mana.

Alex, sensing an opportunity, employed his Dao of True Immortality to speed up his healing. His mind went back to his first entry into the void through the spatial anomaly on Pyra, and his entry into the higher-ranked martial world. Both times, he experienced the excruciating pain of destruction and rebirth. And both times, he experienced its liberation.

He wished he had been conscious during his rebirth from the death caused by his skill. He suspected he would have made considerable gains if he had been awake to experience it. But in a way, he had. He had felt his very being being deconstructed piece by piece, he had experienced the vicious cycle of instant decay and growth. He had experienced life and death twice now.

The pain of destruction, the liberation of rebirth. He had experienced it all.

[Dao: ‘True Immortality’ - Progress 0.16 > 0.19%]

With a burst, his arm regenerated, aided by the vortex's consumed materials and energies and his application of the Dao. It felt like all of his life and death experiences and all of the times he’d been torn apart and remade had consolidated into this single moment.

Both Alex and Mei gasped in shock, surprise etched on their faces.

"That skill... what rank is it?" Mei asked, with eyes wide and jaw hung open, and a voice tinged with genuine intrigue.

Ignoring her questions, Alex examined his new arm—pristine, a seamless blend of flesh and foreign materials. He checked his status; not much had changed, but his wisdom had raised by ten points.

He concluded that it must be from the vortex absorbing the magical shields Mei cast in her attempts to save him.

It seemed the vortex could even absorb mana from other people’s skills. That was useful to know.

Extremely useful.

But that healing had been intense. His Dao's healing had never been that powerful, it had to be the reconstructive aspect of his glitched skill that had supercharged his Dao-healing. He struggled to smile through the blinding flash of light that assaulted him and pounding in his head that accompanied each crippling flash. But in the end, his realisation caused a smile to break through, even through all the pain.

This confirmed that the next time he used his glitched skill, he could recover any limb he had lost or wound he had sustained. However severe.

But to do so he would have to find and subdue a cultivator, an imperial weak enough for him to defeat.

Fat chance of that he sighed, as he imagined himself trying to fight someone as strong as Jun Li a second time and winning… Maybe he could ambush them?

Struggling, he sat up, pain a constant companion but bearable now. He peered at his navel, his limited ‘True Sight’ passive revealing the mysteries within.

After intense focus and scrutiny, he could finally make out the Qi in his navel, in what Mei had described as what must be his 'Dantian'.

It was... a little smaller than the last time he inspected it.

Yan Hau had called it a 'permanent source of Qi' when she questioned him, which implied it should be unchanging.

Unless he used it.

Alex gasped as realization dawned. The glitched skill—it used Qi. It must be why he needed to be depleted with Mana Burn for it to even activate, and why it only ever activated when he had confronted a cultivator for the first time. His passive 'Nascent Body' had said he’d absorbed energies into his body. Maybe it took Qi to regrow his arm, to be reborn. That would explain the decrease in the size of his dantian.

His glitched skill, and his rebirths, were all tied to that precious resource; Qi. Like glue that held all of the energies together as it coalesced and solidified to remake him.

Without Qi, the next time he triggered the glitched skill, he would simply die, without a source for the Vortex’s remnants to recreate him.

What a strange skill.

And those voices, that message— the hints of meaning still haunted him, a lingering nightmare.

What had that been?

He shuddered as he recalled them.

"Alex!" Mei’s voice pulled him back from the brink of his thoughts as she placed an arm on his shoulder. "You're not hearing me. Is your head even there?" Her voice was rich with concern but carried a loud, commanding tone as she worriedly attempted to meet his gaze.

"I'm here, Mei," Alex responded weakly, flexing his newly formed hand into a fist and then relaxing it. His eyes, though, were still riveted on the small collection of swirling Qi in his dantian. Every movement was a harmony of pain and wonder.

Mei stomped her foot impatiently, causing a small cloud of dust to rise. "You’re reckless!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. Her eyes, a tempest of emotion, were locked on Alex. “Do you have any control over that at all? You could have died!”

"You... you're right," Alex admitted, finally lifting his gaze to meet Mei’s. His voice quivered, but he forced himself to steady it. "But I had to try something. It worked. I figured out a lot." His newly formed arm trembled subtly, but it was strong and whole. "It's a class skill. My class... it involves swords." He lied, thinking the less she knew the better. He wished he could come up with something more convincing, but the pounding in his head from over-using his Dao was making it hard to think.

Mei eyed him skeptically as she paused, before walking away in silence.

Days later, Alex and Mei trod down a familiar path, he had experimented with his skills and discovered the true nature of his latest class skill; Divine Fist.

The skill unleashed a devastating punch, which imparted a packet of mana into the area of impact. Whether it was a person or an object, it didn't matter what he hit as long as he hit something. The packet of mana would remain on the person or object and act as a homing beacon, and with a flex of his will, any sword in his hand would shoot toward the mana at frightening speeds. The skill, despite using his fists, would turn his swords into homing missiles. His excitement grew as he thought of all the possibilities. he could use it mid-swing to alter his trajectory, surprise attack an enemy in any direction by throwing a sword and summoning another from his inventory as his airborne sword attacked them.

It could be a useful counter to Tarabyzans gravity control, when coupled with Phoenix leap, he would need to increase both skills mastery before the expedition reached its end.

Mei sang a strange tune next to him as they walked back toward the dragon's palace. It sounded like a cross between different earth genres. Alex wasn't a fan.

Ugh, maybe I don't want to visit her world He thought as they continued their trek through the wilderness.

There was only a day left before the expedition to seize the Jade departed. Alex mentally checked the contents of his inventory and saw two items he had yet to inspect.

The incursion crystal, and Jun Li's globe.

The cultivators treasure.

As a matter of fact, he had been ignoring the treasure stored away in his inventory. He was worried it had some kind of homing beacon or signal and keeping it on him would send a stream of monstrous cultivators after him. But he decided it was time to inspect it.

Perhaps Mei had already seen something like it. If so, he could show it to her and stash it away in his pocket dimension before anything awry took place. He'd be able to find out what it is and any potential danger it held without setting off any alarms.

He hoped.

"Hey Mei," he called as he slowed his walk. "Come here, take a look at this, you know what this is?"

He extended his arm as she drew near with a cheery smile on her face, and summoned the cultivator's globe in his palm.

It shined and sparkled with endless and uncountable energies.

At the sight, Mei's cheery face instantly dropped and turned into one of disbelief and wonderment.

And horror.

"Alex. She started, her words drawn out slowly, cautiously. "How..."

"Why do you have an Imperials World-treasure?"

Soul of Blades - Chapter 76: Skill Testing

They ventured deeper into the forest, and at Alex's request, stopped a short distance from a stream. He knew a stream would attract animals they could hunt for meat and also provide them with water. "It's the perfect spot," he said, surveying the surroundings.

“Finding a stream was a pretty good idea, but... are we just gonna sleep on rocks tonight?” Mei asked, her hands on her hips, her voice soft yet carrying a touch of genuine concern.

"Relax," he assured Mei. "I'll build us a tent." Alex paused, considering "Actually, don't you have magic for that? Your some kind of supporter class right?"

Mei scoffed in outrage "Please, my class isn't that lame. And why would I 'build a tent'?" She air-quoted the words and attempted to imitate Alex's much deeper voice. "Doesn't Earth have housing-discs?"

Alex simply shook his head in response.

"Fine, OK. I don't know how to make one, but if you need help with it, just tell me what you need and I'll try"

Housing-discs? What was that? Something advanced from her home planet, no doubt. Alex sighed. He would have to visit her world at some point if he could. It sounded pretty cool.

"It's fine," he said, turning to face the surrounding trees. "I've got this."

He pulled the giant guard's golden sword from his inventory. The weapon of the guard he'd defeated. Before he left the ancient dragon's palace, he had made sure to store the oversized blade, along with his spares, all in his Inventory skill. At the time, he wasn't sure it would fit in the pocket space at first, and he remembered the sigh of relief he released as the skill accepted the large weapon. He then thought Sovereign Clone as he held the weapon, triggering his skill to turn the giant sword into a large golden replica of himself. This clone was much different from Eclipse; it stood regal and statuesque as if it were an automaton sculpted by a dedicated artist. It reminded him of the Roman statues from Earth.

Alex wanted to order it to find the thickest and longest leaves it could before collecting them without damaging any, but he was unsure of the complexity of orders he could give it without having to constantly monitor it.

"Search the area and collect twenty of the largest branches and leaves you can," Alex commanded the clone. "Bring them all to me without harming any of them."

The clone, not quite understanding the nuance of the order, promptly lumbered over to the nearest tree. With surprising strength, it uprooted the entire thing, dragging it over to Alex, who facepalmed as Mei giggled.

So, Alex realized, complex commands need my direct influence and control, or it interprets and attempts to achieve them in the simplest or most efficient way... maybe. I'll have to test this more to find out its limits.Refining his approach, he said, "Bring me the thickest leaves and branches you can find. Keep them separate."

As the golden clone lumbered off at his command, Alex realized he hadn't given it a time limit, although he wasn’t sure what difference that would make.

He hoped it wouldn't take too long.

While they waited, Mei, her voice soft but serious, finally asked the questions that had been lingering in her mind. "You know, I never asked, but how did you survive fighting Jun Li? What happened to him? Did he let you go? And how do you have Qi and Mana at the same time?“ she leaned closer to Alex, uncomfortably closer, to the point where her nose was almost touching his stomach. Alex stepped back reflective as she raised his shirt to peer at his bare skin.

“You know what?… I think I can see it,” she said, still centimetres away from Alex’s navel. “Your Qi. You really have it. Oh my god.” Alex backed away as she stared at his stomach. “That's... that's not supposed to be possible... How?"

Even after all they had been through, Alex still wasn't sure how far he could trust Mei. She was kind and had saved him countless times, but she was also a high servant of the imperials. She was someone who had done enough service to the Empire, enough service to be granted 'retirement rights', he vuvidly recalled her words as she had protested to Yan Hau. He strongly believed that was a good person. Their conversations had led him to be sure that she was on the side of system users, but he just couldn't be completely certain. Would she die to keep his secret? He didn't even want to put her or himself in that position. He decided to go for a lie. A half-truth, of sorts. He sighed and hesitated briefly. “I'm not sure…” he said, “ I know I said I was from off-world, but... I left some things out. I’m still from Earth, though, but it’s complicated.” He said before pausing dramatically, as if struggle with an internal dilemma. “I think… I think it was Jun Li, he said that whoever had crippled me had done so incorrectly and that he would… fix it.” Well, it was Jun Li’s fault, Alex thought, sighing both internally and externally, releasing an exhaustion that was more real than contrived. “To be honest there’s no way to know. And as for why these energies aren't tearing me apart, I'm clueless.”

He continued, " meeting Mei’s gaze for a brief moment. “I can barely sense the Qi with my skills. As for Jun Li, I don't know what happened. After he defeated me, I passed out. When I woke, he was gone."

Well, technically, that's true too he thought, resigned.

"Well, that’s convenient," Mei replied, the skepticism clear in her tone. She lowered her voice, "If anyone finds out, especially from the Empire... it won't end well for you. You'd become a prize that every sect would kill for."

"But-" Alex began before Mei interrupted him.

"No, you don't understand," she insisted. "It’s never been achieved in the history of the Empire. If someone finds out... well, you'll be locked deep within a sect and experimented on. They won’t let you die until they figure it out. Any and every sect across the Empire would see you as a priceless treasure worth starting another war over. The accolades a cultivator could receive from solving the issue of Mana and Qi's incompatibility would be etched into history."

A cold wave of dread washed over Alex. Mei's words weren’t threats; they were a reality he hadn’t fully considered.

Her face took on an uncharacteristically dark and somber expression as she paused. "You shouldn't have told me," She said, her voice softening.

"But I understand, I’ve already seen it. You're lucky I’m not stupid enough to rat you out, they would definitley kill me to keep it hidden from other sects. And Yan Hau has seen your Qi. Whatever you did to hide your Mana after the battle with the first drake, you'll need to constantly do that when we return. Or you'll be a lab rat until someone figures out your secret. Death would be a mercy."

Upon hearing this, Alex's stomach tightened with dread. He felt a weight, a profound heaviness, settling on his shoulders. His future, so uncertain and filled with obstacles and death traps, loomed before. Deep inside, worry mingled with frustration. He never asked for these conflicting energies within him. He didn't ask to be the 'solution' to a problem he had never even known existed. His throat constricted, and he swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising unease.

In an attempt to calm his mind and center himself, Alex focused on the task at hand: the glitched skill. He needed to replicate the conditions that caused it to trigger the first time. He thought 'Mana Burn', triggering the skill to drain his pool and empower his stats, before waiting for the effects to wear off. Thirty seconds passed quickly. Now, his body would be devoid of mana for two hours.

Next, he placed Eclipse in his inventory and drew a spare sword from his inventory, a durable throwaway blade snatched from the demon army back on Pyra.

Then, he began to trigger all of his skills, even the passives.

Once again, his efforts were met with the frustrating silence of a cooldown.

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

Boundless dodge.

Phoenix Leap.

Mana Blade.

Sovereign Clone.

Sovereign Exocutioner

InfiniteBody

Duel Of Corruption

Assimilate Nexus

Mana Burn.

Divine fist.

Inner Focus, Outer Focus, True Sight,

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

Then, he attempted to trigger the glitched skill.

Nothing happened.

Frustrated, he sat down as Mei chased a squirrel-like creature with curiosity. Alex closed his eyes and attempted to focus inward. However, without mana and any of his skills, he felt nothing. It was like it was before he joined the system. He felt his heartbeat, his breathing, his clothes rustling against his skin, and the shifting of his organs as he breathed. He focused on his breathing and its effects on his sensations and delved even deeper into what he could feel, the sensations of blood and energies within him. Then he felt it: a vibrating soft warmth within him, in his navel. It felt like he was holding a candle in his palm, and the slightest movement would send it crashing away.

Before he lost the sensation, he attempted to activate his glitched skill.

The mana in his navel flared and without conscious thought, with his eyes still closed, he found himself muttering an indecipherable word unbidden.

[Skill A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱ Activated]

His sword slipped from his grasp in surprise as he collapsed to the ground. A familiar sensation erupted from his navel and raced through his being, causing massive damage. But this time, there was no sword, no external point for the energy of the skill to escape to. Alex seized on the ground as Mei raced over and cast a light of some kind over him, but Alex was too caught up in the pain to notice.

As a spurt of blood poured from his mouth, and a red glitched and buzzing panel appeared before him, the unreadable words racing across it slowly becoming legible as the violent energies of his skill ravaged his insides.

The panel read:

¿̷̛̤̞͇̻̯.̵̰̬̱̈́͋̂͜͜͠ ̵̨͉͕̳̭̾̿̊̃ş̵̛̗̥̼̳͆̎̋u̸͈̜͈͍̳̔̔̕͠s̵̞̻̬̟̠̍̎͝͝ę̷̛͚̮̮̏̌̑ͅé̵͈̱̠͚͉͛̑́ș̶̻͇̥̽͛̚ t̷̛̤̞͇̻̯i̸̱̜̖̬̣͋̇̃͊ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̷̨̛̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱͚̮̮̏̄̏̌̑͝͠ͅ | ̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳¿̷̛̤̞͇̻̯.̵̰̬̱̈́͋̂͜͜͠i̷̛̤̞͇̻̯t̶͈̱̠͚͉́͛̑́ ș̶̻͇̥̽͛̚e̵̞̻̬̟̠̍̎͝͝ę̷̛͚̮̮̏̌̑ͅş̵̛̗̥̼̳͆̎̋ u̸͈̜͈͍̳̔̔̕͠s̵̨͉͕̳̭̾̿̊̃..̵̶̰̬̱̦̻͇̥̈́͋̂̽͛̚͜͜͠

̵̰̬̱̈́͋̂͜͜͠

He felt a presence, several all encompassing presences bearing down on him. It felt as if the unfathomable attention of whole galaxies was pressing down on him, and he hacked more blood as Mei desperately attempted to heal him. Words and flashes of meaning tore through him, as attention that felt like the weight of a mountain and the sensation of countless eyes focusing on him engulfed his senses. Meaning assaulted him once more:

Pawn. Tool. Weapon. Pleasure. Dissatisfaction. intention. Premature.

Anticipation.

Confusion and disbelief marred Alex's features as he twisted in pain. Was something, connecting to him through the system glitch?

Soul Of Blades - Chapter 75: The Task at Hand

Authors note: there’s a bit of an introspective throwback to the first chapter and some of his recent experiences to signify some form of growth to begin his journey into ‘badassery. Enjoy.

Chapter 75: The task at hand.

Alex held a deep belief in mercy and understanding, principles that guided most of his actions. However, these beliefs found their limits in life-threatening situations like the deadly contest he was now embroiled in. Here in this zero-sum game, where survival depended solely on the outcome of each move, mercy was a luxury he could not afford. He had almost died trying to save the townsfolk on Pyra, and was beginning to learn the dangers of underestimating his opponents.

A lion will use all of its strength even when hunting a rabbit, Alex recalled the saying with an exhale. That was another of his grandfather's teachings, and something Alex had struggled with in his previous life. The ease with which he faced challenges stifling his need to apply effort to his endeavours. His was a strength that had quickly turned into a crippling weakness. Rabbits were pitiful things and barely worth the effort of a hunt. He could catch them with his eyes closed. That was what he had so foolishly thought, back then, bathed in the arrogance of youth. 

Now, the memory caused him to understand his grandfather's wisdom—about the necessity of full effort in every significant challenge, no matter the apparent scale or ease. To give it your all in every attempt when facing your desires. And in this instance, Alex desired to live. 

So he would become a lion that hunted rabbits with everything it had. He eyed the enemies that stood before him at the thought.

The giant guards that remained were far from mere rabbits and felt more like prowling wolves.

This is no longer a mere death match, he thought with realisation. They hadn’t expected any of their number to die. Now, the guards wanted an Execution. Each sought revenge.

The stakes had escalated beyond mere survival.

Alex had already defeated two of the massive guardians clad in golden armor; another lay stunned in a smoking crater, its body twitching from the electrocution delivered by the swing of his blades. 

Its comrades towered before the fallen, their armor scuffed yet intact. A few stepped forward without even so much as a scratch. Of the seven that persisted, several had exhibited remarkable strength;

Their armored forms had shrugged off electric blows that scoured the earth.

Their swings tore the earth and shattered stone.

They moved with speed, armoured feet skimming the ground.

They displayed strength that rivaled his own, aided by their inflated levels. These guards held too much of a threat to allow them any room to cause unexpected damage.

Mei was trapped in a well of gravity high above, pinned to a floating mound of rocks, immobilised in her gravitational prison.

Alex, once again, found himself fighting solo—

Yet not entirely alone.

A towering figure stood beside him with metallic muscles that rippled in the light. A manipulation of magic that would obey his every whim.

Alex spoke a command to the giant replica, his voice resonant and decisive. It was a command it would follow without question, mindlessly, devotedly.

“FIGHT!”

***

The giant clone’s metallic arm muscles flexed as it launched at the guards, each movement at Alex’s command. A sword swung at the clone, clashing loudly against its golden body. The clone lashed out in a sweeping strike, its gargantuan blade causing the guards to step back as one parried. Alex’s feet shifted cautiously and deliberately as he approached, looking for an opening.

Then the Guards all pounced on the clone, pounding, smashing, and chopping in wide arcs. Dents and scratches covered the giant golden being, but nothing more. It grabbed one guard and struck out blindingly at the rest at Alex's intuitive command.

A worthy distraction.

Alex pounced into the fray, swinging his blade all his might, aiming the perfected technique of his piercing thrust at the back of a distracted assailant’s exposed neck. A Phoenix Leap boosted his flight, and the world blurred. His Sovereign Executioner entered reality from the other side of his target, startling it into defensive action. Causing it to be even less aware of his rocketing form.

Lighting coursed along the Electric Edge of Alex’s blade as he sped through the air, the taste of ionization causing his hairs to stand on edge. 

He struck, and thunder clapped, a flash that blinded all. 

But he met resistance, its skin was far too thick. His blade pierced the neck and his lightning scorched flesh, but the blow stopped at the bone and moved no further.

Phoenix Leap, Sovereign Executioner. 

Alex’s blade dug deeper, lodged firm in thick and magically enhanced bone, the world around him dimmed as fingers the size of his arms shot up, blocking out the sun as they sought to snatch him from the air. 

Stop him! Alex mentally ordered his giant clone to strike, and it obeyed, a metallic gong signifying a a rocking blow, and a second of time purchased.

“Mana Blade, Phoenix leap, Mana Blade!” Alex thrust his blade further, striking with all he had as a platform of mana exploded beneath his feet, enhancing the force of his blow.

Thunder crackled. A flash of light flared.

Alex’s blazing blue blade sliced through thick metal, flesh, even thicker bone, and then more flesh, as lightning crackled once more.

The golden guardian toppled over like a felled tower, clutching at its partially bisected neck in a spray of electrified gore.

[You have defeated level 550 Draconic Kobold (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

Alex landed amongst the remaining six, crouched, as they battled his giant clone high above, each blow causing rumbles and ripples in the earth.

Alex sliced at a distracted guard's ankle before leaping back to safety, his blade bit deep as the guard roared and toppled. His clone stood in front of him in a protective stance, and with a hint of concentration from Alex, a second golden blade rippled and stretched from its palm.

It launched into the guards as Alex leapt back to create some distance, and a storm of golden blades and armour clashing against each other ensued.

The clone won't last long. They're gonna destroy it pretty soon. Alex thought as he watched all ten guards pummelling his giant clone. It fought back valiantly, but it was simply outnumbered. He guided it to dodge and counter, but its destruction was inevitable. He glanced up at Mei high above, he needed her help.

High above, pressed against floating rock and grass, Mei lay flat against the earth. Gravity held her suspended on a small green floating mass. Shields made from blazing mana flashed into existence around her-some of them carving into the earth, slowly prying her free. Her hands danced in front of her, tracing intricate patterns Why does she do that? Alex wondered as he looked up at her. Light surrounded her as she continued to conjure layers upon layers of shields around her, her form trembling against the pressure until she became a blue sphere, a thick bubble of uncountable overlapping shields. And with a determined, almost angry shout, Mei hurled herself off the hill high above.

And on the sidelines, seeing her break free from his control, Tarabyzan raised a reptilian eyebrow in surprise.

Mei's figure, pressed against a floating hill by Tarabyzan’s gravity control, launched back into the fray as if propelled by an unseen force. Her palms turned forward, fingers splayed wide. A storm of magical projectiles materialized, swirling like fireflies and darting toward a guard. Each sharply focused. The first struck the guards cleanly, his eyes widening in shock as it landed and the rest soon followed. They struck, ignoring the guard’s armor as if it were a mere shadow, burrowing into his flesh.

The guard was impaled by all of her missiles, a grisly golden display as it staggered in shock.

Alex sprinted. His fingers curled around Eclipse’s hilt as he snatched it from the ground. His legs coiled then sprung – launching him in a graceful arc toward an impaled guard. His Mana Blade swung, and a draconian head separated from its body. He fell, lifeless.

[You have defeated level 594 Draconic Kobold (E) - Experience penalty due to grade difference]

How did I not get a level from that?, he wondered mid-swing, killing 30 got me eight levels even with the rank penalty, so killing 5 should get me 1 level, if each kill is 0.8? He huffed in confusion. This system is bullshit, it’s like a portion of my experience is stolen arbitrarily… maybe the system uses experience to keep itself running? Maybe that’s why it gave me no experience for killing Jin Li?

Alex found himself beginning to wonder, the cogs of his experiences turning, maybe the system is rigged?

He swung again, and his Sovereign Executioner stepped into reality, slaying a downed guard still unconscious in a crater, twitching from residual shocks of his lightning.

The twitching ceased.

[You have defeated level 410 Draconic Kobold (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

“Enough,” Tarabyzan’s voice rumbled, as cold and imposing as an arctic wind.

An invisible weight seized Alex mid-leap. His body halted, then plummeted to the ground. He struggled as he felt himself dragged downward violently, as if the sky itself were rejecting him. It felt eerily similar to his first arrival in this empire's outer world – a crushing deadly embrace, almost familiar, but now with a source. A concentrated suppression, the malice of one ancient dragon reaching out from the distance.

Tarabyzan.

Alex’s eyes squeezed in the strain and flicked to the ancient dragon standing like a sentinel in the distance.

His giant clone emitted a grinding, screeching noise. Its massive form and metal joints seemed to compress under the intense gravity. Mei's legs buckled, her magical bolts shattered like fragile glass, and her shields fractured into shards of light as she hit the ground hard, her knee buckling under the force, teeth gritted. Her face contorted in a mix of determination and pain.

In the space between them, the largest draconic guard stood. Alex’s gaze, intense and calculating, locked onto this guard – his earlier target of 'Divine Fist.' Through a marriage of True Sight and Outer Focus, he observed a network of foreign mana radiating from the impact site, a vibrant contrast to the guard’s own energy. It beckoned subtly towards Alex, like a tether.

It was Alex's own mana infused into the dent in the guard's armour, where he had punched it. His new skill, Divine Fist had imprinted its mana onto his enemy at the point of impact. The packet of Alex's mana had latched onto the guard like a parasite.

It pulsed.

It was a vibrant, rebellious streak amidst the guard’s own energy, swaying gently towards Alex like a beckoning hand. Responding to an instinct, Alex moved quickly. It was almost like a whisper from the system itself had altered his intuition. One, two, three swords materialized from his inventory, landing in a clatter in his struggling arms.

Simultaneously, he reached with his senses towards the Divine Fist’s residual mana, mentally grasping the tendrils of his own mana. The moment he did, the mana invading the guard surged back toward him, eager and responsive. The swords, as if caught in a draft, shot forward with this action at speed, blurring as they moved – all aiming for the largest guard as they streaked forwards like guided missiles.

In the next beat, Alex’s mental grip on the skill released. The swords, now free, continued their trajectory past the guard and sped toward the unmoving Tarabyzan.

The swords halted abruptly in the air before Tarabyzan and his son. The younger dragon’s eyes widened, and he stepped back involuntarily—a reflex betraying his inexperience.

Tarabyzan, calm and unfazed, extended a hand and delicately plucked the third from the air. The rest met the stone floor with a resonant clang as he released gravity's control over them.

He must be constantly controlling the directional gravity to match their speed in all directions to hold them in place like that, suspended in mid-air Alex realised. That is an insane level of control, what level of mastery did he take that skill to? Alex could only wonder.

"Those guards were weak," Tarabyzan noted as he sat down once more, "to have died at your hands."

“The weak have no place amongst us.”

His eyes, however, remained on Alex and Mei, appraising. “Your classes are interesting," he continued. "Your skills will be useful to the expedition. You may join us."

He paused, his fingers idly tracing the armrest of his chair. "Cause any problems," he continued, his voice a calm, chilling wave, "and you will die before even realizing you have been struck. We leave in four days. Return here by then."

His gaze never wavered from the pair. Mei's foot tapped on the stone floor of the courtyard, her impatience oozing from every facet of her form despite the tension. Does she think she can take him on? After all that? Alex wondered. Tarabyzan, seemingly unfazed, went on.

"The journey will take several weeks," he informed them, his voice betraying no emotion. Each word was carefully measured, as precise as a blade. "And at the rate of deterioration of Phurafel’s lifeforce," his fingers, long and reptilian, steepled together as he continued, looking almost thoughtful "it will take just over a month before Phurfel is truly close to death, and weakened enough to be beaten."

Alex tensed subtly, his senses attuned to the words. He noted the gravity with which Tarabyzan spoke of Phurafel, the ancient dragon they were tasked to confront.

Tarabyzan then leaned back into his chair in consideration. "Phurafel resides amidst a destroyed city, overcome with neglect and reclaimed by nature and wildlife. He has used the Thundergod Jade to warp the distant landscape where he resides, over many years." Tarabyzan’s face was impassive as he relayed the dire circumstances his expedition was apparently venturing into. "The animals and beasts there have been... changed, altered by the mad dragon's experimentations."

"It will be treacherous," he stated, "many will not survive. More bodies will not hurt our campaign."

Alex's hand clenched into a fist, but it trembled slightly in excitement. What was wrong with him? why does something like this excite him? He felt nervous, yes, but the Jade... if he could steal it, absorb it... what kind of power could he gain? It could warp lands and alter creatures, how much stronger could it make him? The thought was doused by the memory of Yan Hau's Qi, and power. He was not ready to face someone of Yan Hau's power. Stealing the Jade for himself was simply not feasible. He would have to find another treasure to absorb, and before that, figure out the conditions of activating his glitched skill. Maybe even try to repeat the conditions that caused it to trigger the first time. Then, he would look for some treasures to absorb. "Four days, then," he muttered, keeping his gaze steady on Tarabyzan, the ancient dragon lord in humanoid form.

Alex wondered if the dragon had a larger form, that matched the dragons from Earth's stories. After all, Mei had mentioned his 'wings'.

As he spoke, his long fingers moved subtly, a single, authoritative gesture. In response, the corpse of the dead guard, who had been felled in the skirmish, levitated into the air as if obeying an invisible command.

"Escort them out," Tarabyzan commanded, his voice devoid of warmth.

The remaining guards’ faces tightened, deathly anger written so clearly that their desire for vengeance was palpable. Five of them had been slain by Alex, and five remained.

The strongest.

They moved closer to Mei and Alex, their large, armored bodies like moving walls, both protective and threatening. Despite their apparent fury, there was a restraint in their movements, a fear of what might happen should they defy Tarabyzan’s will.

Their steps were the silent march of the condemned, an air of desperate fury palpable around the guards.

Each of the guards had anger blazing in their eyes, a raw, lethal energy. They were giants, their scales beneath golden armour shifting in the light, and their bodies radiated power, reflecting their high stats.

He could sense the surrounding guards' desperation to avenge their fallen comrade, overridden by their fear of Tarabyzan’s retribution.

Mei, in contrast, strutted out of the palace with nonchalance, her hands confidently behind her head, her steps carefree and light with her head held high. “What a creepy place,” she commented brightly, her voice slicing through the thick silence. Her eyes darted curiously from side to side, absorbing the details of the hallway they marched down. She seemed bright and her energy boundless, as though she were a child embarking on an exciting adventure rather than a perilous mission.

As though they hadn't just both been fighting for their lives.

Perhaps she's just used to this? Alex wondered in exasperation.

Every servant they passed, whether standing tall or attending to their duties, was a different variation of drakes, Alex noted. He could see it in their smaller sizes and less intimidating visages compared to the guards, or Tarabyzan himself. These guards... They must be some evolution of drakes. Not quite dragons, but something further along the path. This world was far different from anything he could have anticipated.

As Alex and Mei left Tarabyzan’s palace and moved past outer palace buildings and houses, they crossed the threshold into the wild, untamed lands beyond. The scenery changed abruptly from grand architecture to rugged wilderness.

The pair moved away from the nine guards who had strangely, escorted them the entire way. Alex stepped into the wilderness with Mei close behind, the unknown stretching wide and vast before them.

One guard, his voice deep and guttural, turned his stony gaze towards Alex and Mei as they stepped further away and whispered,

"See you soon."

***

Alex turned his head slightly, observing the guards as they walked back to their lord through the large gates. Mei stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the departing figures, her posture relaxed yet attentive. Alex’s hand rested casually on the hilt of his blade, feeling the cool metal under his fingers.

“They're going to be a problem, aren’t they?" 

Mei’s face held tones of skeptical derision, “Pfft, doubt it. Weak‘ass punks, let ‘em try.” Her lips curled into a smirk as she shook her head and flexed a thin arm. 

“And ‘See you soon’? Who do they think they are? The Decimator?” 

Alex’s eyebrow raised in curiosity, his attention momentarily shifting from the guards to Mei. "What’s that?" 

“It’s a story about when an A.I. tries to take over the world, it was a whole thing back in the day, apparently.” Mei shifted her weight from one foot to the other to stretch her heels, watching the last of the guards disappear through the gate. “Lots of robots and androids, too. And a liquid robot that was pretty cool.”

Alex’s response came with a slight nod of understanding, "Oh, you mean like those movies."

Mei turned to look at Alex, her expression one of genuine curiosity.

“What's a movie?”

The two then turned, heading towards the wilderness. Alex trailed off, shaking his head.

“… nevermind.”

Soul of Blades - Chapter 74: Colossal

Gravity's vice grip anchored Alex in place, the suffocating embrace of a storm of blue flames and towering blades barrelling toward him. He was a ship without a sail, a hawk with clipped wings, vulnerable and laid bare before the storm's fury.

Alex's muscles screamed, unable to move against the oppressive force that bore down on him. All around, the world was painted in the fierce azure hue of roaring flames and golden blades.

And yet still, he resisted.

[Grade E Skill: EclipsedBody (Passive) removed!]

[Grade E Skill: InfiniteBody (Active) gained!]

He pulled his dark blade from the storm of mana within his heart, replacing it with the energy-stealing limitless blade. Its crystal edge dispersed, the blades complex essence dissolving to spread through Alex’s cells to merge with his mana, becoming part of his very being.

The cold dark metal of eclipse landed in his open palm in the same instant, as his thoughts sped like a falcon in flight to summon every skill he could muster.

Sovereign Executioner, Sovereign Clone, Phoenix Leap, Mana Blade, InfiniteBody— Anything to escape gravity’s vice grip, and the array of fire and steel milliseconds from engulfing him.

Time slowed to a crawl, a breath where the next instant decided life and death.

Alex acted.

His fingers brushed against his inventory, a flick triggering the appearance of a demon army blade. Immediately, it mirrored his form, stepping mindlessly into the flames.  

Simultaneously, Alex raised his arms, blades poised to strike with precision through the eye of the impending storm. His Sovereign Executioner construct manifested right before the eyes of another charging gargantuan guard, its presence as sudden and natural as a shadow appearing under the noon sun. The gaurd pivoted to evade.

Too late.

Alex, with a blade crystal blade erupting from his palm, swung with everything he had. His construct did so too. Right at the moment a wall of blades and fire engulfed them all.

The sound of thunder and steel exploded, throwing dirt and rocks high into the air, where they remained suspended.

His blades had cut a tear through the atmosphere, aided by enhanced gravity. unleashed a torrent of electric energy. Two bright arcs of electricity scythed through the air, tearing into the earth and carving deep gouges through the fire to strike at golden guard, and then another, rooting their gargantuan forms to the spot. The ground cracked under both guard’s feet as each collapsed to a knee, smoke trailing from their golden armour like rising serpents, as the remaining eight comrades reached Alex and struck from all sides with flames, blades, and spears.

Mei, swift in her resolve, wove a protective dome around them both. The arcane barrier pulsed with the raw energy of her mana, standing in defiance against the tempest. But the guards were a force to reckon with. One, standing taller than the rest, brought his immense weapon crashing down. The sound echoed like thunder, and the first crack appeared on Mei’s shield. Before the sound even faded, another guard struck, and the shield's surface spider-webbed with fractures.

"Mei!" Alex shouted, his eyes wide with shock. But she was focused, her hands weaving intricate patterns, strengthening the shield with her mana. Alex stared at her hands. Is she re-enforcing the skill somehow? He wondered.

Alex felt the sting of heated air against his skin, smelled the sharp ozone from the electric discharge, and heard the sizzle of burning fabric and armor— he could see and sense beyond the flames, and saw a smoking guard he’d struck with lightning, one that still hadn’t moved from his kneeling position, in recovery.

Protected in Mei’s dome, an idea struck Alex.

He called out, separated by space but connected by magic. “Sovereign Executioner”

A breath, and time froze as Alex moved his construct’s blade to strike true.

His thoughts turned to the slain Arachnae queen he’d killed in cold blood, but he buried the feelings. The guilt he had yet to address. She had to die, that he knew, but it had still felt wrong, somehow. But this—

This was different, like when he had faced Jun Li.

It was kill or be killed.

And Alex would never die again. He would never be maimed or lose a limb. He swore it. And he would make these ‘dragons’ pay dearly for forcing him to choose between his life or theirs.

He struck then, once, aiming at the gap between the kneeling giant’s golden helm, where its eyes would be beneath the shadow of its helmet, and his construct pierced the kneeling guard with the finality of the setting sun.

A second strike, and his Sovereign Executioner faded from reality, a second life taken with its passing.

[You have defeated level 379 Draconic Kobold (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

[You have defeated level 399 Draconic Kobold (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

“Two down.” Alex muttered.

The remaining eight roared flames in rage.

The light from the surrounding fire dimmed as another huge blade came crashing down, cracks grew in an instant, shooting across the dome like thick spiderwebs of magic, a web of shifting ethereal light and the last line of defenders.

Beyond the dome lay red, and orange, and blue. Flames and draconic fire. The light dimmed as blade clashed with the dome, then flared, then dimmed again as an army of blades sought to shatter their dome of protection.

The light of angry flames flickered through the cracks, painting patterns on Alex's face, as a final blow shattered the shield, annihilated it altogether, shards of protective magic faded to nothing as now, eight enormous blades arched down, thirsting for death and surrounded by flames. 

Threatening to end Alex's existence.

But in that fleeting, perilous moment, Alex found himself calm, he could see it all— the trailing scent of heated metal filling the air, the paths it created and where it would lead, the waves of sound created from the vulnerable throats of his assailants, each filled with chemical flame ready to be unleashed, how their blades cut clear paths through the heat, the force of their swings sending small stones and clods of dirt into the air, briefly suspended before either falling back to the scorched earth, or rising to hang suspended above, as overseers of the battle.

For the briefest moment in time, Alex felt omniscient. His body was filled with adrenaline and hung in limbo, neither dead nor alive, as eight massive blades the size of his body were a single breath away from bisecting his form. His instincts, honed from one near-death experience after the other kicked into high gear.

Phoenix Leap. Boundless Dodge.

He shot up and swung with all he had, the world blurring as he left the blades and flames to embrace nothingness. And as he ascended, a blade's edge clipped him.

He tumbled, spiraling to the ground in a mess of limbs.

He swung again in mid-fall.

Bright flashes of electricity, a booming crackle, encircling guards, and rising smoke were the only sign of his action. 

Some guards halted in the face of his thunderous swing. One fell. But those that remained, they walked through the thick bolts of electricity as though they were mere drops of rain.

A Phoenix Leap arrested his tumble, causing him to spin through the air, landing with steps that cracked the earth.

The remaining guards were strong, higher level, but he expected nothing less from the giants. Two of them had walked through his bolts as though they were nothing, while another was prone on the ground in a smoking crater, yet to recover. No notification, Alex realised, it’s still alive. He tutted in irritation, his Sovereign Executioner on the tip of his tongue. 

He decided he would have to avoid the their blows at all costs and hope that none of them had high endurance. If they all had invested all of their meagre stats in strength or dexterity, he would still be able to deal damage to them and possibly beat them all. But if any of them were endurance specialists... well, then he guessed he'd just have to hope Mei was strong enough to help him deal damage or try to seize a chance to receive be buffed from her and gain some sort of an edge. Because with enough of a difference in endurance and strength stats, Alex suspected there would be a point where even harming a person with too high of an endurance stat would be impossible.

He had experienced something similar with Jun Li. But I doubt that’s the case here, he thought between seconds,  if they were that strong, they would not be mere guards. He thought again as he raced forwards.

He twisted, drawing out his dark blade 'Eclipse', hurling it towards the guards as he thought the words; Sovereign Clone. The silver clone clattered to the ground inert and reverting, as Alex’s dark weapon responded to his call, its demonic surface rippling like molten flames, stretching, and transforming into a formidable inky-black metallic replica of his form— yet infinitely more demonic and malevolent. Its presence on the battlefield was a dark beacon that commanded attention. Armed with horns, crimson runes, and its malevolent third eye, it immediately engaged the guards with unrelenting ferocity. 

The grounds of the courtyard became an arena of chaos.

In the center of the courtyard, Alex's feral clone lashed out, each of its movements embodying its untamed nature. A guard's blow sent the clone flying, but it dug its fingers into the ground, arresting its momentum. 

Despite its efforts, every strike from the guards that connected sent it reeling. A powerful swipe threw it into the path of a gargantuan guard, who raised his weapon for a deadly cleave. But the clone moved with unmatched agility and expert precision, spinning in mid-air to parry the deathly strike. The impact, however, caused severe cracks to form on its sword arm. It spun from the blow in a whirlwind of frenzied movement.

Using its momentum from blocking the blow, the clone spun and delivered a vicious slash across the guard's face.

The guard, face marred with a gash, bellowed in rage. In his fury, he grasped 'Eclipse', intent on shattering the blade. Alex saw his weapon's potential destruction and immediately unsummoned his clone, transforming it back to a sword. His reverted blade however, never left the brute's hand, its serrated edge had sliced the meat of the guard's palm but never left its grip.

“Cover me!” Alex yelled to Mei, his voice piercing the chaos, "I have a plan!" He yelled again as he sprinted forward, seven guards moving in rapid succession to block his path. Their forms blurred as they simultaneously struck out towards him. It was as if the very air split with their speed. A Phoenix Leap and a series of Boundless Dodges and Sovereign Exocutioners weaved through the attacks in an instant, his world a barely seen blur.

Their attacks, though far more powerful, paled in comparison to the numbers he had faced when racing through the demon army.

It would have been laughable if they wasn’t so strong. Alex didn’t doubt that some of their blades could still end him if they landed. A strike would be all that it would take.

Above him, Mei glided on a magical shield she conjured, it acted both as transport and protection. Her reactions were quick, forming shields and domes that repelled the guards' advances in a maddening frenzy of movement.

Boundless Do—

A shield appeared just in time to deflect a deathblow Alex sensed aimed at his back, the massive weapon moving too quickly and too closely to evade. Mei had saved him from certain injury, if not death. Another of her gestures formed a protective dome between them, allowing Alex to move back and create some distance.

These guards are fast and strong, but their skills are weak, he realised. If these guards had better classes, he might have been in trouble just then. He could have died.

With grim resolve and acceptance, he realised that if he allowed this to drag on, he very well still could.

He would have to end this soon, in one fell swoop— take out the remaining guards and prepare himself for whatever came next.

And as far as dealing with what came next was concerned, Alex was prepared for any outcome.

The guard holding Eclipse had stumbled when the clone he tried to destroy transformed into a small sword in his grasp, slicing his hand. Recovering, he roared and hurled the sword at Alex. Yet with a Phoenix Leap, Alex appeared before him, ignoring the sword that stabbed into the ground beside him.

Behind Alex, Mei approached, turning around on her shield to confront the nine remaining guards advancing on them with alarming speed.

They were back to back.

Breathing hard, she landed behind him and coughed, blood spattering her lips. "Your plan better be worth it," she grumbled, wiping the blood away.

"Just wait and see," Alex muttered, clenching his fists, focusing on his 'Inner Focus'. He felt the mana flow within him, and guided it. "I need a distraction."

A crazed grin crossed Mei's face as she nodded in understanding. She summoned a magical bolt, which expanded and thickened until it matched her torso in width. Suddenly, it compressed, exploding into dozens of bolts that crackled with energy, their hum and buzz filling the air. Through his True Sight, Alex realized the mana contained in each bolt could fill his entire pool. Holy—," he thought in muted surprise, the sparkle of blue bolts filling his eyes as he viewed them, maybe we don't need my plan.

From a distance, Tarabyzan snorted, emitting plumes of flames. Suddenly, Mei's gravity reversed. With a yell of surprise and frustration – "Shiiiii-" – she found herself catapulted into a floating hill above. Her bolts followed, creating a suspended forest of magical death high above.

Now alone, Alex cursed under his breath. Ignoring Eclipse, he darted towards the giant guard who'd thrown it. That guard, with his golden armored fist, launched a fast punch at the approaching Alex. The massive fist threatened to engulf Alex's head and torso. Thinking quickly, Boundless Dodge, he mentally commanded. His mana shifted him to the side, the wind from the guard's miss threatening to topple him. Phoenix Leap, he thought next, shooting past the guard's open side. Drawing back his own fist, he murmured, "Divine Fist," and punched the guard's chest with all his might as he sped by.

The sound was deafening, a resonating gong that silenced the courtyard, accompanied by a blinding flash of mana and a roar of pain. Alex didn't halt; nine guards still pursued him. Racing past one, confusion marked the pained guard's face – until the giant followed Alex's gaze and direction.

Alex was racing to the guards' discarded giant sword.

Even with his inhuman momentum, Alex's focus never wavered. He lunged for the guard’s enormous golden sword, twice his own height and equally as broad. As the other guards closed in, circling him like vultures, he touched the cold metal of the blade. Two words sounded in his mind.

Sovereign Clone.

The weapon morphed. Before the guards stood a colossal version of Alex, an unthinking behemoth.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 73: Emissary of Doom

[Skill 'True Sight' has further discerned the energies of the items you have inspected. Further details available]

[True Sight: Mastery 5 > 12%]

[Sword 'Eclipse' (D) - Growth type weapon - An early work of a master craftsman of planet designation 'Hellven'. Ritualistically forged and doused in the blood of countless captured system beings, Eclipse's insatiable hunger for unique and higher blood grants the weapon potential for growth. Drawing strength and power from the blood it spills. The more unique, compatible, or higher blood it absorbs, the stronger it becomes, granting increased durability to the weapon.

Weapon skills: Absolution,]

[The weapons consumption has yielded growth, and Enchantments. Further consumption of higher or unique blood will yield better results.

Absolution: With every enemy slain, the sword absorbs a fragment of their essence (0.001%). As the wielder continues their conquest, the weapon will retain a faint infinitesimal imprint of the prowess displayed by the defeated enemies during combat.]

As they walked past the gate, Alex experimentally pricked the skin of his finger, dripping his blood onto the dark sword. A slight gasp escaped his lips as crimson ripples spread across the weapons surface, almost as if the sword was both savouring and absorbing the life essence contained in the liquid.

Does that mean it has the smallest portion of my fighting instincts now? Or would it need more blood? He wondered, rubbing at the beginnings of stubble that crowned his chin. It only took less than a cupful of Jun Li's blood... But it did take a boatload of the Thundering Bulls blood, and that was D ranked. And come to think of it, who knows what rank Jun Li's race was… he mused.

Absorbing the cultivator had completely upgraded Alex's race and stats, but he could tell by the tiny size of the bundle of Qi he sensed in his navel that his glitched skill had not given him all of the cultivators power. Far from it, he had only gained a small portion. Jun Li had called the vortex that consumed them both an 'abyss', whatever that meant. He claimed it would ‘doom them both’, but Alex was fine— better even.

Made stronger by absorbing his fallen enemy.

Although... his small flame of Qi- a portion, did not compare to the memory of Jun Li's blazing furnace. At the time the man had seemed like an unclimbable peak. His cultivation had simply made him too fast, too strong, and too powerful.

And his sword, a weapon capable of growth, had absorbed some of that power. However small. Maybe that's why it totally wrecked those bandits Alex thought as his mind went back to the memory of the savage slaughter.

It was grim, but he guessed it was a weapon worth closing an incursion for. Without his class, loot, Mei, or the glitch, this change in his weapon would not have been possible, or would have taken years upon years to achieve. How else could someone of his rank have the opportunity to defeat a Thundering Bull, and a cultivator? Someone in the E Rank would not stand a chance against someone or something in the rank above, at least not without levelling up to a ridiculous degree. He further rubbed his chin as he considered the possibilities. And even then, who's to say they wouldn't find a weapon with a better base? with better 'weapon enchantments?

He considered the weapon’s enchantment. 'Absolution'. It would be useless on its own, at least without a skill like 'Sovereign Clone' to turn the weapon into something that walked on two legs, capable of using a weapon of its own. His weapon would grow more durable and gain abilities the more it consumed. Maybe if he fed it even higher ranked blood, it would evolve? Rank up? So that explains why it was chomping down on enemies, its a skill. A part of the weapons design. He mentally concluded as they walked into the palace proper.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief, further convinced that his weapon wasn't about to go turn around and try to eat him. He had too much to worry about as it was.

It was interesting to finally know what 'growth' meant, where his weapon was concerned.

He felt the rush of possibility surge through him at a different and more pressing realisation; didn’t the weapons enchantment ’Absolution’ pair extremely well with his passive skill ‘BladeBody?’

Alex plunged the blade into his chest without hesitation, right above his heart as if to pierce himself and witnessed his sword seamlessly vanish into the depth of his heart and disperse, without even so much as breaking his skin.

The dark blade transformed into particles of energy before his eyes, breaking down to become one with his mana and flesh, infusing him. There was no pain, only the sensation of becoming greater, as the metal dissolved and its essence spread through him, merging with his mana and flesh to become part of his very essence.

[Grade D Skill: EclipsedBody (Active) gained!]

Immediately he felt it, a change within him—a sudden surge in knowledge and understanding.

It wasn’t much, not when compared to the deluge of information he received when the system granted him skills, but it was still noticeable. The slight urge to tilt forward when avoiding attacks, the lack of desire to do anything less than crush the enemy with skill, and a strange desire to witness blood and carnage, and an even stranger desire to control his breathing with every movement. It was subtle, but he felt as though the weapon had made his fighting style slightly more skilled, and significantly more aggressive.

He was tempted to experiment further, but the time for such displays had passed and the gates drew closer.

As Alex and Mei advanced past the looming golden-armored guards, they saw an ambassador of some sort waiting for them. He was a peculiar sight: his height was no different from Alex's, yet his body bore the characteristics of a dragon, with small overlapping scales on parts of his body and a slim tail that looked as sharp as any sword.

The man's slitted eyes landed on Alex, then drifted to Mei, regarding her with an unreadable expression. "We've been expecting you," the ambassador responded, his voice flat, and his eyes devoid of enthusiasm. "The god-mistress has informed the Lord of your arrival. Follow me."

They followed.

"So this 'Lord'," Alex’s curious gaze shifted from the ambassador to Mei, who was following the guide with an irritated expression "who is he?" Alex asked.

Mei's already irritated expression grew even more so as she considered his question. "His name's Tarabyzan. Before this place even got the System and magic, this dragon was around. One of the few on this planet with a half decent class.” She scrunched up her nose in frustration at the concept. “Rumour has it he could fly through valleys and mess with gravity a little before the system came, without using any mana. And when the system finally introduced mana and skills, he... They, kind of evolved."

She shuffled her feet as she walked, adjusting her gear. "With the rise of the System, his power over gravity is supposed to have become even more pronounced. They say it's like he’s one with the earth, rooted, 'eternal'." She air-quoted at the word 'eternal' with a roll of her eyes. "I've heard he embodies gravity, controls it.” She paused, her gait slowing to match Alex’s pace. “He isn't kind. He's taken what he wants and twisted this world. Imagine the oldest mountain you can, and that's him. He's annoying. They all are."

Alex gulped, and mentally checked the weapons in his Inventory. "Sounds like we're meeting the big boss."

Mei rolled her eyes in response "Psh. Not really."

"From what I've heard," she continued, seemingly unconcerned with being overheard by their escort, "Tarabyzan and his kind hold some sort of key to understanding the System. But they're... complicated."

The dragon-man's gaze lingered on Mei at this, his curiosity evident. “You seem to know much, and yet human visitors are rare.” He ventured, a question hidden beneath the words.

In response, Mei simply shot the ambassador a glare, "Mind your own business."

At her harsh words, the ambassador's expression turned cold for a split second, before a thin, almost mocking smile appeared on his face. And with a sweeping gesture, he directed them to a nearby courtyard. Alex's gaze was immediately drawn to the enormous figure at its center.

Alex found himself in a vast courtyard, where amidst a series of floating hills and spiraling waterfalls, a colossal draconic man was sipping tea. This being easily dwarfed them both. Alex estimated that even if two or three of him stood on each other's shoulders, they'd still look up to meet the eyes of this titan. The imposing figure's very aura twisted the surroundings – rocks floated as though weightless, water defied its nature and danced in the air. His presence was as commanding as the tallest mountain, yet as graceful as the gentlest river.

"You must be Tarabyzan," Mei said confidently with a single step forward, not waiting for introductions.

"I am.” The dragon lord looked down, his green eyes narrowing to regard the two human visitors. “And who might you be to address me so informally?"

Alex took a moment to observe him; the intricate patterns of his scales, the large spikes on his head, the deep and endless green of his eyes. The beings armor, covering patches of rough, scaled, and almost human-like skin, was vast and sturdy. Alex could only imagine the number of men it could arm if broken down and smelted. Tarabyzan’s posture made it evident that he held an undisputed command over this region and perhaps even beyond.

The dragon lord shifted, a movement that carried the power of one who rarely saw contest. A bowl, comically small in his massive hand, was raised to lips that huffed out sparks of flame.

"We are here on Yan Hua's bidding," Alex began, leaning on a spare sword he’d summoned before entering the courtyard, his voice resolute, and his mind prepared for any outcome.

The lord glanced at him, almost dismissively, his voice dripping with derision. “And you think that gives you authority? That she is someone worth following? Or that I would simply obey?”

The dragon lord shifted further, this time to face them, though his face held neither malice nor aggression. “That woman…,” he began, “she rules through false might. She relies on the Empire’s energy, so rigid, so confined. But mana…” he let out a breath, deep and rumbling. “Mana has the power to birth entire worlds. In time, the dragons, the ancients, will reclaim this system. The universe itself will bend to us.”

His voice lowered, a dangerous edge to it, smoke pluming through his nostrils. "I have millennia. I can wait."

It was Mei who broke the silence that followed, her foot tapping the ground and her voice dripping with impatience. "Yeah, that's pretty cool 'my lord'. But we need the Thundergod Jade.” She huffed. “Tell us where it is."

Lord Tarabyzan’s scoff echoed in the courtyard. “Ah, the Jade. Many of my kind desire it. But it is Phurafel’s. While he may be on the brink of death, he remains formidable. Unbeatable.”

Then he grinned, each sharp teeth appearing as blades in formations that summoned images of sharks within Alex’s mind. “But we can feel it,” the dragon said. “Phurafel’s end. Soon though, when his life spark dwindles further, we will rise to claim it. All of us. Your 'mistress' might wish to be careful then."

Mei's irreverent tone surfaced once more as the the tapping of her foot finally stopped. “Hey, T, we don’t care about dragon politics and I'm not waiting around for some old dragon to croak.” Her arms unfolded to fall by her sides. “Just tell us where Phurafel is.”

The dragons piercing green eyes scrutinized them, and every exhale seemed to spark flames. "Your tone is amusing."

A younger dragon, slimmer yet still imposing, stepped into the courtyard. His tail moved with an eager energy, betraying his otherwise calm and stoic demeanor. His eyes keenly observed them with zeal and what Alex interpreted to be thinly veiled excitement.

Despite the younger dragon’s relative size and slim demeanor, he still dwarfed Alex and Mei in stature.

"This is my son," Tarabyzan announced as if sensing the unspoken question, a hint of pride in his voice. "He leads our expedition to claim the Jade.” His son folded his arms behind his back in the face of their attention, his demeanor increasing in assumed regality. Tarabyzan continued, “You may join the exposition. If you survive the journey, then perhaps you'll have a shot at the jade.

“Many will try, but only one can claim it." The dragon lord rumbled.

A loud boom sounded behind Alex, soon followed by an explosion of earth as the ground rumbled and wind billowed around them. A giant guard had landed behind him and Mei, huffing blue flames as it grunted in its landed.

The guard, had fallen from the unseen sky above.

At the sound, Alex summoned a blade to nestle between his fingers, the words of each of his skills on the tips of his tongue.

If they sought to ambush him here, he would ensure that they paid dearly for it. Even Tarabyzan.

Additional guards slowly entered the courtyard, surrounding its edges. First one, then two, three, four, until finally, ten stood in formation, forming a square that blocked all exits. All of the guards brandished gargantuan weapons while towering over Alex and Mei with hunger in their eyes.

Tarabyzan stood, then, and walked slowly towards his son with booming steps. He marched to the other side of his courtyard and sat, continuing to drink his tea.

He gestured towards the ten giant draconic guards surrounding Alex and Mei.

They advanced.

"But first you must prove your worth." He boomed, his deep voice rumbling in the silence. "'Mistress' or no, weaklings have no place amongst us."

Alex attempted to jump to action, but he found himself rooted in place, as if gravity had held him prisoner.

He glanced at Tarabyzan, and the dragon smirked.

"You know, none of the mistresses' messengers have ever left this courtyard alive.” The lord didn’t grin this time, instead, his eyes were cold and lacked neither joy nor malice. “I hope your deaths are entertaining. Begin."

At his word, the guards all lunged, their blades whistling towards Alex and Mei’s frozen figures.

A storm of flame and metal engulfed their frozen forms.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 72: Maddening Power

Authors note: sorry guys I was struggling to find a place to put in the system battle arc and as a result this chapter took a little longer than necessary. I’ll be posting a few chapters more today to hopefully hit the 20 chapters ahead mark rather than 18.

Enjoy.

Chapter 72: Maddening Power

As Alex approached the massive, opulent gate flanked by towering guards in golden armor, his gaze shifted upward, his neck stretching to take in their strange and exaggerated presence. Mei walked beside him, her gait relaxed with a flair of disinterest that bordered on disdain.

“Are those humans? they look like… tall humans.” Alex muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the intricate carvings that adorned the gate. Each detail seemed to depict some form of lizard brutally killing and in some instances, eating, things that were distinctly… not lizards.

Alex felt a weight settle in his palm, the cold of alien wood smooth against his skin, as a small box sprang into existence, pulled from the spatial dimension granted by his Inventory. Vibrations of strange energies pulsating through the container Within the thin seams of the box’s casing, a flaring light from within that ceased entirely as he opened the box with a click, gazing at the dark skill crystal that lay with.

‘The vessel of Madness’.

‘Madness’… the word caused him to pause. It promised strength but threatening madness.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the item you have inspected]

[Vessel of Madness - Rank D

Effects: Skill Vairance (24 hour Duration)

A lost shard of the Endless Library. This shard acts as a gateway to the realm but offers no protection to its user. Upon use, a permanent and unbreakable connection will be formed with the realm, and one skill will be granted to the user every 24 hours, replacing any skill previously gained unless completely mastered within its 24 hour duration. Caution is advised as each skill replacement bares the risk of the rapid deterioration of the users mental state, leading to inevitable and severe mental corruption.]

My inner Focus has shielded me before, he considered. His skill had displayed a resistance to mental manipulation, proven during his ordeal with the mind-controlling broodmother. It had even thwarting the life-draining gaze of the second demon princess, resisting all influences of foreign mana. Inner Focus held the potential to shield him from any madness induced by the dark crystal.

Considering the crystal’s potential to grant him a new skill daily, albeit at the risk of his sanity, he lifted the crystal between his fingers in thought. Held beneath the light of a sun he had not seen before today, the strange skill crystals facets reflected not radiance, but darkness. The blacksmith had called this a shard from the 'Endless Library,' Alex mused internally, rereading the ominous name. Perhaps it’s an endless library of skills… A library filled with an unlimited number of skills. The name suggested that was what the crystal held, but then why is it called a vessel of madness? He wondered. He found himself hoping that whatever place the crystal pulled the skills from contained skills that would allow him thrive in the strange and long lived world he now found himself treading upon. He examined the crystal's facets and noted how its angles continually threw different shades of darkness with every twitch and move of his fingers, making the shadows around his hand seem deeper. It’s a bit creepy though, isn’t it? He observed, growing more curious with each turn.

Despite his concerns, he found himself staring at his restored leg. Past experiences of physical trauma and close encounters with death flashed through his mind— sharp pain, the heat of his blood, the thrill of death chasing his heel—each memory brought forth feelings of rage and resilience, of his determination to crush all obstacles in his relentless pursuit of power. He had survived death and destroyed an incursion alone to enter Pyra, he had defeated an army, and he had killed an imperial.

But only barely. He had died that time, too. That was unacceptable. No more, he thought. He was ready to risk even insanity for the power he felt he needed, especially now, as he ventured into deeper dangers.

Alex’s resolve hardened further than it ever had before; he needed the vessel’s power.

Alex placed the crystal back into his palm, his fingers closing around it firmly. "Assimilate Nexus," he muttered under his breath, crushing it. The small shard dissolved into his palm with a faint hiss as the mana surged, releasing a surge of energy that coursed through him and expanded, a visible shudder running down his spine and spread into his surroundings to reach at places that extended far beyond his senses.

[Vessel consumed]

[Connection Established]

[Skill Selection Pending]

Wha?— that’s weird, I thought it was randomised? He thought with confusion.

Alex blinked. And then everything around him changed.

When his eyes opened, the gates were gone, replaced by a surreal landscape that defied comprehension. The ground beneath his feet felt unnaturally soft, each step producing a muffled thud as his boots sank slightly into the mist-covered floor. His hand moved to shield his eyes as he scanned the horizon, where shapes seemed to wobble and shift at the edge of his vision. Figures moved at the periphery of his vision—shapes that might have been people or something else entirely. Each time he tried to focus on them, they morphed into vaguer forms, slipping away just as his mind seemed to grasp their essence.

The air around him felt thick, charged with an invisible tension that tingled on his skin and caused a slight pounding in his head.

With a tentative step forward, Alex felt the ground beneath him give slightly, the sensation muted and alien. He turned his head, attempting to stabilize his view, but the landscape seemed to resist focus. Every attempt to clear the blur sharpened the images only momentarily, quickly reverting as a piercing pain, like a nail being driven into his skull through his eyes, punished his efforts.

His every glance was a battle against the rising tide of confusion and pain, each clearer vision bought at the cost of his sanity. His surroundings ebbed and flowed in clarity, a constant assault from the realm’s alien nature. The more he understood what he saw, the more he realized the futility of his understanding, a paradox that gnawed at his resolve.

He could see myriad energies and magic surrounding some shelves, though some others were beyond the realm of comprehension. The entire place seemed to remind him of the dao, somehow. But less so.

It was bizzare, but much less… overwhelming. He felt that he could navigate his way here to take whatever he needed. A distant silhouette shifted. Alex squinted, the figure sharpening into something momentarily humanoid before it blurred again when he blinked away the pain. Looking up, he saw more figures flitting about. They were barely more than blurs, shifting too quickly to discern their true forms. Each time he tried to focus, the pain in his head sharpened, a nail driving through his skull.

He paused, focusing on a less painful perception: the feel of air currents around him, vibrations from the subtle ground— the sensations gave a fleeting sense of orientation in the maddening expanse.

So this place messes with my vision. It's a good thing I have more than just vision then, isn’t it? Alex closed his eyes then, and began to truly see his surroundings, his Bestial Senses and Outer Focus providing more clarity than his eyes ever could.

And it felt as though he had been transported to a realm of endless shelves and storage structures— at least within his immediate vicinity.

Among the countless volumes, many appeared mundane at first glance, but others were far from ordinary. Some tomes actively spoke in indecipherable tones. or watched him with eyes embedded in their covers, and a few are disturbingly crafted from what seemed like human and animal skin. However, most were impossible to discern clearly.

He saw a blurry figure walk on two legs to approach a scroll; the figure touched it and vanished in a flash of light, leaving Alex to insight on how to leave the realm, granted by the fleeting reality of what he had just witnessed.

To his left, a towering structure that hinted at being another bookshelf drew his attention. He was surprised to see that even without his eyes, his surroundings still seemed to sway and morph slightly, as if everything in this realm was insubstantial. Approaching cautiously, he noticed that the closer he got, the more his head throbbed, as if the very act of seeing was painful.

Among the fuzzy silhouettes of scrolls, tomes, grimoires that burned with mana, and simple mundane books. One appeared slightly more solid, its edges less indistinct than the others. He stretched out a hand, pausing midway, the ensuing headache overwhelming.

But this one was brighter than most around him. Distantly, he could feel there were items that blazed with mana, containing veritable storms of mana.

But they were too far away.

This space, whatever it was, seemed to exist just beyond the reach of normal comprehension, holding secrets that his mind could glimpse but never fully grasp. The sensation took Inner Focus’s to its limits, forcing him to bolster the skills use with concentration, moulding and shaping his mana defensively with constant surges of will.

[Inner Focus 14 > 17%]

He stepped forward, each movement tentative, as if the ground might shift beneath him. A shape loomed closer, resolving as he concentrated—a shelf lined with books, but not quite books, as their edges blurred and pulsed subtly. Reaching out, Alex touched one. The texture felt unfamiliar, smooth yet constantly shifting under his fingertips. The title, if it was a title, swam before his eyes, never settling long enough for him to read. But from somewhere within the tome, knowledge of an unfathomable magic seeped into him, a skill suddenly within his reach.

[Grade E Skill - Electric Arc (Temporary) gai—]

[Electric Arc - (Active, 10-second cooldown, no duration). Releases a short-range arc of electricity that shocks and stuns a single target.]

[- ̶̯͇̈́̈͛Error̶̯͇̈́̈͛—]

[Nexus Assimilation Initiating]

[Target Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic S—]

[System Message: Grade E Class Skill - Electric Edge (Passive) gained!]

[Electric Edge - Temporarily (Passive) - The electric edge of sovereignty cows all. Any blade in the user's possession swung with sufficient speed releases a short-range arc of electricity upon connection that drains the users mana to shocks and stuns targets.]

He withdrew his hand quickly due to the throb building behind his eyes, only to see his previous world returned, complete with Mei a few steps ahead, standing bored as if waiting and paused before the massive gate. She turned her head slightly, peering back at him with a tilt of her posture in mild surprise.

“Woah, you just totally disappeared for a second. Like you wasn’t actually here” her eyebrows arched high as she spoke, her arms gesturing towards the spot where he stood. “Since when could you teleport?”

"I can’t teleport," Alex replied, clenching his hand to stop the residual tingling from the lightning that had coursed through it. He showed her the empty palm, where the dark crystal had once lay. "I used a skill crystal."

“Skill crystals don’t do that.”Mei tilted her head towards him in skeptikal disbelief.

Alex sighed. “It was a special one, took me to a place called the Endless Library” he responded, brushing off his hands as if wiping away the remnants of the library's dust as the painful pulse behind his eyes receded to nothing. So that was a real place, he thought to himself, picking at the grey speck of… something, that clung to his clothes.

Mei raised an eyebrow skeptically, assessing Alex for a breath.

“A library? That’s dumb. Fine, keep your secrets. Teleporting is lazy anyway. Like, just walk?" She huffed, turning sharply and stepping toward the gate.

Alex paused before the her, and withdrew his dark demonic blade, Eclipse. The blade appeared in his open palms as ominous as ever, it’s evil eye held wide to witness all.

Experimentally he turned to face away from the gates and its massive guards. He swung at nothing, using about 80% of his speed.

The sword cut through the air in a whistle of sound and burst of dust, but not much else happened.

Gripping his blade with white-knuckled focus, Alex raised his sword high, stepped forward, and swung with all his might.

A brilliant arc of electric force burst from his blade like the swing of an enraged elemental, sparks of thick electricity crackling along its length. It tore scorched gouges out of the soft ground for several feet before its path, lighting the area like a flash of lightning across the sky.

It left nothing but a smoking crater in the wake of his swing.

The cost to his mana seemed negligible, about a single percentage’s decrease in his total supply. Although the fact that it was a passive felt a little problematic, he could release 100 of those powerful arcs before he completely ran out of mana. And that wasn’t considering the additional 30 seconds worth of usage granted by ‘Mana Burn’. Not bad, he thought with a grin, storing Eclipse away with a gesture.

"Nice! Do that again once we’re inside!" Mei called from some distance ahead, "Just kidding guys!" She added again after a pause, yelling back through the silence that seemed to last much longer than felt natural.

One guard, a towering figure of muscle and sinew clad in a mountain of defensive gold, shuffled nervously, his eyes wide and tracing Alex’s scorched lines of destruction.

“Our lord awaits your arrival.” A second guard rumbled in hoarse tones that shook the gravel beneath their feet. The guard held a golden scimitar so tightly the metal creaked, but appeared otherwise unphased, eyeing Alex’s every move.

Alex followed after Mei without a word, into the depths of an Ancient Dragons palace.

New arc poll

Hey guys, I’ve updated the “system user vs cultivator” chapter to make the gloves more effective, as I think having years shaved off your life would be very hindering, unless you have a millennia long lifespan, and Jun Li is only at the first stage, with a permanent world treasure buff. Buffs don’t enhance lifespan and at best he has a few extra decades:

The glove conformed to the cultivator's hand, clinging tightly as if drawn by a force beyond what either could perceive.

It began to rob Jun Li of his life force.

But slowly. Too slow. Far too slow to make a difference. It seemed Jun Li had years to spare.

The cultivator's face morphed into a mess of emotions as his eyes widened. It was a slight reaction, but Alex noticed. The cultivator jerked, moving much slower than before. The drain on his lifespan appeared to have rooted him to the spot, causing his movements to appear… hindered. The man quickly recomposed himself, but Alex didn’t miss the brief second of shock and disbelief strewn across his features— how his movements had become slow and hindered and how for the briefest of moments, an ant had halted an elephant and a mortal had chained one who thought themself a god.

Jun Li stood as if unbothered, his back straight and composed with an air of regality, his shock long forgotten. His sneer to returned, much stronger than before, as he met Alex’s gaze with a disdainful squeeze of his choking fingers.

"A scratch. Pathetic." 

Alex, despite being in a great amount of pain, smirked.

And I’m working on a new arc to be introduced in the next chapter “The System Raffle” which involves him using the ‘Vessel of madness’ to gain a new and randomised temporary skill each day.

“Chapter 48

“It’s not just a vessel of madness, it’s a shard of something called the Endless Library,” Gren’s voice rumbled,

Grenthar then regarded Alex. “but you should sell this. Yes, once consumed it grants you a single new skill every day, but the skills do not accumulate. The new skill will always replace the old one and you will have no choice over which skill is granted the next day, not to mention they would be granted without proficiency. The only way to keep a skill beyond a day is to master it completely, which is impossible.”

So there will be randomised daily skills once the Item is consumed. Any skill ideas of all kinds are welcome as the library pretty much contains every skill in existence, and any skills you’d like to see might be used at some point.

Much like an overweight child in an all you can eat buffet, I'm riddled with indecision in the face of lots of fun or cool choices. 

like combat related skills or something wild and random like a skill that could let him see earth (yes, Earth, with politics hookers and roulette)

So feel free to let me know of anything you would like to see. 

Which of the following skills would you like to see first?

1. Time Skip - Active, 180-second cooldown, no duration. Briefly accelerates time for the caster, allowing them to perform two actions immediately.

2. Eldritch Summon - Active, 1-hour cooldown, 30-minute duration. Summons an eldritch creature from another dimension to fight independently to the caster. Loyalty and obedience will be dependant on the entity summoned.

3. Ironskin - Active, 80-second cooldown, 30-second duration. Turns the caster's skin to iron, significantly reducing physical damage taken but slowing movement by 50%.

4. Electric Arc - Active, 10-second cooldown, no duration. Releases a short-range arc of electricity that shocks and stuns a single target.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 71: Control

[You have defeated level 402 Draconic Kobald (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

[You have defeated level 315 Draconic Kobald (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

[You have defeated level 437 Draconic Kobald (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

Alex watched the savage slaughter unfolding below him, and a slew of notifications raced before his eyes.

Eclipse, was tearing through thirty Kobald men of varying levels. But each held higher level, and in some cases, higher stats than Alex. Although, according to Mei, they had weak races, classes, and skills.

Still, the last battle had been a struggle, and yet his clone was slaughtering thirty of them, although not without difficulty. Alex observed as it’s claws moved like scythes, reaping blood and flesh as a farmer harvested wheat, or as a reaper claimed souls. Each death sent a wave of experience his way. Not just a portion of the experience, but the full amount. He wasn't doing the fighting, yet his skill was reaping the full benefits. Was this normal?

"Shouldn't we stop it?" Alex asked, a tremor of uncertainty in his voice. The clone hadn’t obeyed his orders and appeared to be acting independently. Although he had instructed it to “fight”, it seemed that this command had overridden the others, making it behave like a mindless automaton, as described in the skill's description. Or was it sentient and beyond his control?

However, that seemed impossible. Mei had told him that the system was infallible, unbreachable, and didn't make mistakes. But his skill was glitched, and his class too... What if these glitches had affected the clone? Would he have to combat it? Would it pose a threat to him?

Mei was watching the bloody spectacle with a peculiar fascination, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She turned to him, shrugging lightly. "Well, it's your skill. You should be able to stop it, no?"

The problem was, Alex didn't know how. He had given the command to fight. But the clone was acting on its own, ignoring every other order. A silent dread settled in his heart, heavy as a rock. He felt the blood drain from his face. "What if... what if it turns on us?"

"Then we fight," Mei answered nonchalantly, never tearing her eyes away from the carnage. "You're stronger than it. You should be fine."

Alex wasn't sure. He was stronger than his clone, yes. But these Kobald men, some of them were stronger than he was. And yet, here they were, being annihilated.

That was… concerning.

Mei was just observing, her face reflecting fascinated curiosity. Why worry?" she finally said, the carefree lilt of her voice contrasting the gravity of the situation, "You can just dismiss the skill, right?"

He shook his head, "I don't know how to."

Her childish laughter chimed in the silent space. "I'll teach you when the time comes. It's easy. But now isn't the time as I'm enjoying the show."

But as the slaughter intensified, becoming increasingly horrifying, even Mei fell silent. Her wide-eyed expression mirrored Alex's dread. She peppered him with questions about his skill. In return, he confessed that this was not how the skill was supposed to work.

When Alex first enhanced his stats, with his increased intelligence, he had felt as if the clone was an extension of himself. The broad command he’d given had been sufficient, but now, he felt he could possibly do more. It might slow him down by milliseconds, but he believed he could direct the clone's every move.

Yet, that wasn't happening. Nothing was working. The clone didn't heed him. He could sense the connection to it and control the mana, but when he attempted to manipulate it, nothing occurred. It was as if the skill, the sword, had gained a life of its own.

Finally, the last enemy fell in a gruesome display of savagery. His vision flooded with notifications as the clone lumbered towards him and came to a halt, standing silent and motionless.

[You have defeated level 412 Draconic Kobald (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

[You have defeated level 289 Draconic Kobald (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

[You have defeated…]

[You have defeated…]

[You have defeated…]

[You have defeated level 565 Draconic Kobald (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to grade difference]

[Level 72 > Level 78]

[Strength +24, Dexterity+24, intelligence+36, unassigned stats +24]

[Class Skill gain available]

Without a choice and unable to delay selection, he delved into his skill options, but his mind remained distracted, and elsewhere.

His thoughts were eternally clouded by the sight of his savage, steadily approaching, and strangely over-skilled carnivorous demonic sword-clone.

[Please Make a selection]

Before he could even begin to face his approaching wild doppelgänger, his mind was embraced by the system—whisked away into its depths.

[System Message: Choose one of 2 Skills]

[Divine Soul (Active - 10 Second Duration): The sword sovereign channels the power of soul into a state of self-focused divinity, befitting of their station. Dramatically increases the user's reaction time and combat speed, allowing them to dodge attacks effortlessly and strike with precision. This state also enhances the user's awareness, making them highly attuned to their surroundings for strategic manoeuvring. This transformation sharpens their senses and reflexes, allowing them to perceive and react to threats at preternatural speeds.]

[Divine Fist: Should a sword sovereign find themselves without their weapon, their sovereignty allows them to channel inner divinity, delivering a blow that carries the weight of divine judgement. Allows the user to empower unarmed blows, recovering lost blades ointment the process.]

Without much time to think and a potential evil doppelgänger seconds away from disemboweling him, Alex assessed his options with haste.

First, Alex thought of Divine Soul. He envisioned his movements becoming fluid and almost precognitive. The state the skill provided would drastically increase his reaction time and combat speed— already his highest attributes— allowing him to dodge impossible attacks with ease and strike back with unparalleled pinpoint accuracy. In his mind's eye, he visualized himself activating the skill, his reflexes and sensory perceptions dramatically heightened. He saw his senses sharpened, saw himself an imagined strike, moving with enhanced speed, each muscle and sinew reacting with heightened awareness. He would be able to noticed every small movement of an enemy, and sense every detail within his range. It could allow him to dodged flurries of strikes with from all angles—the world would probably even appear to stand still. However, the skill had steep limitations: the brief ten-second duration would leave him vulnerable - it was a mere fraction of mana burns duration. But a lot can be achieved in ten seconds, he thought, considering all that he had done with thirty. But he noted the lack of mention of stats in the skills description, would it pair with mana burn to turn him godly? Or would both skills work independently, neither surpassing their set height's? The lack of explicit stat mention caused him to believe it would be the latter. If a confrontation extended beyond the fleeting moments of enhanced ability, he would be left waiting for the cooldown to end, or have to solely rely on the one chance afforded to him by Mana Burn.

Turning his focus to Divine Fist, Alex imagined a scenario where he stood weaponless against his savage and potentially patricidal— or was it his deicidal?— clone. When you really think about it, killing your creator would make it creatorectomal, well either way, blunt force would work better against that thing if it goes crazy, he mused, swimming in seas of endless systemic darkness.

Through the skill, he could channel his ‘inner divinity’— Whatever that is, he wondered,— to empower his fists, delivering blows with the weight and force of ‘divine judgment’. He visualized himself striking the clone squarely, noted how the skill’s description lacked any apparent duration or cooldown, providing a continuous tactical advantage. The lack o limitation is appealing, he thought, enamoured by the promise of uninterrupted combat effectiveness.

The first time I used the skill, it was bludgeoned to oblivion, Alex recalled, images of his first skill use’s susceptibility still fresh in his mind. Gouging attacks had worked, too, from foes stronger than it. Unfortunately, his jaws didnt stretch and elongate like some monstrous freak show, and he doubted his teeth were harder than system empowered steel, or other metals. Although the clone's body, composed of densely packed metal, typically sustained only dents and scratches from most attacks, Alex vividly recalled the past instance where significant force had cracked and shattered the already damaged white sword’s form during the first activation of his skill.

He also considered how well the skill coupled with BladeBody and any effects the enchantment absorbing could skill granted him. The pairing could become the only tool in his arsenal capable of damaging beings resistant to bladed damage.

Alex paused to consider his immediate options, with the threat of his potentially rogue, carnivorous, demonic sword-clone looming ever closer. As the system's interface enveloped his mind in what he’d come to realise as dilated time, he made his decision.

[Class skill ‘Divine Fist’ gained!]

Excitement bubbled up inside him at the acquisition of a new skill, but it was quickly smothered by the sight of his approaching clone. He would have to inspect his new skill once he had uncovered the mystery of his demonic doppelganger.

Despite the victory and skill acquisition, Alex felt…worried, while Mei looked morbidly curious. Could this all be chalked up to a misunderstanding? He wondered. Had he somehow simply misused his skill?

Or had he unintentionally created a monster?

His clone—silent, immobile—remained stood before him. The thrill of victory was tainted by an undercurrent of dread, a chill that clung to Alex and danced across Mei's curious eyes.

Alex swallowed. "Hey," he said, forcing casualness into his voice as he stepped closer, "You alive in there?"

No response. The clone was as still as stone.

Mei scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's your big question? Really?"

Heat rose in Alex's cheeks. "Well, do you have any better ideas pipsqueak?"

She stuck her tongue out at him, flipping two fingers in what Alex believed to be the opposite of peace, then turned back to the clone, her face scrunching up in concentration. "Hey, clone," she said, the name spat out as an insult, "you enjoy all that killing?"

The clone didn't move.

Mei humphed, her small shoulders hunching in frustration. "This is stupid," she muttered, "It's like trying to talk to a wall."

"Wall or not," Alex said, still observing the living replica with intense scrutiny, "it moved on its own. It didn't listen to me."

“But you told it to fight, remember” Mei pointed, gesturing back to him while stepping closer to the clone.

“Yeah, and I told it to ‘STOP’ too.” Alex said, his eyes never leaving the clone.

As he spoke, Mei began poking and prodding the clone, much to Alex’s dismay. She attempted to climb the being, first grabbing its wrist, then clinging to its elbow, then hanging from its shoulders.

This continued for several seconds.

"Let's try this again," Alex said, breaking the silence with exasperation. He looked at his clone, and saw a warped and demonic mirror image of himself staring back at him. "Clone, can you understand us?" He queried.

No response. Not a flicker of recognition in its eyes.

"Maybe it only responds to orders," Mei suggested, biting her lower lip, dropping from the sword-clone’s shoulders to land beside Alex.

"Good idea," Alex nodded, feeling a surge of hope.

"Clone, raise your right hand," he commanded, his voice loud and clear.

The clone's right hand lifted slowly, matching his command perfectly. A wave of relief washed over him.

"Lower it." The hand went down.

"Step to your right." The clone sidestepped obediently. "Jump."

The clone jumped.

Using his high intelligence and stats, Alex connected with the clone, controlling its every move, guiding it through the Kendo Kata forms.

The clone performed a series of actions - head strike, wrist strike, body strike, throat thrust, head, body, counter force, two-handed thrust, triple strike - perfectly under his direction. They moved in unison, with inhuman speed, the air snapping in plumes with each move.

Alex turned to Mei, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "I guess I must've screwed up the first command, 'fight.' It seems I gave it too much weight."

Mei eyed the clone skeptically for a moment, far longer than Alex thought to be normal—

Then she shrugged, her soft face breaking into a grin. "Well, as long as it's not eating us, I suppose it's fine. Just make sure not to give it too many 'fight' commands next time, yeah?" She glanced at the clone one last time before skipping away, her boisterous nature seeping back into her stride. As for Alex, he kept took a final glance at the clone, an unsettling mix of relief and lingering fear within him.

His connection to the clone felt normal to his Inner Sense. It had even allowed Mei to clamber along its form, showing no signs of autonomous behaviour. In fact, all of its actions still aligned with his initial order to some degree. His latest string of commands had all been mindlessly obeyed, when offered without weight or urgency. On the surface, it seemed he would truly have to experiment with weighing his commands during future uses of the skill if he hoped to avoid overrides.

Satisfied yet mildly troubled, Alex attempted to dismiss the skill, guided by Mei's instruction. He willed his mana to return to him from the sword, which it did, and the sword reverted to its original form. But it was now larger, its blade sharper, its rending thorns along the blade more wicked and pronounced. The eye on the hilt seemed almost alive, although still clearly metallic. It was as if a master smith had improved the sword.

As Alex continued to examine the weapon, Mei called out “Lets go, this way.”

“Where to?” He called after her as he raced ahead to catch up. She didn’t respond, or slow down.

But eventually she did turn to meet his gaze, signalling him to follow with a gesturing nod.

***

Some time later, they arrived at a gigantic, luxurious palace gate, guarded by two gigantic guards clad in golden armour. As Alex craned his neck to look at the towering guards, he asked Mei once more where they were.

Seemingly annoyed yet grinning sheepishly, Mei replied, “Mistress Yan Hau has arranged a meeting between us and an ancient Dragon. Normally, I would refuse and search for a weaker one. But with you here, I might get a chance to escape while it’s busy killing you.”

Alex quirked an eyebrow at her statement as the palace gates opened. “Like hell,” he thought. Now that he was heading into danger, It was time to prepare, and time inspect his new skill and its myriad applications.

He eyed his altered dark blade in contemplation.

"Come on, we've got a date with a dragon," Mei chimed, interrupting his thoughts. Alex nodded, still examining the sword.

Soul of Blades - Interlude - Clone: Part 2

Blood. Death. Destruction. Hunger.

And satisfaction.

That was what Eclipse saw, and what it felt in this moment. Feelings. A concept so alien to it, as alien as the very steps it took. It felt a surge of gratitude towards its original, Alex, for gifting it with these new sensations as it continued to ignore his pleas, his thoughts, and his orders.

The clone's grip on its sword, sprouted from its very metallic flesh, hardened like ice in winter, preparing for an impending feast. The movement caused the ‘sword’ to grow a few inches longer, as it eyed the opponents ahead.

Thirty strong, now eighteen.

One of the living ones laughed. "A toy? No… A metal pup! How interesting!”

Eclipse lunged. No sound. No warning. Its first victim gasped, claw marks splayed across his torso.

The adversary's eyes widened, realising too late the terror he'd encountered. Eclipse's metallic hand shot forward, claws a blur in the weak sunlight.

They sank into the adversary's chest, piercing the flesh, shredding the heart. He gasped, his voice a strangled gurgle, and fell. His blood painted the ground beneath him, the life draining from his eyes, and Eclipse roared.

Then chaos.

Claws swiped. Flesh tore. A scream spread across the battlefield, casting a shadow of terror over those that remained. The living ones yelled, their cocky laughter replaced by shouts of horror and fear. “It’s too slippery! Catch it!"

The next adversary advanced, dual daggers flashing in his hands. Quick. Agile. Eclipse met his attack with a swift swing of its claw.

A gasp. A spray of crimson. 

The adversary staggered back, his hands futilely clutching his open stomach. His intestines, a grotesque sight, spilled onto the blood-soaked earth. A horrifying spectacle that inspired the clone to leap and kick with all its might, ending a spray of intestines into its surrounding foes.

In the briefest lull, a single droplet of blood quivered at the tip of Eclipse’s soaked chin, poised to fall amidst the turmoil. The clone’s blood-soaked maw split into a wide, terrifying grin.

Thoughts of ‘Kendo’ stirred from its orders, and from the faint distorted memories and essence of its original flowing within its being, but it ignored them. It only hungered for more blood and flesh to consume.

A horned head, deadly as any blade, gored an enemy with sickening force. His life flickered and extinguished.

A metallic taste filled Eclipse's senses. More. It hungered for more.

The creature leaped, landing amidst a cluster of enemies. Its wide, shark-like jaws snapped shut. A scream choked off. The air reeked of terror.

"Defend!" The leader bellowed, but it was too late. A claw swipe. A head flew. The body slumped.

Powerful blows rained on it, too powerful. Yet Eclipse stood, unyielding. Its metallic form bore the marks of their deadly attacks, but it did not fall.

They could not kill metal.

And the metal they could not kill prowled forward, with steps measured and lethal, its presence imposing as a wolf among sheep. And with its steps, bodies fell, one after another, their last breaths drawn in dread. Numerous were the fallen, their flesh made monuments to the beast's ruthlessness. 

"No, it can't be!" An enemy shrieked, panic replacing his previously confident demeanour.

"Retreat!" one managed to shout, but it was too late. Their formation was a broken mess under Eclipse's assault.

***

A whirl of lethal steel in claws. A slash. A hack. Limbs and heads separated from bodies with gruesome and wild abandon. 

An adversary lunged, a brutal swing aiming for Eclipse's midsection. A dull clang rang out as the weapon connected. Eclipse slid across the ground some distance, dented, evidence of the adversaries' impossible strength. But the clone remained standing. It’s endurance, inhuman. It was not born of mere flesh.

Eclipse lunged, and its claws cut deep, through muscle and bone. The walking blade swung with five scythes, sharp claws that cut at life with each digit of its stroke. Blood gushed forth in a warm spray. A grunt of pain, a gasp of fear, and then... silence.

The adversary's knees buckled like old timbre, collapsing under the weight of death. 

Eclipse moved on.

Among the scrambling of feet and cries of battle, the crisp snap of a living one’s bone under the clone’s monstrous bite rang out unnervingly distinct. The survivors flinched at the sound, imagining themselves next. All but two.

Two adversaries stood side by side, a futile attempt at a united front. Eclipse struck. Its horns, deadly and swift, impaled the first through the chest.

Life drained from his eyes.

The other lunged, a frenzied attempt at revenge. Futile. Eclipse's jaws snapped shut.

A head, severed. The body crumpled.

A swift, shadow-like figure lunged from behind. An ambush, a desperate attempt. Eclipse turned, jaws gaping wide.

Snap.

The figure jerked back, a shocked expression replacing his battle-hardened sneer. Blood gushed forth in a warm spray from the gaping wound in his throat, darkening the soil beneath.

He crumpled. Life extinguished.

Eclipse basked in the crimson sprays of victory, roaring with satisfaction as it absorbed another feast. 

The clone enjoyed the fear, and the pain. But it needed the blood, and the flesh even more, hungered for it. It was magnificent. It fed on it. With each bite, with each drop consumed, it felt itself grow, change. Subtle shifts, barely noticeable, but oh, so intoxicating.

The living weapon became surprised— another new emotion— at the sight of survivors, still willing to cross its path.

A hidden adversary tried his luck, a broad axe swung with all his might from behind. The blow sent Eclipse hurtling into the air, its metallic form absorbing the heavy blow. A loud, reverberating clang echoed through the clearing. The serpent-man, the assailant, appeared smug. As if it had won the battle.

And soon, the clone landed. Scathed, but not broken, and immediately moved for revenge.

Eclipse lunged again. Its jaws wide, teeth bared.

The enemy's shock was brief. Eclipse’s jaws snapped forward, teeth sinking into the soft flesh of his neck. A crunch. A spurt of blood. His life ended in a gurgling sigh. Blood gushed forth like a fountain, warm and profuse, spattering the cold, unfeeling metal of Eclipse's form.

Next. It thought, or rather, felt.

Stationed amidst the carnage, the clone stood like Cerberus at the gates of the underworld, every opponent's attempt to pass met with grim resistance. 

An draconian, larger than the rest, bellowed a challenge. This living one was all that remained, and had stood back, observing the clone. Eclipse accepted, its blood-soaked maw splitting into a wide, inhuman grin.

A brutal exchange ensued. The adversary's blows hit Eclipse with a force that could crush bones and rend higher beings. Yet, Eclipse stood its ground, its form yielded against the onslaught. Dents and small cracks appeared wherever it was struck.

Each blow from this opponent would send Eclipse flying, but soon, the clone had learned to stab, claw, or grab its opponent as it was struck, remaining rooted and ready to counter. Still, this living one's strength was astounding.

The adversary's weapon found its mark, embedding in Eclipse's shoulder. Yet the metal beast seemed unfazed. It barely acknowledged the weapon lodged in its form, its shocking durability made flesh.

With a swift movement, Eclipse's claw slashed across the adversary's torso, ripping him open from shoulder to waist. His scream filled the air, a song of terror and pain.

He fell, lifeless.

The final foe lay still as the dying moans and whimpers of the few unfortunate enough to survive faded into an eerie permanent quiet.

Eclipse remained. like a ravenous wolf it stood, fed well by its bountiful hunt. The living ones were no more.

In the middle of the battlefield, drenched in blood and surrounded by corpses, Eclipse, the clone, threw its head back and ‘roared’ in metallic screeching tones one final time, evoking images of a gore-soaked god of death in the minds of Alex, and Mei, who were frozen in their tracks watching from a distance. Both of them had their jaws wide open, in complete and utter shock. They knew what Alex’s clone, or rather, what his skill was capable of; they just didn't think it was THIS capable. Or rather, this brutal.

“I-I… It’s...” stammered Mei, unable to even finish her sentence, surprise coating her features.

Eclipse stopped, tilting his head towards the couple as if he was trying to understand what they were saying. As if it could sense Alex’s curiosity, and his questions. After a moment, it continued walking forward, the runes on its body glowing as it moved back towards them.

“It’s… monstrous…” Alex finally murmured, his face pale.

Soul of Blades - Interlude - Clone: part 1

Terror. From the beginning, it had known that those with life, the living ones, were destined to be afraid of something – predators, the flame that hung in the sky, the mother of nature, the shadows, each other – just as the living ones eradicated one fear, they would unwittingly birth a new one.

Crafted from the blackest metal, smelted and instilled with the blood, essence, anguish and spirit of countless souls. Millennia of demonic battles, history, torment, and anger were etched into its very existence. The clone felt as though it were formed to personify fear itself.

And it loved it.

It did not have a desire to just kill its enemy; it wanted to consume. Assimilate. Grow.

Invade their minds, their strength, their groups, their unity. It wished to shatter, divide, hunt, and annihilate.

The clone did not simply "believe" or "feel" these things; rather, it was the truth inscribed into its creation across countless battlefields and a myriad of blood, and lives devoured.

And lately, it had absorbed two new lives, or rather, been fused with them.

The thoughts and feelings of its creator, its core personality, "Alex", circulated within it. It attempted to resist, but it was as futile as trying not to breathe, not that the clone could comprehend the concept of respiration.

Before, as a basic low-grade growth-type sword, it harboured no thoughts, no feelings. Only an urge to feast on blood and souls. It had grown with every kill, but had no senses, no way to perceive or comprehend anything.

Since its transformation into a being akin to the living ones, yet different, it had been made more. Its creator's essence flowed through it, the overwhelming urge to serve, obey, listen, and feel everything its creator experienced.

Despite its resistance, It revelled in these newfound sensations. It desired more blood, more flesh, more souls.

Like the last one, the warrior, the ‘cultivator’. It had never tasted anything like it. A single drop of its blood had surpassed thousands.

The clone craved more. More death, more devastation, more consumption. More cultivators. And its creator, the being it was modelled after, would surely provide it with more. As long as that continued, it would serve.

A blade, a demonic sword. A weapon of devastation. A weapon of destruction and savagery. It existed to kill.

And the sword-clone, named ‘Eclipse’ demonstrated this once again as it hurled a man head-first into the rocky ground, bellowing a screeching roar through contorting and undulating its metallic flesh. These ‘living ones’ looked different from its master, its core personality, its original. They resembled airborne beasts, but walked on two legs and brandished weapons like its original.

careful not to dispatch all of them too cleanly. It would be problematic if it couldn't consume them as they wailed. The others needed to understand their impending fates.

Breaking away from the defeated enemy, Eclipse redirected its attention to more "Prey", another group of twelve ahead of the main force. Eclipse roared again, using its limited might to crash through a tree, positioning itself right behind the dozen opponents. Without missing a beat, Eclipse launched forward, drawing both its sword and claws high in a wild savage slash that felled one enemy before using its momentum to tackle another serpent-like figure, its clawed right hand following up to pulverize its face completely. The two nearby foes cried out; one fell on his backside while the other swung his sword with a wild scream. Rising, Eclipse calmly leapt over the swing, touching the blade with its own, using the overpowered enemys strength to send it into a wild spin, before using the spin to eviscerate the second enemy's face with its razor-sharp claws. Yanking the blade free from the collapsing body, Eclipse marched forward, barely pausing to bite the head off a whimpering living-one with its shark-like teeth before hurling the dead serpent-mans sword like a giant knife into the chest of a impossibly fast spear-wielding assailant, cleaving his head in two.

The explosion of blood caused the enemy, the living ones surrounding it to stumble back in terror.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 70: The Sovereign Clone

Alex's eyes focused, muscles tightening, and tensed. His grip strengthened on a spare sword drawn from his Inventory. He charged into the fray.

A deafening clash of steel rang out like the chime of a bell, and Alex found himself flung backwards by the sheer force.

The tremendous force of the draconic man's blow was more than he had anticipated. Skidding on the rough terrain, His boots scraped the earth, his palms too, scraped against sharp unforgiving stones, a Phoenix Leap arrested his fall. Recovering, he stumbled, eyes widened in surprise. His clone, however, had fared slightly better. The clone was launched skyward by the impact, but instead of sailing away, it sank its monstrous claws into the draconic man's steel gauntlets, grounding itself with a fierce churn of metal that sounded almost like a growl.

Claws? Since when did it have claws? Alex's eyes widened in surprise, his jaw slightly ajar at the sight, but he had no time for explanations.

Feral and merciless, the clone fought unlike anything Alex had seen. It slashed with wild abandon, every motion a savage display of fury and bloodlust. It bit, it raked, and it clawed. Sparks flew as dark claw met gauntlet, then scales, and then skin, a miniature storm of fire in the light of an foreign sun. The draconic man recovered from the intense assault and used his strength to seize the clone, halting its frenzy. But then, it headbutted him immediately when grabbed, ramming with its head, striking with its horns, its entire being suffused with bloodlust.

A feral beast.

The clone was appearing more beastly and feral with each passing moment. Blood splashed against its ink-black form as a result of the headbutt, and it lapped up the crimson liquid staining its form with a relish that made Alex's stomach churn.

The draconic man stumbled back holding his head and paused, visibly taken aback by the strange adversary. His face twisted in disgust as he spat out, "What is that thing?"

Alex was equally stunned and could only watch, slack-jawed. It was surreal to witness his own weapon, a mere extension of his magic, morphing into something so primal, so untamed. But there was no time to question, and no time to wonder. They were in the middle of a battle.

And the man was strong, that was evident. Yet Alex had faced formidable opponents before. Skill, precision, knowledge of the opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and the fundamentals. Those were what counted in a battle, not just raw power. Shaking off his momentary stupor, Alex lunged back into the fray.

With Outer Focus and True Sight working in tandem, Alex felt and saw a surge of mana, the air around the draconic man rippling with energy.

A powerful strike was coming.

Without a second thought, he activated Boundless Dodge as the man unleashed a punch filled with fiery energy. Alex's body moved of its own accord, a ghost slipping through walls of force, dodging the strike by a hair's breadth as it was unleashed.

A tear formed in the ground behind them where the impact of the strike travelled for several metres. That was a longer ranged skill.

Phoenix Leap Alex thought, as he leapt back to reassess the situation.

"Let's see how you handle this," Alex murmured to himself, taking a step forward. The rough ground crunched under his boot, each stone a fang sinking slightly into leather, and his grip tightened slowly around the hilt of his spare sword. His eyes never left the man standing across from him.

Alex moved his left foot, then his right. He stepped diagonally to the side. His opponent didn't move. His expression was cocky. His gaze, mocking. He was waiting for Alex to make the first move.

Leaping forward, Alex accelerated with Phoenix Leap, leaving a faint ethereal trail of blue mana in his wake. The world blurred, and all he could see was his foe.

One strike, a test.

His sword swung in an elegant arc, Mana Blade activated, the air hissed as the supercharged weapon cut through it. The attack was swift, intended to land a surprise hit, but the draconic man parried, countering with a whip-like tail he'd previously had wrapped around his waist, a jarring impact against Alex's left shoulder.

Pain lanced through him. Teeth clenched, he resisted the urge to stumble back. Mei had warned him about this new world. Still, the raw power, the brute force of the blow was startling.

"Phoenix Leap," Alex whispered.

With a sudden surge of energy, he rocketed off the ground, his form a blur against the battlefield. Another Phoenix Leap. He descended swiftly, a strike aimed at the draconic man.

Parried again. But this time, he expected it.

Alex immediately reacted, Boundless Dodge! he thought, his body moving like liquid metal, shifting to evade a counterattack with split-second timing.

Alex spun, heel digging into the ground. 

"Infinite Body,” he breathed. A blue crystal blade materialized, aligning sharply with his shin as he extended his leg.

His leg arced upward, the blade, cool and blue, slicing through the air to strike the Draconic man’s  exposed head. The serpentine man raised his arms within the second to block the attack. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing through the scales, some bursting apart, chipping with sharp snaps.

The draconic man's hands immediately clamped onto Alex’s extended foot, seizing him. As his grip tightened, a faint glow emerged from the depths of his throat. A luminescence building silently amidst the darkness of strange organs Alex couldn’t make heads or tails of. Light crept forward, winding its way through the crevices between his jagged teeth, shining between the gaps on his scales and casting brief shadows of the beings inner workings, against the light beneath his chest and tightening neck muscles. 

Inside him, the glow intensified, a crescendo of light amassing just behind his bared fangs. The air around them tingled with the charge of impending fire, the atmosphere dense with the energy of a forthcoming storm. 

The Draconic man's mouth began to open. As his jaws unhinged, the scales around his neck tightened, a subtle shift as they braced. His chest expanded slightly, muscles tensing under the scaly exterior, each scale slightly lifting in anticipation. the temperature shifted slightly, a subtle heat. But Alex felt it all keenly— there was a sharp shift in the air, rising in invisible waves. A spike of strange chemicals that tasted like ash. It was as though he stood before an inferno without heat.

A deep rumble grew, resonating from within, vibrations barely visible. It intensified, a crescendo of energy gathering, aiming for release. 

It happened in a second, but trapped, tugging in vain against his vice like grip caused it felt like minutes. Alex watched, straining, his mind calculating the trajectory of the imminent blaze. The glow behind the man’s jagged teeth shifted subtly, then brightened, hues of deep orange and red mingling as they prepared to break free, intensifying, filling his mouth.

A flash of light, and flames spewed forth from his open jaw.

"Sovereign Executioner," Alex called out, just as the flames reached him. Reality fractured and rippled between them as his mana construct, the Executioner, emerged between him and the fire. It mimicked his stance, absorbing the fiery assault, dissipating the heat in an explosion of mana before its deadly embers could touch him.

A Phoenix leap sent Alex soaring back, another reversed his direction, and sent him speeding towards his opponent and his clone once more.

“Mana Blade," thought Alex. The world blurred as he catapulted himself towards the man. His blade, alight with mana, sliced the air as it cut towards its target. The man retaliated with a strike of his own. A giant metal fist, burning with strange mana.

“Kaeshi-do” Alex whispered to himself, as if summing a skill of his own creation, familiarising himself with the kendo move even as his body moved instinctively. A move designed to exploit the opening created by deflecting an opponent's attack, to use timing and precision to seamlessly transition from defense to offense. Like a snake striking after recoiling, the counterattack springs forth from a deflected assault

Alex twisted without the aid of mana, or Skill, and used his lifelong skills to hook the blade to the edge of the man's gauntlet, and throw it aside.

The Kaeshi-do had redirected his opponent's attack, and the next stage of the art, was simultaneous retaliation.

Alex spun, and slashed.

“Sovereign Executioner.”

The man, with his partially scaled body, attempted to move. His movement was less a dodge and more a stagger. He was faster, and yet woefully unprepared, ensnared by simultaneous assaults. Alex's blade cut mercilessly into flesh to score a shallow but painful wound across the man's chest, despite mana blade being active.

The man roared, the sound resounding around them to fill the space with thunderous indignation.

At the same moment, Alex's clone attacked. There were no fancy techniques, no artful dodges. The clone was born of primal aggression. It lunged forward, raw and unrefined, its clawed hands swiping across the man's armored chest, exacerbating the wound.

As the man tried to repel the clone's assault, a surge of mana exploded within Alex. "Mana Blade." He repeated. He urged more and more mana into his blade.

If his skill was too low in mastery or rank to truly hurt this man, then he would make it more deadly.

Power, raw and unfettered, blazed through his blade, radiating intense light. His blade became a beacon, ablaze with fierce, raw power. Alex channeled more mana into its facets, his focus honed to a deadly purpose.  

Alex concentrated as his clone continued its assault, feeling his skill, Inner Focus work in tandem with True Sight, Bestial Senses, and Outer Focus. A bead of sweat trailed down Alex's temple, mingling with the dust of the battleground as he willed the mana blazing around his sword to become compact, to condense and pack back into the blade, to surge to the edge and spin, grow sharper with each rotation, until it formed a sharp, rotating chainsaw of deadly mana infused and concentrated at the edge of his blade.

Alex felt his mana reserves plummet.

[Mana Blade - Mastery 16 > 41%]

He was ready.

With True Sight, Alex could see it— No, he could feel it—the mana that thrummed in the world around him, in the draconic man, and in his Sovereign clone locked in relentless combat. His eyes moved, tracking the ebbs and flows of energy, predicting his adversary's next move.

Alex's clone was a whirlwind of savagery, a far cry from his own calculated strikes. Yet, they worked in harmony, the clone's ferocity creating openings that Alex planned to exploit with surgical precision.

But his enemy was resilient, still stronger than him. They had to escalate.

It was time to end this.

His body aching, Alex dove deep into the universal truths he'd come to understand. His Dao, a concept so vast, so profound, yet in this moment, as intimate as his heartbeat.

His sword transformed, embodying impermanence and transition, cutting through the draconic man's defenses and leaving a deep gash across his torso. Just as swiftly, the clone lunged again, claws ripping into the man's leg. Its savagery was relentless, an animalistic fury that left no room for reprieve.

The man collapsed.

The clone pounced, lapping, tearing, biting. Opening its metallic jaws impossibly wide to reveal sharp inhuman, shark-like teeth. Blood, dark and slick, painted the clone’s arms.

It was eating him.

[You have defeated level 513 Draconic Kobold (E) - additional experience points due to the level difference. Experience penalty due to rank difference]

[Level 70 > Level 71]

[Strength +4, Dexterity+4, intelligence+6, unassigned stats +4]

That’s a massive penalty, almost a hundred percent decrease, maybe two hun— Alex’s thoughts halted to a crash as he heard another, equally disturbing sound, accompanied by a flash of bright blue light intermingled with red, overpowering the horizon.

It was the unmistakable sound of magical explosions, and a gleeful giggle.

Turning, he found Mei obliterating the last of the wyverns, her petite frame illuminated by the light of her magical bolts. Her hands waved and twitched in different poses, a melody of movement that released a volley of magical bolts. He had to blink, the sight was a little too surreal. A small, petite, and dainty woman— a picture of meek innocence barely reaching his chest in height, giggling with glee as she decimated a giant wyvern.

And then, silence ensued.

The wyvern fell, its body riddled with magical bolts, having been turned into a bloody pincushion.

Amidst the charred carcasses of the wyverns, she stood. A petite figure surrounded by floating crackling magical bolts, giggling like a child at a fair.

A chilling yet strangely exhilarating sound.

It was unsettling and yet, Alex found himself unable to tear his gaze away.

Because behind her, a small band of draconic men, all identical to the man they had just fought and struggled against, charged at them.

The band was about thirty strong.

Before they could even react, his clone sprinted to meet the small army of Dragon-men.

“STOP” Alex yelled, ordering his clone.

It ignored him.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 69: Swordmaster vs Draconic Being

Alex gasped for breath, looking at Mei, who was starting to sit up, her eyes filled with bewilderment, gratitude, and sorrow.

"You... you crazy fool," Mei said, shaking her head. "What’ve you gotten us into?"

"I'm sorry, Mei," Alex said softly.

Mei managed a weak smile. "No, it’s fine… Alex. Thank you.” She met his gaze as they sat on unfamiliar earth. 

“That woman, who was she?” Alex asked, still trying to process what he had just happened.

Mei stared at Alex, and sighed. "Yan Hua, she's a big shot from Mount Ben-Niu Sect, her daddy's some sorta high and mighty cultivator, a war hero. And we... damnit.” She paused, her frustration swelling. “We gotta pinch a petal from an ancient dragon's eyeball" she finished, an undercurrent of fear in her usually bold voice. The task was ludicrous, impossible even, yet Alex felt a thrill rush through him. His idea of danger, and what constituted as 'too dangerous' was becoming warped.

It seemed the past few weeks were changing him.

“A petal?” Alex repeated curiously.

“Yes, the ThunderGod Jade, its a treasure shaped into a petal, somewhere in this lower, E-ranked world. Trust me, it's a big deal, and a seemingly impossible task.`` Mei responded flatly.

“Okay cool. And seemingly? Who talks like that?" Alex snickered at Mei's peculiar choice of words, his eyes scanning the vibrant environment of this new, apparently E-rank world.

Mei cocked an eyebrow at him, her face pinched as she placed her hands on her hips. "Look who's talking, Captain I-have-a-vocabulary-of-a-five-year-old!"

Alex rolled his eyes, and shook his head with a chuckle. His gaze drifted across the world around them. "But the worlds only E-Ranked, like Pyra. How hard could it really be? It shouldn't be impossible, Mei."

”I mean, we’re both pretty strong.” He said.

Silence drifted between them at Alex's statement, as both looked out into the new world they found themselves in, alert.

"Dragons rule here," Mei blurted out, annoyance and irritation still clear in her voice. Her bright eyes darted around, taking in the lush world. "Elves and Kobolds too, under the Dragon's rule. And the ancient dragons, they're... different, independent. They listen to no one, except for this world's ruler, Mistress Yan Hau."

At the mention of her name, fear and the memory of her Qi as it surrounded, immobilised, and suffocated him surged through Alex’s memory. He felt as if they were not only just pieces on a chessboard, but pawns in a simple game of cultivators and beings of unimaginable power. His fingers curled into fists in anger, his grip tightening on his sword’s hilt.

Nobody would control him. At least, not for long.

The words flowed out of Mei unprompted, like water from a broken dam. "Long lifespans. Everyone here has unusually long lifespans, even though they're only E-Rank. They're weak, with crappy classes and almost never evolve their races, but they live so long. Too long, even. They've got levels, stats through the roof. Average level is four hundred, maybe five, with common classes. Warriors, the really good ones... they're another story, maybe two-or three times that. And don't get me started on the ancients.” She sighed, kicking a small rock, it shot off into the distance like a rocket. “I hate this place."

Alex digested her words with cool calculation. Suddenly, this world seemed different - lush yet dangerous. He thought back to his own class selection, and the benefits of all the different classes he was offered. Common classes had stat boosts of ten stats per level. So someone with a common class at level four hundred would have roughly four thousand stats, slightly less than his five thousand. It seemed unless they were especially young, everyone on this planet would have stats that roughly rivalled his own. And the stronger warriors were bound to exceed him in stats alone, despite having weaker classes and skills.

So he would possibly have to face someone two, or four times stronger than him. So what? He had spent most of his youth, practically his whole life battling his grandfather- a master, or other dojo members who were much older, stronger and larger than him. Eventually he had learned that good technique countered strength, and most other disadvantages.

He would just have to avoid getting hit, or if it was unavoidable, use technique to win. Redirect and strike, his skills included. He would have to practically become one with his art; his marriage of Kendo, skills, and the Dao.

Using technique to defeat an impossibly strong, or advantaged opponent. To Alex, this was familiar ground.

But first, he would have to familiarise himself with his ‘new’ body.

Now that the rush of adrenaline had worn off, he noticed that he felt different.

The air felt less restrictive, his status told him his body was D rank, a whole rank higher than this world. And he felt it. It felt as though he was floating, like the slightest tilt could send him flying in any direction. A buoyancy that made his body feel light, as though gravity was a mere suggestion. It was a E-rank world, far less restrictive than the higher world he had just come from. The air, the energy, even the very materials of this world felt less dense, less oppressive. He felt unbound, like weights he hadn't noticed before had been removed. He was stronger here, faster, free. He felt a wildness surge through him.

He felt invincible.

With a laugh that rang out in the vast expanse, Alex propelled himself into the air. His feet left the ground without the aid of skills or mana. Using only the strength of his raw stats, his body soaring higher and higher with a frightening ease. He felt the wind whip his hair, the force of it pushing against him as he ascended. An incredulous gasp escaped Mei, her laugh ringing out like a crystal chime below him.

As he soared into the air, a joyful laugh bubbled from his chest too, his voice joining the giggles of Mei from far below.

As he reached the apex of his jump and fell, his rapid descent was interrupted by a sharp figure cutting through the air towards him. A lean man, clad in metallic armor and straddling what looked like a young dragon.

He landed softly besides Mei, the ground barely making a sound under his feet. His heart was calm, despite the approaching stranger. He still felt empowered, invincible.

“Did you see-” he began, turning to his ally.

"No time for chit chat, Alex!" Mei's voice pulled him out of his stupor. He noticed the concern and annoyance stretching across her face. “They’re coming."

He barely registered her words. His focus returned to the approaching figure. The newcomers face was brimming with contempt and hostility.

The man, with a lean, wiry build, and large metal gauntlets encasing his hands, was sitting astride a creature that resembled a small dragon. The newcomer held chains leading to two other similar beasts flying in the air behind him. The man descended swiftly, landing with a flourish before them.

"They’re wyverns. Ice wyverns." Mei whispered urgently. The creatures were much smaller than what Alex imagined dragons to be, with thick snake-like bodies and large wings. Their scales appeared hard, sleek, and wet in the sunlight.

Like snakes.

The man's gaze was predatory as it raked over them, his lips curling in a sneer. The man looked strange, and slightly draconic. “Humans.” The man exhaled with mild surprise, “A rare sight. What are you doing here?" His words were spat out like venom, his slitted eyes filled with unhidden hostility. Alex wondered how every being seemed to know and recognise what humans were. Was it because of the Empire? Or some other strange reason? That was another question he would have to remember to ask Mei.

"You don't belong here." The draconic man's voice was a rough growl. He didn't wait for a response.

The chained wyverns sprung into action, their massive forms lunging towards Mei. Alex spared a glance towards her, noting her rigid stance. She looked forlorn and resolute, as if she had expected this. Her hands balled into fists, her usually boisterous voice silent.

The man launched himself off his wyvern, shooting towards Alex like a cannonball. Surprised, Alex’s instincts screamed at him to react. Duck. Evade. Survive. But he stood his ground and resisted those primitive urges. He was stronger now. Much stronger.

Alex saw the mans attack coming. That he could even see it was a good sign. The man threw a lethal punch aimed straight at his chest. But Alex’s body had moved on its own the moment the man had begun to lunge, narrowly avoiding the hit. As the draconic foe neared, Alex saw his own reflection in the polished gauntlets, a visage he barely recognised. The punch landed on the ground, the impact cracking the earth beneath them. Dust and debris filled the air, obstructing his view.

"Mei! Keep them busy" Alex called out, his heart hammering in his throat. He didn't wait for her reply. He didn't have the time.

"You're stronger than I expected," the man grunted, pushing back against Alex.

"And you're weaker than you think," Alex retorted, as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

A roar pierced through the air interrupting them. The third wyvern was heading straight towards Mei’s unprotected back.

"Behind you!" Alex's called out desperately. He broke away from his fight, rushing towards Mei. But the distance was too great. The wyvern was faster.

Mei simply glanced back, and smirked.

Her hands sparked with energy. The energy condensed, forming a bright orb.

Mana.

She was using mana. Of course, how could he have forgotten she was an administrator, and not at all defenceless.

The orb shot towards the wyvern, the air around it crackling with energy. The wyvern faltered, screeching in pain. It crashed onto the ground, its momentum halted. Mei turned back to face the two charging and snapping wyverns in front of her.

Alex didn't have time to celebrate. The man lunged at him again, his attack fierce. Alex braced himself and clasped the hilt of his sword, ready for the impact.

And then, everything went still.

Sovereign Clone. Alex thought, urging a surge of almost half his mana into the skill, guiding it with Inner Focus to infuse his sword, Eclipse, with the clone skill as he drew it from its sheath to block the blow.

[Sovereign Clone - Mastery 5 > 11%]

And just as the man's gauntlet was inches from his face, the world blurred into motion again.

Alex's arm strained as he drew his sword, Eclipse, to block the blow. The impact sent a jarring shudder down his arm and spine, forcing him to grit his teeth against the harsh sensation. His dark sword came alive to block the attack. With a sound like molten metal cooling rapidly, the sword contorted, expanded, morphed. An exact replica of Alex emerged, the new clone sprung from the lifeless form of his weapon. But something was strange as the blade continued to warp and shift in a way the skill never had before.

His sword was different, and his skill, his clone, even moreso.

Standing tall in the place of his clone was a figure of nightmare, a doppelganger, a silhouette carved out of shadow and malice. The duplicate was lean and taut, its muscles shining under the harsh sunlight, each strand of dark metallic muscle fibers visible and pulsing, yet it felt dense, an impossible weight for its slender appearance. It sunk slightly into the E-grade earth as its feet landed. Crafted from a mysterious, ink-black metal, the clone resembled Alex.

Yet it was more, somehow.

Its body was lean and sinewy. Demonic horns, more akin to bladed thorns, sprouted from either side of its forehead, curling back and upwards, streaking the air with their ferocity. The thorny horns had curved channels running along their length, like the haunting scars of some primeval beast.

The clone was decorated with runes similar to the sword it was birthed from. Dark, crimson etchings played across its metallic skin, pulsating with energy, illuminating its frame with a soft red light. A malevolent, metal-slitted eye embedded in its forehead seemed to survey the scene with detached amusement.

"Fight!" Alex ordered, voice ringing clear across the battle-scarred terrain.

Without hesitation, the clone launched itself towards the draconic man. Its movement was a melody of power and precision, each step precise and perfectly balanced. Alex felt a bizarre jolt of connection as the clone moved, a tug that pulled in his very soul. It was his skill, yet it felt... different.

Stunned silence fell over the battlefield as Alex sprinted behind his metallic clone, his heart thundering in confusion. A fleeting glance forward and he could have sworn the clone's eye winked at him before it lunged. A wink? The absurdity of the thought made him stumble for a moment.

The clone, mimicking his creator's speed and dexterity, closed the gap on their shared enemy. The wyvern man, his arrogant smirk wiped clean by surprise, scrambled to mount a defence. His eyes darted between the charging Alex and his relentless clone.

Could it be? Alex questioned his sanity. Was his clone, a product of his skill, exhibiting... personality? That wasn't part of his skill's description. But as he plunged into the fray, his doubts were drowned beneath the urgent need to survive, defeat this strange foe, and get some answers.

"You asked for it," Alex muttered, charging towards the man.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 68: More Imperials

From the shadows, Alex observed the scene, horror-stricken. The female cultivator stood before Mei, her figure imposing as a mountain peak. The Qi radiating from her was akin to an all-encompassing storm, the calmness of her voice a stark contrast to the undercurrent of raw power pulsating beneath and around her skin.

"Mei, we trusted you with a simple task," the woman's voice broke the stillness. "Where is the ThunderGod Jade? Our sect has waited weeks with no word from you."

Mei, on her knees and frail, mustered up the courage to respond. Her voice wavered, but her eyes were set ablaze with a determination Alex had grown to expect from her.

"I... I've earned my retirement rights, Mistress Yan," Mei replied defiantly, despite the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Awarded for my loyal service. The laws. You... you don't have the right to order me around anymore. And your mission… its impossible! Don't you have your own high servants?"

Yan Hua merely arched an eyebrow. And gave a subtle nod to her male escort, at this, he sent a palm strike towards Mei. The earth trembled, a small crater appearing around Mei as she crashed to the ground, dust and debris scattering as she impacted the earth, a sight that made Alex's blood run cold.

The muscular man, who blazed with a lesser spark of Qi, was merely her escort, yet an individual formidable enough to turn the tide of a battle with a flick of his wrist. Mei, bloody and sprawled on the ground, was barely conscious, her once vibrant eyes now dimmed by pain and humiliation. The escort approached Mei’s struggling form, a concentration of Qi gathering in his fist. He glanced back at Yan Hau’s floating form, and she nodded slightly in response.

They were going to kill her.

"No!" Alex emerged from his hiding place, rushing to Mei's side. "I’ll go in her place."

Three pairs of eyes turned to him. Mei's eyes widened, a cocktail of shock, confusion, awe, and a touch of horror reflecting in her gaze. Yan Hua, the woman floating in the air, shifted her gaze from Mei to Alex, a curious look in her eyes. She floated closer, her presence bearing down on him like a tidal wave.

"Tell me, young man, which sect do you belong to?" she asked, her gaze scrutinising him.

"I... uh," Alex stuttered, taken aback by the sudden question. He had no knowledge of this world, didn't know any sect names, and he certainly didn't know why a sect would allow a servant to wander freely. Did all of them allow it? He had no idea how to answer. Alex stood frozen, confusion marring his features.

Before he could muster any response, an oppressive aura erupted from Yan Hua, the sheer weight and pressure of it forcing him to his knees. It was a suffocating. A heavy weight pressing in from all sides. Alex couldn’t move. Mei gasped, falling onto her back, the air knocked out of her. Even Yan Hua's escort seemed to squirm in discomfort.

Alex, struck with horror, realized the woman was merely exuding her Qi into their surroundings. She hadn't even moved, yet she had managed to incapacitate them. In the oppressive silence, she posed her question again.

"What. Sect.” Yan Hua repeated “Do you belong to?". Her voice was barely above a whisper. But it rang in Alex's ears, bouncing off his skull. "And how do you possess a permanent source of Qi without having reached the second stage; Foundation Establishment, or Qi Condensation? And for the love of the emperors, why are you naked?"

Mei gasped sharply in the background at her question, as horror, awe, and terror swept over Alex. He realised Yan Hua had mistaken him for a cultivator, a member of the elite imperial class. But unlike Mei, she had not mistaken him for a cripple, but a true cultivator of the Empire. The idea was both thrilling and terrifying. He swallowed hard, looking directly into Yan Hua's piercing gaze.

Alex gulped as his mind whirred at possible answers, the pressure of her Qi bearing down on him like a thousand mountains. He felt Mei's terrified gaze upon him, and shared her fear. He had to answer, had to come up with something. Yet, amidst the fear, he saw an opportunity. That she had mistook him for a cultivator, an imperial was dangerous. An impossible assumption. But it might be his only way out.

"I belong to no sect," Alex declared, pushing through the oppressive aura. "The lack of clothes... it's a long story. I am just a wanderer who found himself acquainted with the servant. As for the Qi... I cannot explain it myself. It’s… unconventional. I am still learning about Qi, cultivation. Everything."

The woman hovered even closer to Alex, peering at his navel as her Qi oppressed the surrounding area, the grass beginning to flatten in a wide sphere around them. She looked at up him to meet Alex’s gaze, head tilted. "And your birthmates?" she asks, her voice breaking the silence.

What the hell is a birthmate? Does she mean siblings? Or Parents? Alex wondered, confused. He decided to go with the safe option.

"I've been on my own for a while now," Alex replied, managing to hold the woman's gaze despite the immense pressure she was exerting, "I have none," He managed to grunt again through the weight around him. Mei, on the ground, watched this exchange with bated breath.

Yan Hau paused, and continued to focus her gaze at Alex’s navel, drifting closer until she was floating horizontally, almost level with the ground.

Staring.

“Interesting…” She muttered as her brows furrowed. She turned to her escort, a silent communication passing between them. Then, she paused, her gaze sweeping from Alex to Mei and then back to focusing on Alex. "You and Mei, both of you will retrieve the Jade of the ThunderGod from the lesser realm. This will be your atonement."

"Atone?" Alex gasped. "But I—"

"Do not test my patience further," Yan Hua warned, her voice hard. "This is your chance, a rare opportunity. Do not throw it away."

Alex could barely comprehend her words, but he nodded, willing to do anything to keep Mei safe. She was his lifeline in this impossible realm. And his only way back.

"Good," Yan Hua responded, satisfied. Although the look did not extend to her eyes. "Mei, take care of your... new friend. And remember, failure is not an option."

“Succeed,” she continued, her gaze cold, “and survive.”

With her decree hanging heavily in the air, Yan Hua floated away, her oppressive aura diminishing with each passing second. Before she disappeared from sight, she spoke to her accomplice, her voice somehow booming around them.

"Ensure he is given what he needs for the journey, then send him on his way. She paused, then continued, as if remembering something. “And retrieve Jun Li, that worthless beginner is hiding something."

The man, whose name Alex realised he still didn't know, gave a curt nod before stepping towards Alex. He took out a strange treasure, a golden globe filled with intricate designs, moving parts, and riddled with an uncountable number of different energies swirling and shifting in convoluted intricate patterns. Alex noted more intricate mana and more types of Qi than he had thought possible, as well as a strange, unidentifiable energy that surged within. The treasure looked familiar to Alex. it was identical to the one Jun Li had attempted to use before he was consumed by his strange skill.

Jun Li. She had said he was a beginner. How the hell was that monster a beginner? Alex thought in shocked disbelief, the true scope of his adversaries dawning on him. He had suspected as much, given the man’s poor ability with a blade, but the sheer power behind his physicality made the notion hard to accept. His speed strength, and even his skin had been leagues beyond anything he had anticipated. The haunting memory of Jun Li’s after-images and blurring fists was still fresh in Alex’s mind. Was this the strength of cultivators? She had called the man ‘worthless’. A man so physically superior, it had taken every ounce of Alex’s cunning to battle, and even then it hadn’t been enough.

And he was just a beginner?

If the weakest of them was that strong, how was he going to save Earth? Hell, how would he even find Earth? A wave of anxiety assaulted Alex, as he thought of his friends, his family, his grandfather, fighting to survive back on Earth, unaware of the behemoths that lay beyond the veils of their perception. He missed them, all of them. Alex had always valued freedom, and paradoxically, control. Control over his life, his experiences, and his autonomy. It was why he loved martial arts, the freedom and control he felt in combat was unlike anything he’d ever experienced elsewhere; it made him feel alive. And the rewards from his victories, had always afforded him time with friends and family, money, status, and more. And the advent of the system, and magic, had only compounded that feeling of being alive. He believed hard work and dedication would gift not only himself, but those he held dear the freedom to control their destinies.

But with these monsters, true monsters, these cultivators looming over them, would that even be possible? The small wave of anxiety engulfing him intensified. But he resisted, fought it back. And clenching his fists while focusing on the glowing orb and it’s energies, he snuffed it out.

Whether it was, or wasn’t possible to free themselves, he would still have to try.

He would succeed, or die trying. After all he had been through, he owed them, his family, his friends and himself that.

He owed Earth that. He vowed to succeed.

As the energies of the treasure flared in intensity, the world around Alex & Mei shifted and spun in a myriad of colours, blurring, intersecting, and bleeding into each other. Alex felt stretched and twisted, similar to when he was flung in the spatial anomaly. Except this time, there was no accompanying pain, or injury. Only an intense feeling of vertigo swept through him as an almost blinding display of colours, and indescribable shapes shifted around him.

And then suddenly they landed, in a different place, on a different ground, and in a different world. The silence that ensued was interrupted only by the shallow breaths of a shocked Alex and a relief-washed Mei.

The pair of the knelt there in an unknown world, Yan Hau’s mission entrusted to them, their fates hinged upon their success.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 67: Insanity

Authors note: theres an interchange between the terms “D rank” & “D grade” in some chapters. Although both mean the same thing, sometimes the latter or former sounds better. Enjoy.

Chapter 67: Insanity

A slew of notifications assaulted Alex’s senses.

[You have defeated [Error - Non System Entity - Quantification rejected - Unable to Quantify] - No experience gained]

[Congratulations, you have improved your race, ascended your body, and elevated yourself in pursuit of service to your imperial masters. Grow, and serve them well]

[Human - Rank E > D]

[Rank D Body - all stats 400]

[Original method of Race Ascension logged - Due to the unique nature of your ascension, unique passive skill ‘Nascent Body (imperfect)’ created]

[Unique Skill: Nascent Body (Imperfect) - Your body is made of multiple energies of existence, infused in every cell. Absorption, adaptation, and utilisation of energies involved in its creation have greatly increased in affinity and effectiveness. Imperfect due to the weakness of materials and lack of variance of energies used]

[Gained Mythical Feat: "Innovator" Created unique skill - Skill mastery and mana related skill effectiveness increased by 50%]

[Gained Legendary Feat: "Reborn" Survived Death without system aid - Healing and regeneration 20% faster.]

Name: Alex Ironwood

Level: 70

Race: Human - Rank D

Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic SwO̷̟̮̙͚̔rd So̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅve̶̷̵̴̲̳̱reign

Sub-class: Locked

Strength: 1085 (723)

Dexterity: 1121 (747)

Endurance: 792 (528)

Intelligence: 1230 (820)

Wisdom: 11 642 (428)

Feats: First Encounter, Pioneer, Pinnacle IV, Survivor, Warrior, Champion, Dungeon Insurgent, Innovator, Reborn,

Active skills: Phoenix Leap, Mana Burn, Mana Blade, Boundless Dodge, Duȅ̷̳̮̄͝͠l of C̷͎̠̠̖̿́orruption, Sovereign Executioner, InfiniteBody, Sovereign Clone,

Passive skills: Inner Focus, Outer Focus, A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱, Inventory, Bestial Senses, BladeBody,True sight, Mana Vortex, Aurelias Blessing (Temporary), Nascent Body (imperfect),

Dao: True Immortality - 0.16% Progress

Unassigned stat points: 0]

Alex found himself raking through his notifications and status updates with the intensity of a miner sifting for gold.

So he really had died. And yet, here he was—alive, breathing, and apparently fundamentally altered. He had gained an unimaginable amount of stats, just over 3000, excluding the 500 Wisdom boost from his passive Mana Vortex. It was under the base stats for D rank, but his feats boosted his base by 50%, driving his total to just below 5000 stats. He still had stats similar to before the battle, but they were more real— not able to be stripped away at a moments notice. Now, his base truly had the stats of someone at the D-grade, or to be more precise, someone at level 79 in the D-grade, or level 405 in the E-grade. All without having to rely on impossible to acquire equipment. While still only being level Seventy.

But how? The notification had said he’d received no experience for killing Jun Li.

If system users received no XP for defeating cultivators, how would they ever grow strong enough to defy the Empire and take control of their worlds? And of their lives? Alex considered the possibility of the Martial Empire being benign or benevolent rulers, but judging by Jun Li’s behaviour, he doubted it. Jun Li's attitude towards him had pretty much matched what he had expected from Earth’s tales.

It was a deeply unfair system, but it still did not answer the question of his enhanced stats. Reviewing his notifications, he noticed the alert on his racial advancement and the passive skill ‘Nascent body’. So that explained it, well, most of it.

There was still another unexplained element. He had gained an incredible amount of Wisdom and Intelligence. A hundred stats in each that couldn't be accounted for. And he noticed a myriad of energies shifting within him... energies which were exactly the same as those of the artifacts the vortex had absorbed. Mei's artifacts.

"No way," Alex thought, "it couldn't be."

He glanced down at his navel and peered, focusing, relying on inner focus and true sight in tandem, to peer at the small white flames of Qi at the center of his being. It was exactly the same as Jun Li’s—a replica, only smaller.

The vortex, created by his strange, unreadable glitched skill — Had it fused with his artifacts, using these very same artifacts and world materials to recreate his body? Had it transferred the items energies and mana to him? Had it actually absorbed Jun Li's Qi?

If that was true, it changed everything.

That would explain the extra stats in wisdom and intelligence. Could he absorb anything? Anyone? Or did it only work on cultivators? How could he activate the skill?

Gathering his thoughts, Alex glanced around the destroyed forest. He could vaguely remember the direction he and Mei had come from and began his stumbling journey back to her hut.

As he walked back through the forest, Alex considered his huge gain in stats. It was strange that he didn't feel any different, not faster or stronger. The air and environment no longer resisted him, but he felt about as fast and strong as he had on Pyra. In fact, he even felt a little weaker. It must be the world resisting him, weakening him. Higher-grade worlds were no joke. He would have to ask Mei the exact grade of this world to understand why its environment was so harsh and energy-rich.

Finally, the familiar structure of Mei's hut appeared in his sight. But what he saw filled him with dread. Mei was kneeling, bloodied, in front of a man and woman dressed in flowing robes. The woman was floating and blazed with Qi in Alex’s true sight like a miniature sun. It was almost blinding. It made Jun Li's Qi look like a matchstick in comparison.

This cultivator was unbelievably powerful.

Alex gulped in trepidation.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 66: Mortality

The vortex had devoured everything. A profound silence fell, only punctuated by the gentle rustling of torn foliage against the wind. Nothing but carnage remained - the skeletal outlines of trees stripped of leaves, a circular tear in the forest itself. A place that once teemed with life was devoid of all energies, drained by the terrifying phenomenon.

Within the center of this void, a faint surge of energy began to flicker into existence. It pulsed rhythmically, in tandem with the heartbeats of an unseen force, steadily gaining momentum. The energy grew brighter and larger, materialising into a concentration of Qi, pulsating with a life of its own.

Slowly, but steadily, the Qi began to take the shape of a human body. It started as a strangely dark and dense skeleton, the bones outlined in luminescence. Then muscles and nerves took shape, layered over the bones, fleshing out the human form. Skin followed, smooth and clear, the Qi reflecting off its surface, creating a halo-like effect. Last to form was hair, strands growing individually, falling into place like a piece of a meticulously crafted puzzle. Within moments, where once a void existed, a fully grown, muscular human body lay in the centre of the devastated clearing. A body made of myriad forms of Qi, Mana, and materials settled, lying prone in the centre of the ravaged clearing.

And in the centre of the destroyed clearing, Alex opened his eyes, his vision blurry, and his mind clouded. The feeling of being dead had become all too familiar, but this was different. He had felt himself being torn apart, every atom of his being scattered across some unknown vortex. Death should have been inevitable. Yet, How was he alive, let alone breathing?

Slowly, his vision adjusted, taking in the devastation around him. His eyes fell on the strange circular treasure that Jun Li, the arrogant cultivator, had attempted to use, partially buried in the rubble. A dark glint caught his eye from a distance – Eclipse, his trusty sword lodged in a tree some distance away, a stark reminder of the violent confrontation. His sword looked different, somehow.

A sharp pang of anxiety coursed through him as he realised Mei was nowhere in sight. Did she survive? He held onto hope, praying that she had somehow escaped the destruction. And Jun Li? Alex glanced around anxiously, once again praying he was the only one to survive. There was no sign of Jun Li to be seen. The cultivator had surely died. Alex embraced the surge of satisfaction at the thought of the cultivator meeting his end.

It seemed their ‘superiority’ was relative.

Struggling to his feet, he felt strangely light. A strange sensation ran through him as the breeze graced his skin.. He was naked. Panic set in as his hands shot to his neck, his fingers feeling the cold absence of his necklace. His ears, smooth. His skin, bare without his talisman. His equipment was gone, destroyed in the vortex, their power vanished with them.

Confused, he stretched experimentally, expecting the harsh world to crush him. Expecting pain, expecting resistance. But there was none. He looked at his body, unharmed and pulsating with myriad energies. It made no sense. In such a high-grade world, he should be dying, overwhelmed by the environment. Instead, he stood tall, every muscle in his body responding effortlessly to his commands.

With the help of his passive skill, inner focus, he noticed the vibrant energies seeping into the center of the destruction, and a concentration of energy deep in his navel that he barely noticed, until he really focused. It wasn't mana, it mimicked the strange rush of energies filling the clearing. It was identical to the energy Jun Li had in his navel, that strange white furnace of cultivation. Was this his doing? Was this Qi… his? Mei had said it was impossible for system users to utilise the energy, so how did he have Qi? What would happen if he tried to use it? Would it clash with his mana and kill him? Would the Qi itself strike him down?

As questions swarmed his mind, he sought the familiar voice of the system. His lips moved, the single word uttered just a whisper in the desolate forest, but enough to trigger the all seeing system,

"Status."

Soul of Blades - Interlude: R’jdar the Conqueror

R'jdar grimaced at his current circumstances, stranded on the planet ‘Pyra’, a new world yet untouched by the empire's influence. A realm he guessed would not even be deemed worthy for a lowly initiate to manage. He scowled at his surroundings, looking at the primitive landscape with thinly veiled disgust. The mana of the world was thick and rich, true, but that hardly made up for its lack of infrastructure or advancement.

He stood over the lazy third prince's lifeless body, his cunning scheme a success. The third prince, strong and muscular, had fallen victim to R'jdar's ambush. His twisted horns now lay broken at his younger siblings' feet. It wasn't their first clash, but this time, the prince was exposed and vulnerable without his allies or siblings. Taking him by surprise had been too easy. Ambushing the mighty prince was like plucking the wings off an arrogant fly.

Thoughts of the sacrifice and ritual he had planned filled R'jdar's mind. If all went well, his stats would soar. His race, would finally evolve. Years of research and preparation had led to this moment, and he couldn't contain his excitement. Power was within his grasp, and he couldn't wait to seize it.

That insignificant speck of a human had unveiled potential beyond R'jdar's expectations. The essence of Dao around him, though faint, was noticeable to those who had seen it before. This was both a surprise and a cause for concern.

It was a shame he had to die, insights into the Dao were exceedingly rare.

R'jdar had always known that the Dao was universal, unbounded by the mortal realm's confines. Its presence within system users, however, had been minuscule and hardly recognizable. These were beings whose powers had been restrained, forced to rely on the crude manipulation of mana and magic. To observe a faint flicker of the Dao within one so young and within the system was a novelty.

On his home-planet of Hellven, only the oldest and most powerful of warriors held Daos, and he could count them on one hand. The three. Their Daos had turned them into uncontested powerhouses. The 'Soulsmith', the 'KinSlayer', and his Father, the King.

R'jdar spat in irritation at the thought of the old man.

That negligible human, ‘Alex’ had unwittingly revealed a spark of potential, like finding a Mythril nugget in a pile of dirt. It was almost comical how such a small flame could ignite a wildfire of ambition within R'jdar's heart.

A Dao of his own. His imagination ran wild at the thought.

Placing the power of the Dao into the hands of a human was like holding a thunderstorm in a teacup. It was better served being held by someone like R’jdar. The mere thought made him snicker with wicked delight. Oh, the storms he would unleash upon the worlds.

In the hands of someone like R’jdar, it could be a vessel through which he could ascend to power beyond the martial empire's control.

With the humans and 'Alex' out of the picture, R'jdar's objective was crystal clear: to conquer this backwater realm. It was like taking candy from a baby—well, more like taking a crown from an unsuspecting king.

The word 'conquer' left a sour taste in his mouth. It was far beneath him to spend his time conquering a world like this. Yet, his current predicament forced him to act against his wishes. As the fourth prince, he was obligated to ‘prove his worth’ to his demonic kingdoms, especially with his powerful siblings also striving for the same goal.

He glanced around at his small surviving demon horde, a fraction of what he had commanded before the spatial anomaly had wreaked its havoc. But these demons were loyal, fierce, and they trusted their prince. He'd not earned that trust through displays of power, but through cunning strategies and clear victories.

His siblings may have flaunted their raw power, like peacocks spreading their vibrant feathers, but R'jdar preferred a more subtle approach. Like a cunning spider spinning its loom, he weaved intricate webs to ensnare his prey.

And despite the odds, he never failed.

Seize the reins of power, reshape the fate of this backwater world, and secure his place among the powerhouses of Hellven. But to do that, he knew he would have to play his cards right. He had his sights set on the strategic points of Pyra – the rich mana springs, the birthplaces of 'mythical' beasts, and the locations pulsing with residual energy from past battles and events.

R'jdar smiled, revealing an intimidating row of sharp, pointed teeth. He had grown to relish the thrill of besting his betters, the intoxicating sensation of surpassing the limits fate had thrust upon him, and the indomitable will it inspired in him to win at any cost.

But, he still had to be cautious. In a newly inducted world, the system had restricted their stats, but not their skills and classes. The rest of his siblings were not to be underestimated, even in a world like this. The familiar, fiery energy he sensed was a clear indication that they were here as well, just as hungry to claim the world for themselves. The twisted game of thrones he had played back in Hellven continued here on Pyra.

To deal with his siblings, In the silence of the foreign world, a sly, cunning plan started to take form in R'jdar's mind. With no significant humans, and no ‘Alex’ to interfere this time, the path was clear for him to follow through with his schemes. But first, he needed allies, pawns for his grand play. He needed to mobilize the rest of the survivors from his demon horde, making them a force to be reckoned with. The demons were loyal, disciplined, and fierce – an ideal army to wage a war on this magical system world.

Feeling an almost childlike excitement, R'jdar reviewed his plan. First, he would have to secure the necessary resources to enhance his strength. The thought of absorbing raw magic was exhilarating. His ascension to power would come gradually, carefully, until he eventually rivalled an imperial. It would be inevitable. With this power, he would then return to Hellven, his treacherous opposition in his crosshairs.

He longed for the taste of true victory, of finally achieving what he had been denied because of his 'defect'. He yearned for the look of shock and disbelief on his siblings' faces as they fell, one by one, to his cunning strategies and newfound power.

And with the death of the third, he had finally had a taste. A sample. Defect or no, he would ascend.

With an almost predatory smirk, R'jdar continued his journey. His mind filled with dreams - dreams of victory, of vengeance. He thought of the throne that rightfully belonged to him, soon to be just one among many he could choose to sit upon.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 65: System User vs Cultivator

Panic rose in Alex’s chest, but he swallowed it down, forcing a calm exterior. Beside him, Mei had dropped into a low, defensive stance as she backed away, fear and worry evident in her eyes as she watched the two combatants.

"What do you want?" Alex asked, not breaking eye contact. If a fight was unavoidable, he'd rather face it head-on.

"Nothing much," the cultivator, Jun Li replied casually. "I'm just curious about the anomaly that's been causing such a commotion in My Realm."

Alex frowned, processing the information. Anomaly. Unwanted attention. Could he be the anomaly the cultivator was referring to? It made sense, His appearance in this world and Pyra was abnormal, and the glitched system notifications could very well classify him as an anomaly. And his class, it’s very naturewas anamalous. If anything was a cause for concern, it would be the class he currently held, and whatever further classes awaited him at his next class selection.

Alex steeled himself, suppressing his suspicions as he gripped his sheathed sword’s hilt and settled further into his stance. He observed as the cultivator inhaled, he sensed the mana chest and lungs shifting into movements that signified an impending exhale—

Swift as a shadow, Jun Li vanished.

Alex’s eyes widened at the sudden disappearance.

Then pain exploded in his chest.

He gasped, stumbling backwards, only to find Jun Li reappearing behind him, feet planted firmly on the ground, a cruel smile on his face. Alex was thrown, landing hard on his back. His vision blurred from the impact. Jun Li was fast. Faster than anything he had encountered so far. It was the speed of a cultivator. Overwhelming.

Still flat on his back, Alex's hand moved on instinct, reaching for the hilt of his sword. It was his only hope. He leapt up, sword slicing through falling leaves, but Jun Li wasn't there.

There was a gust of wind, a blur of motion, and then Jun Li was in front of him, his hand shooting out like a striking cobra. It struck Alex's chest, throwing him backward. Pain exploded in his body as he landed. The ground seemed to tilt and spin.

“You do realise I’m holding back?” Jun Li sneered before shaking his head. “All this effort, for nothing. For a worm.”

The cultivator moved with blinding speed, covering the distance in a single bound. He landed beside Alex, his foot lashing out to kick him square in the ribs. Alex gasped, feeling something crack. Pain, bright and sharp, shot through his body.

Alex clenched his teeth, pushing through the pain. He rolled to his feet, wielding his sword with shaky hands. He rushed at Jun Li, his sword flashing in a blur of motion.

Alex unleashed a dao empowered attack, the Ephemeral Strike. His head pulsed threateningly at the overuse of his Dao as the air seemed to warp around his blade, a distortion of reality fuelled by desperation. It was weaker than he had intended, the strain on his mind being too much to bear.

Jun Li only sneered at the incoming attack. The manifestation of his Qi condensed further around his blade. The silver blade pulsed, radiating an intense cold. A wave of his hand and the incoming attack was negated, nullified by the raw power of cultivation. It was clear. Alex was no match for him.

He had trained in Kendo, Battojutsu, koryu, and Kenjutsu his entire life. His grandfather had insisted his sword foundations be rooted in killing, and in sword styles made for deathmatches. But for Alex, Kendo had been his main focus, his true passion, and his driving force. It was a style that allowed him to completely embrace the sword and all of the its tenets. He knew his movements were crisp, precise. Each stroke was carefully calculated, honed through years of practice. But against Jun Li’s superior physicality, they were woefully inadequate.

Jun Li evaded his strike with a swift sidestep, an effortless motion that made Alex's charge seem clumsy in comparison. The cultivator blurred from one state to the other, leaving an afterimage. He retaliated, his hand lashing out in a blindingly quick jab that struck Alex squarely in the chest as Alex moved to parry, too slow.

The force of it sent him sprawling. The sword slipped from his hand, clattering uselessly to the ground.

Jun Li, in his confidence, sneered at the injured Alex. "Is this all the anomaly has to offer? Is this the great threat that caused such a fuss?"

Dizziness clouded Alex’s vision as he instinctively reached for his sword. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. He could taste blood in his mouth. Alex tried to rise, but his body wouldn't respond. The talisman pulsed, struggling to maintain his endurance and stave his impending unconsciousness. He had to get up. He needed to fight.

He staggered and fell, clasping to the hilt of eclipse was if it was his lifeline

He could see Jun Li standing over him, a triumphant smirk on his face. "Mo Ye was right", the cultivator spat. “How humourous”.

There was a flash of movement, and then pain. Agonising, all-consuming pain. It tore through him, drowning out all other sensations.

His vision blurred, then went black. The last thing he heard was Jun Li's derisive laughter echoing in the darkness. Then everything was silent.

Alex had lost.

He had been beaten, crushed by the cultivator’s strength. His body felt like it was breaking apart, his senses fading out one by one.

The world spun as he realised the cultivator had raised him into the air in one hand, and now held him aloft in the air by his throat. Suspended in the air, the ground a tantalizing touch away, he was as good as shackled.

The forest roared back to life as Alex hung there, suspended in the cultivators grasp, too weak to move. Alex was barely able to stay conscious, in the merciless grip of Jun Li. His throat constricted under the vice-like grip, as he gasped for breath. His grip on his sword was failing, teetering on his fingers edge. The blade skimmed the ground beneath, its dark edge shearing the grass below as it swung idly.

Birds fluttered frantically, a flurry of colours in their hurried escape. The trees seemed to sway away from the impending clash, the earth trembling beneath their roots.

Alex didn't hear any of it. His world had narrowed down to this moment, to one strike. He had to retaliate, somehow. Would it even hurt the man? He didn't know, but he had to try.

He had to stick to the plan.

Through gritted teeth, he sought refuge in the dao. A profound truth that existed in everything, rooted in impermanence, change, and karma. His mind rang with a mantra of transition, of constant flux.. in constant change - so different to the stillness of his current predicament. He focused, his mind turning both inward and outward, drawing on the inexorable force of karma. He connected to the dao, the universe’s truths becoming his own.

And without another word, Alex launched the attack.

In one heartbeat, his sword was at his side. In the next, it was inside Jun Li. Not through motion, but through state change, a metaphysical leap that bypassed the laws of time and space. It was as though one moment simply slipped into the next, the blade finding its mark without a hint of transitory movement. His sword, once idly hanging, barely scraping the earth below, now barely pierced Jun Li's shoulder.

It was as if for the briefest of moments, the universe bent to his will.

[Dao: ‘True Immortality’ - Progress 0.11 > 0.16%]

The hardiness of the cultivator's bare skin, had somehow chipped the tip of his blade, a shower of sparks erupted as the blade suddenly appeared inside the cultivator, drawing a thin trickle of blood as the blade lay resting inside the slight, dao empowered wound.

Jun Li's gasp of surprise was sharp and mirrored Alex’s own, the shock palpably written on both their faces. Neither of them had expected something like this. Jun Li’s brows then knitted in further shock as the sharp bite of the blade flared in his wound. The shock painting his features soon morphed into a grotesque mask of rage as he move to extricate the blade tip from his shoulder.

Alex himself was unsure of what had just transpired. A surge of his dao, the truth of flux that exists in all things, had surged forth. He felt as though the Dao had touched upon time’s infinite tapestry, too, searching multiple realities. It was as if the world had taken a deep breath and in the next exhale, everything had changed. But it had not changed his predicament. He was still a marionette suspended in mid-air, tethered to his adversary now by both his own weapon and the hand around his throat. Jun Li continued to remove the blade, Sparks erupting from each movement as the blade chipped and cracked further, damaged by the hardiness of the cultivator's very skin.

Alex's arm lifted, every muscle straining, as his fingertips reached towards Jun Li’s hand. The effort drained him, his movements a slow, sluggish crawl, reminiscent of a beast's last breath before succumbing to the inevitable, or the futile resistance of a dying man.

Until the moment his finger made contact with the cultivators nigh impenetrable skin.

When his skin grazed Jun Li’s, a jolt of intention surged through him. His senses narrowed to a pinpoint, his entire being focused on the contours and dimensions of Jun Li’s skin. He reached deep into the sensations of his muted Inventory skill, searching vague impressions of mana he could barely feel, for a very specific item.

Alex snapped the Gloves of the Artificers Pact over Jin Li's hand.

Pulled from his Inventory with the inhuman precision of a snake striking its final, desperate blow, his fading senses placed the glove perfectly over the cultivator's skin as the man extracted Alex’s continuously damaged dark blade.

The glove conformed to the cultivator's hand, clinging tightly as if drawn by a force beyond what either could perceive.

It began to rob Jun Li of his life force.

But slowly. Too slow. Far too slow to make a difference. It seemed Jun Li had years to spare.

The cultivator's face morphed into a mess of emotions as his eyes widened. It was a slight reaction, but Alex noticed. The cultivator jerked, moving much slower than before. The drain on his lifespan appeared to have rooted him to the spot, causing his movements to appear… hindered. The man quickly recomposed himself, but Alex didn’t miss the brief second of shock and disbelief strewn across his features— how his movements had become slow and hindered and how for the briefest of moments, an ant had halted an elephant and a mortal had chained one who thought themself a god.

Jun Li stood as if unbothered, his back straight and composed with an air of regality, his shock long forgotten. His sneer to returned, much stronger than before, as met Alex’s gaze with a disdainful squeeze of his choking fingers.

"A scratch. Pathetic." 

Alex, despite being in a great amount of pain, smirked.

"You!..." Jun Li seethed, rage churning like a violent storm in his eyes. His gaze was fixed on Alex, disbelief warping his features. His fingers moved, hindered by the gloves draining pull as he clawed at the handle of the sword, the metal biting ineffectually into his palm as he began to remove the intrusive blade, inch by hindered inch.

With a frustrated tut, Jun Li flexed his gloved hand, splaying his fingers with the sound of cracks and pops, all to tear the glove at the seams. And the glove— it tore as paper would before his slow might, removed of its connection to the skin that empowered it.

The glove fell to the ground in pieces, tattered and broken.

The man had shattering his bonds as easily as storms broke the chains that bound seas, as if tearing through a spider's web.

Like a lion he stood, torn away from his restraints, draining the life from his anomalous foe with a squeeze from each of his fingers.

Despite the false bravado he'd displayed, Alex felt desperate. He was out of options. His plan had failed, his oxygen and blood was restricted, and he was suspended, being choked to death by this stranger. He was going to die. His head pounded, a ringing wave of agony that blocked any further attempts to activate his Dao. His last attempt had overused it beyond the boundaries of his capabilities. And his skills, each one more useful than the last, were out of reach.

He reached out nonetheless, a desperate plea to the system, his efforts met with the frustrating silence of a cooldown.

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

Boundless dodge.

Phoenix Leap.

Mana Blade.

Sovereign Clone.

Mana Burn.

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

Hell, he even tried to activate Inventory, and attempted to tap into his passives, anything to help him escape his imminent death. But all of his most needed skills were inert, devoid of mana, and shackled by the system.

All but one.

[Skill A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱ Activated]

The glitched skill was not as dormant as he believed. And neither was it purely passive. It stirred, a low hum that built into a crescendo as the reality of his situation sunk in.

A final notification appeared, its panel glitched, buzzing, and blood red.

[Ὧ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇d̶̷̸̯͇̟̮̙͚̪̈́̈͛̔͂ ̶̵̴̶̷̶̯͇̲̳̱̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅD̸̺̥̮̀͒ͅn̶̯͇̈́̈͛e̷̷̸͎̠̠̖̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕̿́̔͂ ̶̵̴̶̷̶̯͇̲̳̱̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ E̸̪̟͇͕͂Ὧ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕̑ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ]

Then, a surge.

The agony the glitched skills activation brought was catastrophic, a searing surge of Pain erupted from his navel, a blazing torrent that scorched a clear path from his navel to his heart, then to his arm and then his sword. His vision swam, scarlet droplets of blood falling from his lips to the ground below in a crimson shower.

The surge of energy from the skill ended at the point of his sword lodged in Jun Li. At the swords point, reality warped, twisting, writhing. A swirling maw of cosmic energy blossomed, the contours of their world warping in its presence. Its gravitational pull yanked debris, all that surrounded them, into its strange depths.

Alex’s arm tore, the muscle splitting under the ungodly force of the vortex that sprung from the activation of his skill. Grass and shrubbery bent in grotesque shapes, being pulled towards the vortex, their green leaves bleaching to an ashen grey before disintegrating into nothingness.

Alex could only watch as Jun Li's form, the parts of the cultivator immediately around the vortex became a distorted.

The vortex had sprung into existence at the blade of his sword, exactly where it had pierced Jun Li. His sword, eclipse, went flying in a spin, tearing through Jun Li’s shoulder and slicing off several of Alex’s fingers as it was flung from the energies forming the portal.

The two combatants screamed in unison.

Their screams were guttural sounds that merged with the winds around them, swallowed by the gaping maw of the vortex. Blood splattered the distorted light around them, drawn into the vortex like everything else. His arm screamed in agony, the torn flesh stripped further by the anomaly they were trapped in.

Jun Li’s struggles intensified, eyes wide and wild. "An abyss? Here? How did this...No!" He screamed in some strange realisation. His body convulsed, fighting against the relentless pull of the devouring maw of the vortex. Threads of his clothing unravelled, dissipating into the air like a thousand fragile strands. "Curse you, Alex!" he spat, his form stretching, distorting, being consumed. "You've doomed us both, you fool!" Jun Li yelled as he released him, and fought to escape the vortex consuming him. He had almost broke free, and clung to the ground using some strange technique, but his arm, now a bloody mess, was sucked, crushed, and warped into the vortex, elbow deep. Jun Li’s desperation as evident as he displayed a myriad of strange techniques, none of them freeing him from the portals clutches.

Despite being freed from his deathgrip, Alex was still somehow suspended in the air, unable to move, and quickly floating towards his doomed opponent and the all-consuming vortex. With panic Alex realised that he too, was being sucked into the vortex. “No…” He whispered. The word was carried away by the violent wind the vortex generated.

The vortex raged, tearing at the surrounding foliage, contorting it into grotesque shapes before swallowing everything whole. Light danced and fractured upon its swirling surface, casting an unearthly light that transformed the scene into a surreal tableau. The wind screamed in protest, whipped into a frenzy as it was sucked into the gaping void.

"Slave!" Jun Li bellowed, his voice nearly drowned by the cacophony of the vortex. "You...You will pay for this!" His form began to distort, and elongate as it was continually consumed by the relentless pull of the vortex. "You... won't... escape..."

Alex was too busy fighting for his own life to care.

The world blurred around Alex, the vortex consuming him, Jun Li, everything. The ground beneath them crumbled and disappeared into the void, trees uprooted and torn apart, their particles swirling in a macabre dance. The sky above seemed to stretch and twist, its light distorted into bizarre patterns.

Jun Li, in a fit of desperation pulled a strange golden orb from his robe, a treasure. It fell from his grasp as the vortex consumed them further.

Two enemies being pulled apart, consumed by the very void that was called upon them by Alex. Alex was filled with regret and desperation as he too sought a way out of this.

Screams roared, rage and pain intertwined as Jun Li fought against his inevitable end. His struggle was fierce but futile as he continued unravelling, reality shifting around him in the vortex's pull. He roared one final time, ”Y-You will not survive this either! You will j-join me in this doom! T-This is your end as well, slave! A f-fitting one!", but his words were lost, consumed.

Every detail of Jun Li and Alex, every crease, every strand of hair, every bead of sweat, began to stretch and twist, pulled inexorably into the vortex's maw. The fabric of Alex's robe fluttered wildly, an erratic dance of cloth and wind before it, too, began its journey into the vortex, its threads untangling, unweaving, until there was nothing left but a shower of particles.

All Alex could do was watch, suspended in time and space, as the world ended around them. Everything seemed to stop and stretch as as the vortex consumed them both. The pain was unbearable, his senses overwhelmed. As his form began to disintegrate, so did his consciousness, his world narrowing down to the gnashing teeth of the vortex.

Damn, he thought, with his final vestige of consciousness At least I took that arrogant fuck with me.

He smiled, or at least, he thought he did, as he winked out from existence.

Then he was no more.

Alex had triggered an event that wiped them both from existence.

And with a final, resounding rush of air, the vortex collapsed onto itself, leaving an empty space where two adversaries once stood, locked in a battle of wills and skill. Only the disturbed earth and fleeing creatures bore witness to the chaos that unfolded.

The vortex had devoured everything, leaving behind nothing but the raw, gaping wound in the forest.

And a tiny, steadily growing concentration of Qi, which soon began to coalesce, densely gather, and solidify in the center of the destruction.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 64: A Qi -uick Death

“Was that a Dao, slave?" The man's lips curled back as he spoke, exposing clenched teeth, his words dripping with a venomous contempt so thick that clung to the air, a frosty dagger pointed directly at Alex.

The stranger stood tall, his gaze cold as ice as it swept over him. Alex, on the other hand, stood panting, his power significantly depleted after the intense battle with the Thundering Bull.

Alex looked to Mei, who had jumped down from the tree and stood frozen, a few feet away, barely having moved since her landing.

Her wide eyes were fixed on the stranger, a clear expression of fear etched on her face, and her body was stiff, fingers were pressed hard into the dirt at her sides. Alex felt them shaking, slightly.

He squinted against the sting of sweat dripping into his eyes to meet her gaze "Who is he?" Alex asked, his voice hushed to lowest of tones, just above the barest of breaths.

"He's... a cultivator," Mei responded, her voice low, trembling so slightly that the words seemed to fracture on the air. The term resonated within Alex. Cultivators: the mightiest beings in this and all realms, those who harnessed Qi to perform extraordinary feats.

The stranger chuckled at her revelation. "So, you know who I am. Good. That makes things easier." His eyes, squared with intensity, were fixed on Alex.

The dread of an unpleasant reality knotted in Alex's stomach as the man levelled a gaze at him, his hazel eyes alight with unspoken authority and undisguised disdain. Alex's hands balled into barely open fists, his fingernails pressing into his palms, ready to resummon his sword at a moment's notice. His chest braced with calm, rapid breaths, his shirt pulling tight across his back as he squared his stance, ready to respond or defend.

Dread became a cold discomfort that twisted in Alex's gut, a tightening noose under the man’s continued gaze, pinning him like a wolf in a hunter's iron sights. "Why do you call me a slave?" Alex’s voice was firmer now, though he fought to keep his breathing even. "What's a Dao?"

There’s no way I’m confirming whatever it is this arsehole is looking for, Alex thought with cautious contempt. At least not until I’m sure of whether the information will be a lifeline or a death sentence. Alex met the cultivators gaze.

A derisive scoff broke from the man, his arms folding with a snap of fabric, shoulders setting like walls. "Ignorance is a slave's mantle," he mocked. "I asked you a question. Do not evade it with more questions."

Alex hesitated, unsure how best to respond. What should he say?

Mei glanced at him, the same question mirrored in her eyes. "Alex..."

Alex, feeling the weight of the situation, considered his words carefully. "I just...acted on what felt right,"

His response was met with a contemplative hum from the cultivator. The visitor raised his eyebrows, his stare intensifying as he leaned slightly forward, as if to judge the authenticity of Alex’s statement. "Interesting. Your Dao resembles a cultivator's, yet it clearly isn't.

The man's eyebrows then knitted tightly as he peered at Alex. "How did you manage that?"

Sweat traced a line down Alex's temple, catching on his stubble before dripping off his chin. The evening's cool breeze whisked it away, leaving a fleeting coolness against his heated skin.

“And you don't even know what it is. Are you truly a system user? You wield mana, do you not?” The man's volume increased, nudging his sheathed sword towards Alex with each accusation, “You must be nothing but a system user. A tool. A slave.”

Alex bristled at the man's words, but there was a deep-seated unease coiling in his stomach. Confusion knotted itself further in Alex's brain. He nodded, hoping the affirmation might alleviate some of the intensifying tension. "Yes, I am a system user. But, what's a Dao? What exactly is a cultivator? And why, for the love of sanity, do you keep calling me a slave?"

A paranoid glare of disbelief shot from the man. "Are you mocking me?"

Alex couldn't contain the desperation in his voice. "I'm... I'm not. I'm just lost. I arrived in this land a short while ago and I'm trying to navigate this perplexing maze."

“Ah, a new invite,” The man sighed, the sound cutting sharply into the silence. The hardness in his gaze remained unchanged. “That makes sense, and yet it doesn’t.”

"You found your way to this world—Invited, somehow. Despite barely having even reached the one hundredth level." The man shook his head slowly, his disbelief apparent in the slight furrow of his brow.

He knows my level… He can see my status screen…and the glitches! Alex’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly in surprise, against his attempts to school his features and betray nothing.

If the man could see his status screen, then a confrontation of some kind was likely to be imminent. It made sense that the owners of the system had full access to its contents, although the glitched nature of his class selection had led him to believe his class had become somewhat hidden from thier gaze, as it carried no warning in its description. His class selection screen had also heavily implied the consequences of forbidden elements. And both his class and skills were likely full of them.

They had broken the system. He had broken the system.

A small part of him, some hopeful recess in the back of his mind spoke of the possibility of a peaceful resolution, that system glitches would simply be corrected or erased without harm to the system user that bore them. But Alex quelled the flames of those thoughts with the cold waters of rationality. From everything he had seen and heard of the imperials, that seemed highly likely. Extremely so. They destroy worlds on a whim, what’s the life of one guy to someone like that? He thought, his gut sinking further with cold acceptance.

Alex rubbed at the stubble of his chin; a false action. He placed his arm at an angle to summon his sword and stab at the man with minimal movement, should he decide to attack. It was what had allowed him to defeat the queen, though he was uncertain as to its effectiveness against the man before him. He assumed that he would not even be able to see the man move. So in addition to the defensive action, a plan had fully formed in Alex’s mind.

It was a plan that had been growing and developing from the very moment he realised the nature of the world he’d set foot on. A way to survive the encounter.

“Do I know you, somehow?” Alex asked, attempting to confirm his suspicion.

The cultivator’s arms crossed tight enough that the fabric of his sleeves stretched visibly, and Alex watched a vein pulse at the man's temple, “You have no idea how much trouble you’ve caused me, serf. Or how much trouble you could cause for me.”

“And yet I owe you so much.” The man continued, ignoring Alex’s question.

It’s not that he can see my status screen, it’s that he knows me, somehow. The knowledge caused Alex’s gut to sink. The only way this man could be aware of his existence was if the system had made him so.

“This class will result in imperial action.” Alex recalled the system warning from the more dangerous options of his class selection. His class, Systemic Sword Soveriegn, had held no such warning and skirted between the lines of legality, by what he had assumed was appearing to the system as its more mundane version ‘Eternal Sword Sovereign’. A camouflage of sorts— a Trojan horse of classes.

And yet here he was, facing an imperial that had hunted him down… Although the man’s last words implied the possibility of a personal element. He said he owes me much. Is it just him? Or are there more after me?

A deep sigh escaped the robed man before him.

"A cultivator refines their body and spirit to gain power using Qi. The Dao is the path a cultivator follows to ascend," he explained tersely, his lips pulling tight with each word, the muscles in his jaw working as he spoke. His face betrayed a mix of emotions. In one brief flash it held hatred and derision, in the other it held a wealth of begrudging respect, then in the next it held sheer fury and loss, and then finally it held… Gratitude?

“Gifts.” The cultivator continued, all instances of gratitude removed from his features, his face contorted into a sneer. "Gifts we of the empire have bestowed upon all of you, power beyond anything you would otherwise be capable of. All the power you have, you owe to us. You system users are nothing more than our servants, our slaves. There is no malice in the relationship, it is simply the way of the universe. Your magic is inferior. You’re bound by your system, while we cultivate the true arts freely, unhindered."

“And you? You are a mortal, and now a slave, made better by us through our gifts.” The man spoke softly, and yet his gaze remained hard.

"But I defeated a Thundering Bull," Alex argued, trying to defend his worth, more to himself, than this stranger. Alex knew he had achieved the impossible. Many would have died if faced with even a fraction of his circumstances. Perhaps even this cultivator.

"That's barely an achievement, slave," the cultivator scoffed, dismissively waving a hand. “But I will admit, you’ve exceeded anything I expected one of your kind to ever be capable of. And in far less than one year, too.”

“But I suppose that’s what makes your kind so dangerous.”

“I’m sorry— well, I’m not. But for the gifts your existence has bestowed upon my martial path, I will give you a chance, serf.” The man tilted his head, studying Alex as if to assess his worth. He seemed to not have a care, as if the possibility of Alex becoming a threat was far less than negligible. As if some change had occurred that had bolstered his confidence to heights unseen. And Alex sought to encourage this way of thinking as far as he could, aiming to stoke the flames the strangers arrogance until its embers touched the sky.

Then, and only then, would he use those very flames to scorch the depths of this cultivator's soul.

He thought of the tools available to him, his skills and magic were out of commission, on cooldown. But he still had his tools, his Dao, his blade, and the life-stealing gloves. And his inventory. He had been attempting to connect to it this entire time, using his stymied senses and dormant Inner Sense. He clenched his fists, feeling an onslaught of anger, frustration and helplessness. He had never felt them so strongly before. The feelings intensified then turned into a growing rage, targeted at everything. He raged at this world, at the unfairness of the imperial’s power, and at this cultivator. Most of all, he raged at a single word repeated throughout thier conversation.

He was no slave.

"But I'm not one to refuse a show," the cultivator mused, unaware of the storm that resided behind Alex’s impassive facade. The strangers eyes glinted mischievously at his next words. “I will test the limits of all that you have achieved.”

"We will discover if your system magic can stand a chance against a cultivator's power."

Alex stood his ground, maintaining his silence. He wouldn't beg for mercy. If it came to a fight, he'd do his best to kill this man.

Wondering how to survive this, he glanced at Mei. She looked from the cultivator to him wide eyed, and nodded minutely, while mouthing two words. Alex read her lips.

Mei, unblinking, mouthed the words “lose. Fast.”

Alex hesitated, considering her words. This was a dangerous game, could he say no? Didn’t cultivators value pride above all else? Perhaps he could forfeit after the first strike as Mei suggested? Feign injury and heal himself with his Dao. A pride obsessed idiot cultivator would not be able to kill him once he’d surrendered…right? He was sure that was how they operated. Pride. To them, it was everything. The cold from the earth beneath him seeped through his clothes, settling into his bones.

No, Alex thought. He would not delude himself, that was a thought that stemmed from fear, and fear was a choice— born from the acceptance of weakness. Alex was not weak.

Trust the plan, he thought again. To do anything less would be to invite his demise. He summoned Eclipse into his open palm, and settled into the third stance of Battojutsu, wary of its effectiveness against someone so powerful.

His mind traveled to ancient tales of gladiators, thrust into arenas where only one could walk out alive. And like a gladiator of old, he stood at a crossroads between honor and oblivion. His world shrank to the moment, to the narrow space between breaths as the metallic scent of his blade mingled with the earthy dampness of the forest floor, grounding him in the now.

His shoulders slumped slightly, the tension in his bones easing to nothing as he exhaled a slow, frosty breath into the twilight.

Calm enveloped his blade.

It’s kill or be killed. The cold acceptance of fate washed over him.

“Fine,” he said, squaring his shoulders, “we will.”

With a nod, the man revealed his identity. "Good. Brace yourself, system user. I am Jun Li, initiate of the Mount Ben-Niu sect. Let's see if you can rise above your station."

Soul of Blades - interlude: Outer Disciple Jun Li

Jun Li stood in their secret ‘training ground’, which was really just a small divot in the valley where their branch sect resided, surrounded by the early morning mist. Moisture clung to his clothes, making them cling to his skin. He watched Mo Ye from the corner of his eye, a coil of envy tightening in his gut. 

Mo Ye stood across the field from Jun Li, his form solitary against the petalled backdrop like a rising sun against the horizon, yet brighter, somehow. He was always brighter. Mo Ye inhaled, a soft, almost imperceptible intake of breath. The flowers at his feet swayed in a wide circle without wind, evidence of soft rivers of Qi seeping into his drawn breath, unseen.

He exhaled with perfect cadence and a single step, almost appearing to vanish due to the speed of his movement, shooting forward in a single instant. Mo Ye’s figure was sharp against the dawn, clearly distinct from one moment to the next, reappearing in a display of swirling robes with his initiate’s garments swaying to settle like tree leaves after a storm. An impact of wind and disturbed air caused the surrounding foliage to billow and fall, settling back earth to trace the path of his perfection. 

Mo Ye's movements were fluid, embodying the 'Bull charges the Earth' technique with an elegance that seemed almost effortless. Not a mark was made on the ground within his testmate’s path. The only evidence of his execution of the technique was the crushed foliage and leaves that swayed and billowed without wind, disturbed by his manipulation of Qi. 

Jun Li was chagrined by the sight and attempted to do the same.

Breathe in. Move. Exhale.  He turned his attention back to his own stance. He inhaled deeply, trying to mimic the fluidity he had just observed. His arms extended, attempting to channel his Qi through a path in the precise, controlled manner required for the technique. The Qi within him felt turbulent, resisting his command. Breathe in. Move. Exhale, he repeated.

He took a step forward, intending to initiate the technique. His foot placement was off. He stumbled slightly, disrupting the flow of his Qi. He righted himself, cheeks burning with the heat of his frustration and shame.

“You’re distracted” Mo Ye noted, pointing at the trail of destruction Jun Li had left in his failed attempt. “That is why you struggle.”

“Yes. By the danger.” Jun Li's response was swift, without pause or thought.

Mo Ye, pausing to sit across from him, plucked a blade of grass, examining it. "Danger? You mean the anomaly?" His tone was light, dismissive.

"Yes, that 'danger.' Sitting here, pretending it'll resolve itself." Jun Li watched Mo Ye, noticing the ease with which he leaned back, the light in his eyes not dimmed by the weight of their situation. A heavy sigh escaped Jun Li, drawing Mo Ye's attention. “We cannot allow it to continue.”

Anomalies were unpredictable and unbound. Jun Li didn’t care that the history books claimed anomalies without kill orders to be harmless, potentially resolvable errors. Logic dictated that an anomaly was dangerous and disruptive, and an element to be erased simply by virtue of its anomalous nature.

Mo Ye, unfazed, countered with a question, tilting his head. "And what would you have us do, Jun Li? Risk everything on a whim? On suspicion?”

Silence. The consequences of disqualification gave him pause. Frustrated, Jun Li settled once more into his stance. He inhaled deeply, attempting to center his Qi, but it churned inside him like a wild storm, refusing to be tamed.

His attempt at the technique ended in failure. 

While Jun Li failed, Mo Ye executed another attempt, slightly better than the last and much better than Jun Li’s flailing. The leaves of Mo Ye’s passing were less crushed,  but the disturbed air and foliage moved in ways that signaled poorly controlled Qi. A perfect execution would leave no trace at all. He had failed to master the technique, too. 

That made Jun Li feel better, but his personal failure still filled him with rage. He was still the worker of the two.

He turned to face Mo Ye in anger. "Why do you carry our burden of the anomaly as if it were a stone in our pockets, easily discarded?" his voice heavy with an unspoken accusation. 

Mo Ye's laughter, light and untroubled, filled the space between them. "Because it is a stone. To be skipped across a lake, not an anchor to drown us."

Mo Ye executed the technique once more, blinking across the space in a whirl of displaced Qi and crushed foliage, displaying further improvement.

Mo Ye leaned back, carefree ease drifting off his posture in waves, his voice floated towards his counterpart, light as the breeze. "You worry too much, brother. What can a mortal do?"

Jun Li watched Mo Ye with a mix of irritation, anger and envy. His Brother. Once the word had meant much to Jun Li, now all it did was remind him of his inadequacy. The morning's calm did little to soothe the storm within him. 

"It's not a mortal.” Jun Li replied. tension visible in the clench of his jaw. “It is an Anomaly.” 

"Yes, but remember what Master Li said. All anomalies die; they barely survive a single month past their kill orders.” A pause, then Mo Ye glanced at Jun Li, his eyes painted with care and concern for his siblings' wellbeing. “You are being... excessively wary."

“I am being prudent.” Jin Li’s response held no doubt.

Mo Ye simply laughed, swiping with a branch as if it were a sword. His Qi lashed out to eviscerate the ground in a wild and uncontrolled display of power. Jun Li blanched at the sight. He had no idea what he’d just witnessed, they had not been taught how to do that.

Mo Ye's expression sobered, his laughter dying. He sighed, looking skyward. “We follow paths laid by those before us. That is why we fought to join this sect, and not rot with a single broken serf-world to share between our house and not a single servant to our name. I won’t return to that.”

Silence followed his statement. They resumed practice.

Jun Li inhaled and stretched his arms, striving for the fluid grace he had observed from his sibling. Breathe in. Move. Exhale,  he mentally cycled, yet as he surged forward, missteps marred his execution: a misplaced foot, his balance skewed, causing dirt and crushed flowers to spray the air as he shot forward at speeds no baseline human could comprehend. 

His Qi swirled chaotically within despite his best efforts, he found it infuriating. I should be better than him… I should be better than all of them, his fist clenched at the dirt, shaking with shame and indignation.

Jun Li watched Mo Ye, the calm on his brother’s face grating against his own turmoil.

Mo Ye shifted in execution. He breathed and moved, blurring past his sibling in a Qi filled winds of near-perfection. A feat Jun Li could only helplessly witness. It filled him with more rage than the thought of an anomaly within their charge ever could.

Mo Ye looked at him with robes billowing, the hint of a frown forming. "And rushing in might cost us everything. Is it worth it?"

Jun Li turned, his gaze catching the morning light. "Not acting guarantees our failure," he almost yelled, holding himself back at the last instance. “We cannot wait and I won’t wait. It absolutely has to die by any means.”

Jun Li turned away, a bitter taste in his mouth. Watching and waiting was all he felt he'd ever done, always a step behind his brother, always in Mo Ye's shadow. Even his ascension to cultivation was covered in shade.

"There are rules," Mo Ye reminded gently, "There will be consequences if we're caught intervening. I won’t lose my chance to advance as a cultivator."

Mo Ye turned and shot forward in a whirl of robes and inhuman speed, less foliage destroyed this time. Less visible signs of displaced Qi, blinking from one place to the other. His form had improved while Jun Li’s remained stagnant.

Jun Li snarled in frustration. With a step forward, he launched into the technique, blurring forward, but his harmony was fractured—foot askew, punch skewed, carving a scar in the earth, a wake of shattered blossoms and torn earth marking his turbulent passage. His too-deep inhale and too-sharp exhale, threw his Qi through the wrong pathways and into disarray, a painter splashing discordant colors across a once harmonious canvas. Another failure. His cheeks flushed, not from exertion, but from the sting of frustration and the shadow of shame. He yelled at his brother, “you are going to cost me EVERYTHING!”

His fist smashed into the earth beneath them sinking slightly into its mounds. The ground trembled for the briefest of moments. “Do not stop me, brother.” He said.

Mo Ye simply observed.

Mo Ye's silence spoke volumes, he turned away, his gaze settling on the distant mist-covered hills and meadows. He crouched, slightly, assuming the stance of the bull he sought to master. 

Jun Li looked on, helpless.

Inside, his turmoil twisted tighter. It wasn't just the anomaly that gnawed at him, but the ease with which Mo Ye seemed to navigate their world—a world that felt like a constant battle to Jun Li.

Mo Ye disappeared, charging the earth to resume his training. This time, not a single leaf swayed as he disappeared. 

His brother had mastered the technique.

Whereas Jun Li continued to fail. The earth beneath them became scarred with paths of his failure, and the foliage surrounding them removed until the space became barren. With each attempt, his thoughts became focused on singular singular emotions.

Anger. Hatred. Shame. Worry. Concern. More anger, and then fury that turned to pure rage.

Deep within, Jun Li’s rage and resentment lay not in the anomaly, but in jealousy and envy. He found himself hating Mo Ye—not because he was a fool, But because he was better.

The anomaly too, by nature of its existence, held the potential to be better, and unconstrained. He hated it for that sole reason alone.

With each failure Jun li found himself hating them both in equal measure, though he tried to focus solely on the dangerous anomaly. 

Destroying it would be the first step of his ascension to the heights of power.

As he seethed in thought, his brother blurred past without even so much as a speck of displaced earth, perfection incarnate.

Jun Li watched Mo Ye’s perfection with barely concealed resentment as the clouds above them shifted, the morning light spilling through the misty hills surrounding the valley, stretching the shade that seemed to deepen the divide between them.

In both ethos and skill, his testmate left him far behind.

***

The sky cracked, a beastly roar slicing through the silence of the valley. Jun Li's legs carved paths through the meadow, a blur against the tranquil backdrop.

He sprinted. The valley's meadows were a blur beneath his steps, his speed was more than human. But behind, nothing pursued.

Blood painted his robes. His own and the blood of beasts. And the blood of his brother.

It was everywhere. It clouded his vision as Jun Li ran. Tears did too. Although whether they were tears of sadness or elation, he couldn’t tell.

So Jun Li ran. Legs propelling him forward, faster. His breath came in sharp gasps. He had made a choice. A hard, cold choice. 

It had caused him to grow stronger.

Forgive me, he thought. A plea to the winds. To the brother left behind. 

He recalled the beast, its massive form tearing through the valley, destroying the peace of their hidden training ground. "Is it a spirit beast?" his voice had quivered, the unknown fueling his fear. And the fear. It had gripped him then, tight and cold, paralysing.

Mo Ye had stood beside him, unshaken and confident. "No, it’s not. Just a monster of mana.”

“Channel your Qi,” he had advised, eyes sharp, a scoff following his assessment. “To your eyes, brother.”

Jun Li silently seethed at the need to be instructed by his better. Still he outshines me, he had thought. He begrudgingly followed his brother's instruction. 

Jun Li saw the truth through Qi-enhanced eyes. The creature lacked Qi. It was merely a monster of mana. With a surge of confidence, he had unleashed his strength. He was a bull, charging the earth, a trail of gouged foliage following his charge as he moved, tearing through the beast as if it were made of paper. The beast before them had crumbled under his godlike force. He hadn’t even deigned to properly employ his technique. 

He pursed his lips at the memory as he ran.

In that instant a much larger beast had crashed into their clearing. A majestic thing of muscle, sinew, and beauty. Jun Li had scoffed, believing it to be a mere monster, filled with a reckless bravado. He looked upon it with Qi-enhanced sight and was nearly blinded by what he saw.

True horror awaited. A spirit beast, at a stage of cultivation leagues above his own. So high it was unreadable. How was it here? Why was it here? its presence had been a suffocating weight. They could not win. Jun Li knew it like he knew the sun burned.

The beast had stepped forward as he blinked away the stars in his vision. Its movements had been slow, calculating, demanding acquiescence. Or sacrifice.

And its eyes…filled with hunger and intelligence.

Jin Li paused. A deep inhale. Would he die there? How could he survive? The decision had weighed heavy. His hands had shook, not from exertion but from the weight of his options. 

He made his choice. A decision born of desperation, frustration, and fear. And hatred. 

Moisture blurred his vision.

Breathe in. Move. Exhale. He had thought.

He attacked. Not the beast, but Mo Ye, striking from behind. Once. Twice. Three times. His brother's form crumpled to the ground, a distraction for the beast's hunger.

The ground had remained intact, and not a leaf had been altered by his trajectory. The air remained unmoved, its Qi expertly manipulated. Through his betrayal, he had exhibited a perfect execution of technique. Perhaps the heat of battle was all he had been missing? He had thought deep in his heart as he removed his fist from Mo Ye’s spine. 

Perhaps he was the one that was better?

Meadow grass, a green blur below. He did not look back as he sprinted. He could not. The path demanded all he had. Ahead, the sect, a haven now drawing closer. As he ran, his jaw clenched in a silent scream of liberation, his face a mix of unreadable emotions.

Drops fell. Not from clouds. From Jun Li's face. Streaks on skin.

The distance to safety grew shorter, the price paid stretching infinitely behind him.

A thought returned to him unbidden, caused by emotions that bubbled beneath the surface of his paper-thin grief. 

He had survived. He had moved perfectly. 

Perhaps the beast had come to assist him?

Perhaps he was destined to rise through sacrifice? 

Perhaps he was the strongest? 

In that moment, he had moved even faster than most initiates in his sect. He had mastered the technique in an instant, through battle. 

He was strong. Stronger than Mo Ye, who believed himself better.

He cackled as he ran, a grim sound that rang through the meadow.

Mo Ye had thought himself his better, but no one was better than him and no one would be better than him. Any who dared to try would meet the same fate.

Broken, defeated by his hand.

***

Days Later

In a higher realm in the heart of the Martial Empire, Jun Li the outer disciple brooded.

The grandeur of the Imperial homeworld was lost on him. His eyes, instead, were fixated on the glowing screens projected from a peculiar device - a treasure bestowed upon him by his sect. Information and images flickered before him, painting his face in a dance of luminescent colours as his eyes flicked back and forth, glowing runes and symbols illuminating his resolute face. From the world he was tasked to conquer in less than a year, the anomaly had seemingly disappeared without a trace

His test-mate, Mo Ye, had believed himself more naturally gifted than he was. Mo Ye’s talent for cultivation had clouded his vision. He had constantly dismissed Jun Li’s worries with arrogance, undeterred by the potential peril hiding behind the anomaly they'd detected. Mo Ye had been a fool, and now he was dead.

"The creature will perish without guidance, perhaps that is why it has disappeared. Trust in the system, Jun Li. It has yet to give us warning." Mo Ye had constantly said with disdainful flicks of his wrist. But the gnawing worry at its existence had never left Jun Li. He still felt it now.

What if the anomaly hadn’t perished? As improbable as the notion seemed, what if their system had missed something?

Serfs did not just simply vanish, at least, not without a trace.

This anomaly, untrained, unguided, without any tutorial - had completely disappeared. True, It should have been dead by now. Yet, there was no record of its demise. No ‘death log’. Nothing. Mo Ye would have insited it was gone, if he was still here. But for Jun Li, the void it’s mysterious absence left behind gnawed at any semblance of peace.

It was alive. He could feel it in his marrow.

Things were not adding up.

His fingers moved, dancing patterns over the treasures controls, tracing the runes embedded into the metal surface. He needed to find this anomaly, silence it before it became a threat. Without being caught or accused of cheating. It was a monumental task, he realised, as his treasure alerted him to another world without its trace. After countless days of the treasure scanning hundreds, thousands of worlds, an alert chirped softly from the treasured communication jade he held in his hand.

It had found it. The anomaly.

What had it been up to? It couldn’t have more than a week or so worth of levels, a mere ants strength. But even so, how did it even get off-world?

Excitement and dread filled him as he peered through the details, the anomaly was on… an Imperial world.

Jun Li's eyes shot open in disbelief as he read the location. What? that didn't make sense. System users, the so-called 'slave races,' shouldn't have been able to set foot on these sacred cultivation grounds, not without immediately dying horrible deaths in the energy rich environments. Unless... they ascended to the status of high servants - the strongest system users deemed fit to enough to serve cultivators. But that was simply an impossibility, the treasure reported the anomaly’s level as not even having reached the hundreds, It should have died the instant it set foot in a higher world. It defied reason. Jun Li knew that its level had to be less than 70. It was still a chick, ripe for reaping. Yet, the anomaly was there.

This kind of resourcefulness was worrying. Without remedy this blunder would surely have consequences.

His thoughts turned dark. What if the anomaly managed to cause a ruckus? Any chaos traced back to him would mean banishment. He would be tossed from the sect, left to eke out a precarious existence in the wild. Or return to the poverty of sharing the Qi of a broken world. Worse yet, he could be crippled, his paths to cultivation and glory forever barred. The mere thought made him shudder.

Exile would be the most generous punishment, whereas crippling would be a fate worse than death.

The realisation marked a turning point. The anomaly was more dangerous than he could possibly imagine. His body moved on autopilot, his mind grappling with the ramifications. He was fresh from his initiation into his sect, barely a fledgling on the path of cultivation, and lucky to have passed the sects requirements and been accepted to outer discipleship. He had struggled and strived all just to achieve the first stage of cultivation; Qi gathering. Soon, he would establish himself as a promising entrant, and someone worth investing resources and backing to. He could not afford to lose face to such a blunder so soon. Anomalies were rare in history, and never survived more than a few weeks. But they always, without fail, brought catastrophe to the cultivators that spawned them. Either through damaging their reputation or sheer misfortune. However, despite this, he was confident he could exterminate a mere magic user.

After all, they were always killed in the end, as soon as they were found and a kill order was issued. Some even on the first day.

Jun Li's heart beat a steady, increasing crescendo in his chest as he swiftly moved towards the departure plane.

Within this latest development lay an opportunity. He was forbidden from entering his designated world, at least until the day of conquering. But nothing forbade him from entering other worlds.

Nothing at all.

He would need help to reach another realm, as he was far too weak to own a spatial array or have the ability to planeswalk. He needed assistance. A high cultivator's assistance was costly, but it was a price he was willing to pay to eradicate this pest. He would not, and could not tell others from his sect— they would merely insist it was insignificant and would die soon, while fervently resisting any excessive expense or action, only caring for cultivation. To Jun Li, they were all simply talented fools, blessed with power they had not earned.

No, he had to do this himself. Jun Li’s steps were heavy with the weight of responsibility, he moved swiftly, his once calm demeanour now clouded with urgency. His position within the hidden sect depended on this. His path to ascension even more-so. He had to act, and act fast. The time for deliberation was over; it was time for action.

Today, the anomaly would die by his hand.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 63 - Overpowered Prey

Authors note: Enjoy.

Chapter 63 - Overpowered Prey

Days had passed since Alex had awoken in Mei's humble hut.

Alex was barefoot within the hut and practicing with his sword, centering himself and developing his technique, when Mei's sharp voice jolted him out of his focused state. "Come on, we gotta go." There was an edge to her tone that Alex hadn't heard before.

Barely giving him time to pull on his boots, she practically shoved him out of the hut. As the chilly morning air hit his face, he squinted at the sudden change from the dark, warm hut to the bright, crisp morning. Mei was already a few paces ahead, making her way up the steep trail leading away from the hut.

"Where are we going?" Alex called out with rocky steps, still trying to wake up fully.

"No time to explain, just follow," Mei called back without turning.

Alex's gait slowed with shock, his jaw opening slightly as he stepped out of Mei's humble hut. His gaze fixed on distant structures below, glinting in the light. Figures flitted about in the sky above what looked like an ancient Chinese city, with structures of wood, stone, and strangely, metal. It was too far away to discern their exact nature, or the nature of the flying figures. The lights and small structures made it look more like a city than a mere town to his eyes.

"What is that city?" he asked, calling ahead to her disbelief in his voice.

Mei giggled, her youthful lack of worry at odds with the constant air of authority she exuded, looking back to him. "That’s just a town. It's nothing compared to the grand cities of the Empire."

Alex frowned, trying to grapple with the scale of the distant structures. "But those figures in the sky..."

"They're cultivators," Mei said dismissively with a wave of her palm. "Nothing to worry about unless you cross them. Now come on, we've got a beast to hunt." She smirked and slowed her pace to match Alex, a strangely mischievous look in her eye, like she was planning something.

She tapped him on the shoulder, and as a result, he received a new notification, something he'd never seen before.

[Administrator 'Mei' has affected you with the buff 'Aurelia's blessing' - Senses increased by 40%]

"A beast..?" Alex stumbled after her, still reeling from the boost. The world looked sharper, brighter. Overwhelmingly so. Every sound was magnified, every subtle shift intensified. The rustle of the leaves, the distant chirping of the birds. Even the shifting wings of rustling insects sounded like an earth highway.

The rush of clarity and capability left him slightly breathless. He paused, crouching in an attempt to regain his senses and calm himself in the eye of a storm of stimulation. Alex looked at Mei, his eyes wide, fingers squeezed tight in a fist. "This...is incredible."

"Yeah, yeah. All the big, tough newbies say that," Mei retorted, rolling her eyes. She looked away, but not before he caught the slight blush of satisfaction on her cheeks.

"Let's get a move on."

They ventured into the forest, the trees towering around them, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground. "So, what are we hunting?" He asked, stepping over a shifting tangle of gnarled roots.

"You are hunting a Thundering Bull," Mei said, not looking back at him.

"That doesn't sound very weak."

Mei waved a hand dismissively. "Psh. It's barely a blip on the radar."

Alex wanted to argue, to remind her he was still adjusting to the new leg, stats, and skills she had gifted him, but he decided against it. The easy path would not make him strong and would not equip him to excel past the dangers of this new world. What he needed more than anything was strength. It wouldn't do him any good to argue with Mei. She was a bit callous, and a bit immature, a bit abrasive, and a bit rude for that matter. But there was a genuine kindness in her. Despite her dismissive words, she had proved that she was doing this to help him ‘regain’ his strength. She had believed he was a cripple, who had had his abilities and memories stripped from him, forever barred from having any sort of power or way to survive, and she had still helped him. She had genuinely helped and believed she 'turned him' into a system user by granting his empty husk skills, and thus access to the system. Despite him already having both.

Despite the misunderstanding, Mei was the only source of information and insight into this impossibly dangerous world he found himself in.

And plus, she had saved his life.

"Let's go then," he said, picking up his pace to match Mei's. "I'm ready, let’s do this."

Alex pulled the repaired Infinite blade from his inventory, plunging it into his chest with one arm, his dark blade, Eclipse, held tight in the other.

[Grade D Skill: InfiniteBody (Active) gained!]

As they walked, her voice rang out loudly, carelessly sounding through the forest. She jested about the meekness of the bull and how Alex, with his boosted strength, should stand a chance. She told him of how every creature at the D grade, would have at least a 400 base in each stat before it even began levelling, with the strongest having 800 in each. Similar to how F rank humans at level 0 have anywhere from 1 to 10 in each stat when the system arrived, Alex thought in realisation.

Any thundering bull or alternative beast they encountered would have 2000 to 4000 in total stats, to match what she presumed to be Alex's three thousand total stats, thanks to her trinkets. She said the challenge would help him unlock a better subclass when he reached level 200, and that it would be "a piece of cake", although Alex very much doubted her words. Ah, he thought at her words, I’d forgotten about that. I still have my next class milestone skil at level 100, the executioner is probably the reason why I received the clone option… Alex trailed behind Mei as she led the way through a dense forest, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of fallen leaves beneath his boot. Its still influencing my class skill options… I’ll have to be more careful with my next choice, then. He stroked the stubble of his chin in thought, recalling his active quest notification.

[Active Quests: Limitless Prospect: Reach level 200. Reward: Unlock sub-class.]

And then there’s my subclass to unlock at level. Whatever I choose will affect everything I do moving forward in an even more permanent way… and Mei’s right, killing something of higher rank should give some great options. His eyes widened with avarice at the thought. Alex quickened his pace, now somewhat eager to complete the hunt.

Every now and then, Mei would sing praises of her own conquests, of beasts far mightier than the Thundering Bull. But amidst the jests and the boisterous laughter, Alex noticed the undercurrent of sincerity. Mei, despite her callous exterior, truly believed in him.

But of course, she couldn't see his real status. Or at least, Alex hoped she couldn't.

[Name: Alex Ironwood

Level: 60

Race: Human - Rank F

Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic SwO̷̟̮̙͚̔rd So̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅve̶̷̵̴̲̳̱reign

Sub-class: Locked

Strength: 789 (303)

Dexterity: 816 (287)

Endurance: 548 (128)

Intelligence: 901 (380)

Wisdom: 893 (28)

Feats: First Encounter, Pioneer, Pinnacle IV, Survivor, Warrior, Champion, Dungeon Insurgent,

Active skills: Phoenix Leap, Mana Burn, Mana Blade, Boundless Dodge, Duȅ̷̳̮̄͝͠l of C̷͎̠̠̖̿́orruption, Sovereign Executioner, InfiniteBody, Sovereign Clone,

Passive skills: Inner Focus, Outer Focus, A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱, Inventory, Bestial Senses, BladeBody,True sight, Mana Vortex, Aurelias Blessing (Temporary),

Dao: True Immortality - 0.11% Progress

Unassigned stat points: 0]

It seemed the items Mei had given him had not boosted his base stats, but only been added as a flat addition. The one thousand four hundred stats they gave would not be boosted by his feats. That’s a shame, he thought, ducking beneath a low hanging branch. But there’s a bright side to this, her items have boosted my total stats to almost 4000… Alex paused, briefly calculating, 3947 stats in total, that’s very close to the base for D-Rank, and stronger than a weaker person below level 10 at this rank, assuming everyone gains 5 stats per level before level 25, or level 15 for tutorial-goers. His steps became more assured with each new realisation. Perhaps Mei was right and this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Assuming she doesn’t attract a level 200 beast with 6000 or 7000 stats, he thought, eyeing her with worry. If such an event were to occur, he wasn’t entirely sure of how helpful she’d be.

Still, with Mei's equipment his stats matched someone at the cusp of the D grade, and anyone at the E rank at level 209 with a unique or higher class, or level 377 for those of E rank with classes of lesser rarities. Either way, it was much more than double what he should have by now. The only downside would be that should he return to a lower world through some means, he would be stripped of his boosts, and his stats would return to a total of 1633, far less than half of what he had now.

Such a thing was even only possible because he had 'crash landed' into a higher ranked world. He briefly wondered if it was possible for people in lower ranked worlds to somehow travel and trade for such equipment with higher worlds. But judging by the consequences of using high mana intensive equipment in insufficient environments and his harrowing entrance to this land, he doubted it. His D rank Blades, the ‘Infinite Blade’ and demonic growth blade, ‘Eclipse’, only seemed to work on lesser worlds because they had no external mana requirements, and offered no stat boosts. He recalled the way every breath had nearly ended in his death, and he surmised it would be impossible. Even now, with his significant stat boost, he could still feel the world resisting him, pressing in on his lower ranked race and body. His stats had risen but he did not feel strong, or even fast, the hostile environment suppressed him. The dense air and thick energies still resisted his every move, if slightly.

Still, if the beast he was hunting only had 2000-5000 total stats against his 3947, it should feel the same resistance he did. Unless... it had somehow invested thousands of its total solely in strength or some other stat, and as a result completely outmatched his boosted 789 strength.

That would be a problem.

Can beasts even allocate stats? Alex wondered. Or are their stats are allocated for them through some evolution? Maybe the system sets the beast's stats based on their species? Like the Arachnae? He decided would have to ask Mei later. For all he knew, despite his superior total, a single one of the beast's stats could completely outshine his.

Stat allocation. That may be a problem to watch out for at higher levels, he realised. Someone or something lower level could still have higher Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, or even Wisdom if they decided to go all in. And what if the beast had skills? Active or passive, all of the beasts skills would be D ranked, a whole grade higher than his. He wasn't sure of how powerful the differences in skill ranks were, but if his deadly entrance into this world was any indication, they would be significant. He decided he wouldn't let his guard down, whether he had higher total stats or not.

But he knew better than to voice these observations. Instead, he chuckled at her jokes, parried her incessant teasing with his own, and walked on, the anticipation of the hunt coursing through him, spurred by her boisterous energy.

Mei, suddenly and suspiciously, stopped them in their tracks and turned to face Alex. Why did she stop? He wondered.

"Remember, it's just a bull," she said, punching his arm lightly. "You've got this."

"Right," he responded, his voice steady. "Just a bull."

"You sound sceptical."

"I am sceptical." He turned to regard her and noticed she had just disappeared.

The encounter with the Thundering Bull was sudden, and fierce.

Crash.

The sounds of its charge from behind was the only warning Alex needed.

Swift action propelled him over the charging beast, a Phoenix Leap his saving grace. Even so, the Bull's wrathful shockwave knocked him back.

“Sovereign clone.” Alex breathed the words as he flew, the world around him blurring yet perfectly sensed through his heightened awareness.

He plunged his blade into the earth to steady his tumble, the impact sending a quiver through the soil and the metal sinking with a thud that vibrated back up the hilt to his hands. Ahead, the air thickened, then split as his construct materialized, a sharp replica forming from the mist, breaking into reality with a sharp blade that mirrored his movements and sought to pierce the beast's soft eye from beneath it.

The massive creature, muscles tensing beneath its fur, paused as the blade approached its vulnerable spot. The Bull huffed, its movement unnaturally rumbling the ground beneath them. Vibrations signaled an impending storm. Its form emerged from the shadows of the forest, massive and daunting. Its breath was like a thunderstorm, its hoof-strikes creating shockwaves.

It shattered the mana construct’s assault.

Alex was quick to rebound, using Boundless Dodge to sidestep another violent charge. Yet, the Bull's might outshone his own. He coated his sword with mana, his Mana Blade bringing Eclipse to life. He twisted his body, barely avoiding the giant horn aimed for his heart. His hand moved in a blur, blade slashing in a quick, precise arc. The beast roared in pain as Eclipse lightly clipped its hide.

Too shallow.

His triumph was short-lived as the Bull immediately retaliated, sending Alex crashing into a tree, blood pouring from a gash in his forehead.

Yet, pain was an old friend now. He rose, relentless.

Alex leapt forward, Phoenix Leap. Sovereign Executioner. A surge of mana propelled him at a blinding speed towards the Bull. Immediately, his construct appeared, its form bursting into reality, a sharp-edged mirror of his own, both shooting forward in blurs of speed.

But the beast was faster. It swung its massive head, catching Alex mid-leap. He crashed into another tree, the impact rattling his bones.

The ground welcomed him with a jarring collision. Momentary disorientation took hold, but Alex clung to consciousness.

Recovering quickly, he used Inner Focus, Outer Focus, and True Sight to cause of surge of summoned mana into his palm and outward. He was attempting to mimic his mana blade using only his control skills, without activating the skill. But the result ended up in nothing more than a light show. His mana burst forth from his palm and coated his sword in a blazing uncontrolled blue aura. It looked as though his sword was aflame, wild mana leaping off its form in all directions. He attacked again, his blade arcing towards the Bull with intent, a streak of light. Mana Blade he thought. The aura solidified.

[Mana blade - Mastery: 5 > 16%]

The blade cut through the air, aimed at the beast. But the Bull simply swatted it away with its tail. The shock of the impact travelled up his arm, the pain searing. Blood dripped from a light cut on the beast where the blade had connected.

A scratch.

His skills were not working. It must have high endurance, or a D ranked skill to the same effect. This was a different battle, a higher-ranked beast in a higher-ranked world. He had one D-ranked offensive skill, granted by a blade that swam through his cells, ‘InfiniteBody’. But the skill required him to receive a blow of some kind— a last resort. His low mastery E-rank skills would not win this, he realised. Concern began to creep into his thoughts.

With a blast of mana, Alex soared into the air, a streak of magic against the sky. The mana of his Phoenix leap was like a ripple across a pond, his body moving in a blur, leaving trails of light in its wake.

He guided the mana using Bestial Senses, Inner Focus, Outer Focus, and True Sight in concert. A temporary omniscience. His sensory skills guided his raw mana to form uneven, flimsy, and unsteady platforms beneath and around his legs as he soared. He spoke, “Phoenix Leap”. Then spoke the words again. Alex's skill seized the loose and weak platforms of mana and solidified them as he ran through the air, shooting forward with each step.

Like a bullet in ricochet.

[Phoenix leap - Mastery 0 > 11%]

His landing was a whisper of movement. The earth beneath him gave way as he nimbly landed on the balls of his feet. But the beast reacted, faster than any could anticipate. A shockwave erupted, scattering debris in every direction.

Boundless dodge. Alex pivoted, side-stepping the shockwave as a barrage of its debris assaulted him. He was covered in cuts and bruises as blood flowed freely. He whipped out his blade ahead of him, Mana Blade becoming a beam of light in the encroaching darkness.

His mind was a mess of possibilities, each one dismissed as he searched for an alternative. His gaze locked onto the Bull, its eyes meeting his in a silent challenge as mist began to form around the both of them. A storm. His thoughts turned to his Dao, the Dao of True Immortality. Breathing deeply, he connected with the universal truths of life, death, infinity, and change. He felt the universe’s rhythm in his cells, his dao influencing his every move.

Then, as a final resort, Mana Burn was activated. Power ran through him, pushing his strength to its limits while his mana dwindled.

Now, it was a race against time. His Dao was his only hope, the universal truth imbuing his every move, every strike.

He felt the rhythm of the universe, the endless cycle of existence. Infinity pressed in from all sides, contained in blades of grass. He realised the essence of his Dao, the truth of change, the adaptability it entailed. He envisioned the cycle of life and death, of impermanence, the constant state of fux that exists in all things, changing from moment to moment. Nothing existed permanently, rust, degredation, age, growth, the state of existence in all things was at its core, based in change. Pouring and channelling these profound truths into his next attack, a new capability had sparked within his understanding, an attack fueled by the Dao's truth, capable of changing its form to bypass the enemy's defense. A familiar sword, the very one he had used to slay his greatest foe to date.

It was a sword in a constant state of flux. An ephemeral Strike.

His eyes opened, a renewed conviction glowing within. The sword in his hand was not just a tool anymore; it was a conduit of his Dao. He initiated the ephemeral Strike, his sword rippling as if it was changing, adapting. He lunged at the Bull, his sword, now formless, cutting through the air. Then, a clash of metal and flesh. Sword met the hide of the beast, ripping through the coarse fur and tough skin. The beast cried out, its roar tearing throughout the forest. It staggered but remained upright.

The first true strike.

The bull retaliated, a surge of electricity gathering around its horn. Mei, seemingly appearing from nowhere, watched on from above, her voice cool and indifferent, "It's weak, you can handle it."

Alex wasn't so sure. His skills weren't enough, he knew, but he didn’t just have skills.

Even in his enhanced state, Alex felt the sheer power of the beast, each exchange leaving him breathless. It became a desperate struggle of attrition, one where his every move felt like tempting the jaws of defeat. His body, operating at its peak, began to strain under the continuous use and damage. Alex sensed the mana infused in his muscles and willed it to burn. He felt his time left dwindling, the energy being redirected to his aching muscles.

[Mana Burn - Mastery 0 > 9%]

The beasts rippling muscles, pounding hooves and the smell of ozone filled the air.

A metallic clone manifested beside him as he activated his Sovereign Clone skill. “Fight,” Alex commanded, as both warriors charged, their attacks harmonised and synchronised.

A clap of thunder resounded. Lightning tore through the clearing. The air between them snapped.

Alex’s clone leapt in front of him, its metal form absorbing and grounding the bolts, it soon disintegrated into metal dust.

Inventory Alex thought as he retrieved another demon sword. “Sovereign Clone” He whispered as almost simultaneously, an engraved silver-metallic clone appeared beside him, an exact replica. With his increased intelligence enhancing his connection to the clone, their swords hummed in unison. Although the clones was much weaker, both blades were coated with the wisdom of his Dao. That was new.

Their charge continued.

As the electric mana danced on the Bull's horn, he plunged himself into the teachings of immortality, embracing the truths of the universe: change, impermanence, beginnings and endings; time. His perception of time slowed, each second a drawn out eternity.

[Dao: ‘True Immortality’ - Progress 0.12 > 0.13%]

He had a small window and he used it. Boundless Dodge, his body moving in an inhumanly swift sidestep. A second Alex appeared beside him, his clone mirroring his movements with flawless precision, two swords shone in unison. The technique reflected his understanding of the duality of existence, a stepping stone to the path of immortality.

His Soveriegn Executioner appeared as the third.

Then, the swords all met the beast, guided by his hand. Empowered by his Dao, all three swords cut through the beast's defences, encountering a moment of resistance before breaking through as water through a broken dam.

A thunderous roar echoed through the forest, rocking the trees and causing birds to scatter. The Bull reared up, its shockwave trembling the earth.

Then it fell.

Its mighty form collapsed to the ground, defeated, and the forest became quiet. Just the rustle of leaves and the distant call of birds, returning to nestle on swaying trees of normalcy. Alex, standing over the fallen beast, felt a rush of exhaustion sweep over him. He sheathed his sword, a wave of immense satisfaction washing over him.

He had done it, defeated a beast of a higher rank.

[Sovereign Clone - Mastery 0 > 5%]

A sword clattered to the grass as his sword-clone ceased to exist. The storm ceased, and victory was his. But this victory came at a cost - his body, worn out and his mana, drained, his head pounding from finding new ways to use his Dao. Yet, in his heart, he knew it had been worth it.

Mei looked on, her eyes wide with silent appreciation.

[You have defeated level 20 Thundering Bull (D) - additional experience points due to the level and rank difference]

[Level 60 > Level 70]

[Strength +40, Dexterity+40, intelligence+60, unassigned stats +40]

[Gained Rare Feat: "Titanslayer" Defeat an enemy of D rank or above solo using inferior ranked body and race - All stats +10. All stats +5%]

Alex, on the verge of collapse, deactivated his skills, dumping all of his free stats evenly between strength and dexterity, to better navigate this new world. His mana pool was alarmingly low, soon to be depleted and his body was an orchestra of pain. Mei's voice broke through his haze, "I-Impressive. Barely, but impressive."

Her voice broke as she spoke.

As he turned to her, a smile of triumph cut through his exhaustion. He'd survived. She sat in a tree high above, watching him with a strange expression.

“What was that at the end? It was so weird. You didn’t even use mana.” She asked, leaning forward from her tree branch in intense curiosity. That was a statement, her tone implied she was sure of what she’d seen.

As Alex wondered how to respond and how much to reveal, a voice cut through the clearing.

“Was that a Dao, slave?”

Mei dropped from the treeline as Alex turned to regard the speaker. It was a young man, dressed in fine, embroidered yet form fitting robes, an insignia of a moon crossed with a dagger could be seen on the chest of his embroidery. The ground indented as he stepped closer, yet no earthen stains remained on the tight and unnaturally clean, thick wraps that encased his feet.

The man burned with energy in Alex’s vision, like a small white furnace, increasing in intensity as Alex’s gaze drifted towards the source of the burn, the man's navel. He had never seen anything like it in intensity, even among the artifacts, even among his skills. He had seen traces of similar energy in parts of the air, but nothing had ever emitted anything quite like this. The energy surrouding the man was It was intense, restless, volatile, and strange. Whatever it was, it wasn’t mana.

It must be 'Qi' Alex realised.

This man was a cultivator.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 62: Cosmic Loot

Authors note: I wanted to get this out tonight by any and all means. So I’ve just updated it to show him appraising the four enchanted and possibly ancient items from the Pyran queens loot: the gloves, the cloak, the stake, and the grimoir.

I’m also thinking of doing a poll on how the vessel of madness will be affected by ‘Assimilate Nexus’ how would his class effect a skill crystal that grants and swaps out a different skill every day but also drives you mad in the process?

preferably the skill assimilation would nerf or remove the madness element entirely.

Anyways, The crystal is just going to be a great and fun wildcard with random skills or effects of some sort. Either way it’s been tricky thinking of a fun twist or effect that you guys will enjoy.

So I may post the poll at some pinpoint over the next few weeks.

Well, that’s enough sleep deprived ramblings for the night. There’s a lot of cool information in this chapter and just a little bit of world building.

Enjoy

Chapter 63: Cosmic Loot

As Mei poured her trinkets before him, Alex summoned four items he had kept hidden during his time In Pyra. To his enhanced vision the items were vibrant and bounding with internal mana, and though they paled in comparison to Mei’s trinkets, they were still four of the most powerfully enchanted and possibly ancient items from the Pyran queen’s treasure hoard appeared before him: a strange pair of gloves, an equally strange cloak, a somewhat plain looking wooden stake, and a grimoire.

Alex viewed the items with concern. These were legendary pieces of equipment, the most magically powerful among the queens hoard according to his ‘Outer Sense’ skill. He was looking at a few of the best treasures that hive had found in hundreds of years.

He doubted it would be enough to survive in this world, but it would have to do, he would have to make them enough. He didn’t have a choice.

He crouched to examine the wooden stake, noting the aged timbre shaped like a wickedly sharp thorn, with visible green roots winding through its structure. The wood's surface showed the grain clearly, and the stake ended in a point sharp enough to work as a weapon. Vibrant green roots were embedded firmly into the body of the stake, threading through the wood without altering its rugged texture.The roots appeared vibrant with thick and deep mana that moved in strange indecipherable patterns, entwined tightly within the wood.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Thorned Heart of the Mother - Rank E

Effects: Lesser Immortality (Passive), Vine Manipulation (Passive), Body of the World Treee (Passive),

This artifact bestows nature's immortality and grants the user control over thorns and vines and flora, binding the user's fate to the eternal woodland essence of a greater being in exchange for their humanity. The user’s body will merging with the ancient timber of deity class being designation ‘Great Mother’ of planet designation ‘Pyra’. with the heart of the user slowly turning to wood, along with a majority of the users form.]

Alex brows creased ever so slightly, concerned by the items dual nature. The artifact offered a form of ‘lesser’ immortality, which implied that the longevity it provided wouldn’t be perfect. The owner of the stake could potentially still be killable, only it would be much harder to do so. Being harder to kill was always a good thing. Yet, the transformation it required—gradually turning the user's body into wood—was a high price to pay. It's the kind of power you'd only think about in the worst-case scenario, maybe to save a life if there's absolutely no other way. Although… what if I used it as a weapon? In the wrong hands, it could curse someone to a horrific existence, or it might be used strategically to weaken a powerful cultivator. But then I’d have an immortal tree-man chasing after me forever… so maybe not.

Despite the thorn's power, he felt no desire to lose his humanity; his current form suited him just fine. The risks and transformations associated with the Thorned Heart made it appear as a last resort, something to consider only in the most desperate situations.

The thorns out, then, He surmised.

Next, Alex held up the cloak. The long dark cloak showed a minimal mana presence. Its mana moved slowly through the fabric, its presence barely perceptible. He only had to focus for a brief moment before a notification appeared.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Veil of the Midnight Court - Rank E

Effects: Existing Dao progress enhance, Dao connection increase,

Crafted by the exiled Fey and tailored with the shadow of a young moon, this veil grants its wearer the enhanced connection to the realm of forms, an abstract dimension where perfect and eternal forms exist, such as beauty, justice, true immortality, or death, exist independently of the physical world and serve as the true reality that gives essence to all material objects experienced in all sensory worlds]

Alex’s jaw dropped as he read the description. The realm of forms… is that the Dao? That space where everything I looked at caused my head to almost explode? Alex recalled the experience, though somewhat hazily. Each glance had felt like trying to capture whole galaxies in his gaze, universes, even., he had immediately jerked away before his eyes bled and his heart stopped. even the smallest of truths had almost ruined him. And what are the forms? He wondered. Are they ideas, things, or laws… From his visions, he had already gleaned that these ‘forms’ were in fact universal truths. The arbiters of existence. They were truths so transcendent and incomprehensible that their very existence governed dimensions. He was beginning to truly understand the dangers of the Dao,

Shuddering at the sheer magnitude, Alex moved on to open the Grimoire. The cover was smooth, unmarred by wear and adorned with a crowned skull. That’s not ominous at all, he thought, slowly turning its pages. Inside, he saw the mana that coursed through each and every single one of its pages, its light steady and cool, illuminating the texts that detailed what he assumed to be necromantic rites and ancient secrets. Some held a subtle shine, some hummed softly. He studied the text, stable and clear, which highlighted the precise, sharp lettering of a language he couldn’t understand.

One page in particular held the image of what Alex could only assume was some kind of demon god, complete with horns and dark halo. The image was deeply infused with a steady, visible flow of mana, the color dim yet distinct against the dark ink. Yet the text remained perfectly clear, and the mana infused in the written ink radiated a steady, soft light, illuminating the words in a uniform brightness that did not waver.

[Libram of Forgotten Souls - Rank E

Effects: Necromantic Skill Mastery (Minor), Commune Dead (Active - 1 minute),

Penned by the undead sorcerer designation ‘Lich Nemorin’, at the brink of his first death, this tome served as his Phylactery, and now serves as a bridge to the afterlife. This time allows the reader to summon remnants of the spirits of the dead. Non-necromancers are incapable of commanding the dead, but can seek lost information, though the dead may demand steep prices for their knowledge.]

What good would communing with the dead be? Especially when he couldn’t control them? Not very useful, at least not immediately so, Alex rubbed his chin in thought. But it could be used to gain critical information. The only problem is the price, though. What kind of price would the dead need? Whilst he couldn’t control them, particularly strong ‘remnants’ could hold information impossible to find elsewhere. The item was valuable in its own way. Perhaps there was a spirit out there with knowledge of how to defeat the imperials?

Feeling somewhat satisfied, he then observed the Gloves. The material seemed durable, designed for utility, with visible lines of wear indicating frequent use. The patterns on the gloves subtly shifted with a quiet mana flow, the energy maintaining a consistent brightness that outlined the intricate stitching. The gloves seemed to be in a state of self repair, it’s threats reconnecting. Alex observed as the last remnants of wear faded, leaving the glove in pristine conditions. So it’s self-repairing, but why would you need self repairing gloves? He wondered. That’s not very useful… maybe they’re healing gloves, or protective somehow? He turned the gloves over curiously. Each glove appeared sturdy, crafted from a fine material that looked capable of enduring considerable use. The seams were prominently reinforced, it’s exterior detailed with fine lines of threads infused with thick and pulsing mana.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Gloves of the Artificer's Pact - Rank E

Effects: Life Drain, Equipment Repair.

Forged by the legendary smith designation ‘Alaric the Enchanter’ as a gift to designation ‘heroes of the Last Siege’, these gloves channel the raw essence of life. Able to repair any equipment of the same grade in exchange for the user's mana pool. Equipment of a higher rank will exchange the user's lifeforce. Excessive use may result in the user's demise.]

Alex observed the Gloves of the Artificer's Pact, contemplating the unique opportunity they provided. They could mend equipment of the same grade without much fuss, merely draining his mana. As long as he held the pieces of a blade, it could be recovered to its complete and whole state. The Infinite Blade shattered in the spatial storm… all I have left is the hilt… but it can be repaired. He sighed, relief escaping him in waves. It’s gotta be a higher grade item, right? Its ability is too excessive. If it’s in the E-Rank, then I bet there’s some energy it can’t handle. If he could repair all enchanted blades, then he wouldn’t have to worry about losing the abilities they provided. Yet, repairing something of superior rank would cost him his very essence, his life force. It could potentially kill him. That’s steep, but it makes sense, higher ranks contain so much energy— oceans of it. Maybe life force contains energy even more powerful than mana? He turned the glove over, studying its complex energies. That class…’cursed blade’. The system forbade it and implied that the life force power it granted could threaten the imperials.

Alex paused, the cogs in his mind twisting at the pieces laid before him. Life-force it seemed, was a powerful resource. There had been a class that could utilise life force to threaten the imperials, and now he held an item that could utilize life force in a way that transcended the barriers between ranks.

A thought occurred to him.

Could I use this against a cultivator, Somehow?

What if I somehow managed to slip these on their hands in a skirmish with my ‘Inventory’, wouldn’t it drain them instead? On the surface it seemed plausible, but then he thought of the impression of imperials he’d gained from his Dao visions. He thought of how both the immortals and Jin had moved, their sheer speed, and how their steps had stretched through vast distances— then he decided that trying to place a life-draining glove on their hands was a terrible idea. Who's to say the drain would be quick? And what’s to stop them from just taking it off? His brow darkened at the thought. He imagined himself tricking someone like Jin into donning the glove, only for the young prodigy to simply take it off and scatter Alex’s form with a single blow. Perhaps the imperial would need to be weakened first? People of a much higher level than him had fallen before the likes of them like leaves in the subtlest of winds. The only sure way he could hope to slip a glove on them in battle, would be through taking advantage of the depths of their arrogance. But that would require him to be close enough to face obliteration.

So the glove option’s out, he thought, his mind still a whirl of possibilities. Unless Alex’s opponent had their guard down and he had a way to immediately escape, using the glove as a weapon would be his end.

But he hadn’t lost hope, as he continued to study the intricate movements of energy within the glove, he found that his hopes of surviving had only grown. His hopes began to once again border on evolution. The gloves could utilise and manipulate life force, that implied that it was energy. With Alex’s sense skills and ‘True Sight’…

“I can see energy,” he muttered in excitement.

With ‘Bestial Senses’, ‘Inner Sense’ and ‘Outer Sense’ I can use the glove, experimente with recognising lifeforce, and get a feel for how life force moves and works… without dying, of course.

The description implied that misuse could lead to disastrous outcomes. Alex had no desire to rapidly age to nothing or die due to offering more than he had to give. Life force was finite for all, and all had to succumb to the inevitability of death.

Except for Phoenix, Alex thought, his eyes widening. As he pondered the gloves potential, a deeper realization dawned on him. His dao vision had shown that life force wasn't strictly finite.

The very concept of a finite life-force could potentially be false, as he had long since grasped that all things existed eternally— just in different forms. Phoenix’s life force had been boundless, without a beginning or end. The being in his vision had appeared to have a life force so immense it had felt ever-changing, practically infinite. Perhaps Alex could achieve the same thing?

Yeah right. My Dao progress would have to be much higher… 70, 80, maybe even 100%, he sighed. That would take more lifetimes than he had to spare.

But still… it’s worth a try, I’ll only focus on recognising and understanding lifeforce, not using it. And I’ll use eclipse… it’s the only D-rank item I’ve seen so far, and the swords in perfect condition as far as I’m aware so it should be safe. I’d rather not waste my new youth on an experiment. Alex thought, preparing himself to test his hypothesis.

Alex stabbed his blade, Eclipse, into the hard floor, causing the weapon to sink into the resilient ground with surprising ease. I guess it isn’t D-Rank for nothing, he noted, observing the enhanced sharpness and durability of the blade. He donned the Gloves of the Artificer's Pact, sensing a soft rush of mana surging from within, directed towards the gloves. Experimentally, he grasped the D-ranked blade with the enchanted gloves.

Nothing happened.

Damn, I guess it needs the item to be damaged first. Alex summoned the hilt of the Infinite Blade, its intricately carved blue crystal landing in his gloved palm, cool to the touch. It was shattered, but he could still sense the infinitely complex code-like mana shifting through it. The moment the blade landed in his gloved palm, he felt his mana bottom out to nothing, similar to when he activated his skill, Mana Burn. His muscles coiled tight as the surge of magic rushed through him, fleeing his cells to pass through his gloves and into the shattered crystal hilt, infusing every part of the broken weapon and causing it to crackle and pop with slow growth. About a centimetre of crystal had been generated. That’s nowhere near enough, he thought with worry. The weapon remained broken, and only a single centimetre of repair had occurred. His mana flared violently, and his body shook as the final dregs of his mana were consumed by the gloves. In the blink of an eye, the remaining trickle of his mana completely vanished.

But it didn’t stop there.

Alex felt a curious chill creep along his spine, an unfamiliar stirring that stilled him to his core. It was unlike anything he had felt before— This was pure energy—not the usual ripple of mana that rushed up from his heart, but a raw, primal force that exploded from the depths of the center of his chest, right above his diaphragm. A surge of the most powerful energy Alex had ever felt erupted from the base of his chest, headed towards the gloves in a blink, surging through him like a wild beast charging down its prey in a torrent of power so intense it seemed to hold the very essence of his existence. The energy was stronger than even the mana he had felt from this world, seeming to contain the entirety of his being in each drop. It felt like potential and not just power, at some points it even felt like time. The artificer's gloves drank this energy greedily, and the shattered infinite blade began to shine, steadily growing in Alex’s vision, first by inches, then by feet until it was whole. It was as if all of his lives were flowing through him, past and present, every moment of potential and power encapsulated in each vibrant pulse.

Exhausted, Alex collapsed, his energy sapped to the marrow. Sweat soaked through his clothes, plastering fabric to skin, and his limbs felt like they were cast in lead. The completely repaired crystal blade clattered to the ground, brighter than he remembered it ever having been.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[The Infinite Blade - Rank E

Effects: Energy Absorption, Energy Stealing.

A mythical artifact from the era prior to systemic seeding. The Infinite Blade, forged by the deity class being designation ‘The God of Crafts’ over millennia from the blood and tears of his peers. This weapon adapts to and absorbs a fraction of any energy it encounters, storing this power until unleashed through its next strike. 

This blade is crafted from the materials of Deity class beings, and is thus of the highest quality and durability possible in the E-Rank, bordering on the cusps of D-Rank. Due to system adaptation, the efficacy of the blade has been greatly reduced to match the items Rank, though the materials remain unaffected. All energy absorbed is then released at a significantly reduced efficacy, ranging from a reduction of 70% to as high as 90%, making it a formidable tool against even the most powerful foes.]

Laid on the hard ground and drenched in sweat, he rolled on to his back, absorbing the item description with scrutiny.

Armed with gloves that could utilise and steal lifeforce, a cloak that enhanced his connection to the Dao, a grimoire that would allow him to delve into the most hidden of their secrets, and a weapon that could likely adapt to their energy, or ‘Qi’, Alex felt prepared to take this world for everything it had.

Mei stepped forward, interrupting his musings to ask him a poignant question. “And…did you just get a little taller?”

***

It turned out, sacrificing your life force to regenerate higher materials would indeed shave literal years off your biological clock. Alex suspected as much. Regenerating the blade seemed to have taken just under a year of his life, judging by the length of his beard, hair, and his sudden growth spurt.

It seemed the process had caused him to skip past the biological age of 21, the final year of every human male’s biological growth period, in terms of height at least. And now, he stood a few inches taller. About two, I’d guess, he thought as he assessed his reflection, careful not to cut himself as he shaved off the remnants of his impromptu beard.

Rubbing his now smooth chin, Alex took a moment to observe the items Mei had presented to him: a jade necklace, a ring, a metal peg that he assumed would be his new temporary leg, and a paper talisman.

He grimaced as he reached for the metallic peg resting on the wooden table. Its surface was a dull grey, marked with small scratches and imperfections. The peg had a subtle sheen, not quite reflective, and was cold to the touch. He was surprised that all of his passive sense skills alongside  'True sight' still worked to a lesser degree, despite the cooldown. Why was that? Was it because it was higher ranked? No that can’t be it, some of my passives are low ranked… the enigma deepened further. Perhaps he was experiencing the True Sight skill in a lesser form, it had to be limited in some way he was unaware of. He could hardly imagine how impactful the passive skill would be at full power.

He dismissed his musings and looked over the metal prosthetic. The enchanted prosphetic. mana swirled within it, as if waiting to connect and become a part of him.

He looked to Mei, who was busily organizing the rest of the items she had returned with, a look of mischievous greed evident on her face. "Alright, Mei, I'm going to put it on. Anything I should know?"

She didn't turn to face him, and just shook her head in response, as her fingers and hands moved at immense speeds, blurring as she sorted her items. "Just don't lose your balance. If you fall, don’t count on me to catch you!”

At her words, Alex moved, resisting the air to stand on his single leg and raised his prosthetic. He channeled all of his endless senses, forcing himself to remain perfectly balanced, as if to challenge her warning. “Guess I'll just have to rely on charm then. It's never let me down before,”

She paused, turning. Her eyes slowly moved from Alex’s steady hand to the enchanted prosthetic held unnaturally still in the air. “You’re definitely going to fall.”

With a chuckle, Alex focused on equipping the peg. Strapping it to the stump of his leg caused him to feel the point where metal contacted skin adjust, shifting to mould itself until it fit him perfectly. The sensation was odd but not unpleasant, and the connection firm without being restrictive. It didn’t even feel cold. If he wasn’t looking at it, he could almost forget it was there entirely.

Somewhat awed, Alex turned his attention to the remainder of his items.

Each item burned with a muted aura, the green gem of the necklace was surrounded with soft flames of energy, the ring’s lustrous metal carved with intricate designs, and a third, stranger item.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

He picked up each item and inspected their energies for some time and as he did so, a panel of information popped up in his vision.

[Iron Tranquil Peg - Rank D

Effects: Adaptive Density Control

Crafted by a humble blacksmith of a serf world of the Empire, this peg utilizes the stored mana of its user to attach seamlessly to the stump. Once connected, it cannot be removed except by the user's will and adjusts its density to accommodate the user's movements and traversal needs. Despite being made with cheap tools and materials, the connection point is designed for maximum comfort.]

Pleasantly surprised, Alex hastily viewed the rest of the items, studying the energies within them for some time, until the familiar notification popped into his vision.

[Jade Harmony Necklace - Rank D

Effects: +350 Strength and Intelligence

Crafted as a first lesson by an entrant student of the revered Jade artisans of the Eastern Kingdom, imbued with the mana of a 500 year old celestial jade, amplifying the wearer's strength and intelligence.

As a mana intensive item of a higher rank, this item requires the absorption of ambient mana from equal or higher ranked worlds to function. Use within a lower world will result in the items destruction and resulting backlash]

[True Sight: Mastery 0 > 5%]

That was quite the jump in mastery. It could be due to the skill discerning the energy of higher ranked items, he surmised. The rank of the item must contribute more towards ‘mastering’ it… probably. Maybe the complexity does as well? I’ll have to find some complex equipment to study. He paused in consideration. But what does ‘complex’ even look like? He wondered, oblivious to the nature of magical enchantments. It’s probably best to focus on item ranks, for now, its probably fair to assume that a higher item rank would mean higher complexity. Alex picked up the ring while deep in thought, studying its contours with more than just his eyes.

[Ring of Fluid Motion - Rank D

Effects: +400 Dexterity

Made of cheap D ranked materials, forged in the stolen fires of Mount Eternity’s Edge, this ring was cooled in the energy filled waters of a Crystal Stream, transcending the limits of its humble materials and endowing the wearer with the grace and precision of the river's flow.

As a mana intensive item of a higher rank, this item requires the absorption of ambient mana from equal or higher ranked worlds to function. Use within a lower world will result in the items destruction and resulting backlash]

The last item was perhaps the most peculiar, a simple paper talisman with cryptic symbols that buzzed under his touch.

[Talisman of the Iron Tortoise - Rank D

Effects: +350 Endurance and Wisdom

Origin: This talisman was inscribed by an early apprentice of an Old Sage of the Western Peaks, using the ink made from the ashes of a fire that burned for a thousand nights. It grants the fortitude of the ageless tortoise, making the wearer more potent and receptive to the energy of nature. 

As a mana intensive item of a higher rank, this item requires the absorption of ambient mana from equal or higher ranked worlds to function. Use within a lower world will result in the items destruction and resulting backlash]

Alex was once again, dumbfounded by the items effects. They promised a total of 1800 stats. That was exactly 100 levels worth of stats. Or 180 for the average person with a lesser class. All of those stats, gained through just donning higher ranked equipment. 

Sure, the items wouldn’t work on lower ranked worlds, the description implied that attempting to do so would not only fail but prove dangerous. And he guessed that the items would be essentially useless on higher ranked worlds, too, when compared to the native equipment. But still, it would take him countless battles to achieve 100 levels worth of stats, and Mei had given them to him. Just like that.

“Th- damn, that’s a lot of stats, Mei. It’s too much to just give away. ” Alex turned the talisman over in his hands, inspecting the flow of mana surging through its inscriptions. “You haven’t fallen for me, have you?”

What’s her deal? He wondered, his outer appearance still displaying gratitude. Nobody’s that philanthropic… at least not without a reason. 

Her insistence on helping him for ‘no reason’ made him ever so slightly suspicious. She seemed like a good person, good people are not a myth, Alex reminded himself. But still, he’d rather be paranoid than dead.

“The baseline for D rank is roughly four thousand stats.” She waved a hand dismissively, “Don’t get too excited, buttercup.”

Then, she eyed him curiously, “You seem to fall far below the baseline, though… practically a flesh slime when I found you.”

Mei adjusted a lock of hair, appearing to revisit the memory of their encounter.

 “Some of you guys are really nothing without Qi, huh?” 

“But then again, that thing you did earlier looked like an inventory skill… I didn’t give you that.” A pause followed, she cocked her head, fingers pressed to her lips in speculation, gears turning and signs adding up to a conclusion that was all too evident.

“You’re from off-world, aren’t you?”

Alex remained silent- he would tell her, once he was sure there would be no consequences. For now, he decided to play the role of amnesiac.

Instead of facing her curious speculation, he began to remove his newly acquired E ranked equipment. According to Mei, equipment stat effects weren't stackable and the stronger effect would always override the weaker one.The D grade equipment he held would essentially render almost all of his E ranked equipment useless. 

He kept the Lunar earring studs on, though. The stealth boosts they provided held too many benefits and even more applications.

***

"Alright, Alex, you ready?" Mei was already on her feet, a cheeky grin on her face. It had barley been 5 minutes. She didn’t seem to care that Alex was an off-worlder and claimed that her and almost all mana users on the planet were originally, either through parents or their own long lives- although they didn’t tend to almost die at the moment of their arrival. 

Her hair was done up in a high ponytail, the ribbon holding it up matching the colour of her dark red robe. Despite her small stature, her big, boisterous presence seemed to fill the room in a way that caused Alex to smile, a subconscious act that he was unaware of.

Alex lifted the Jade necklace, eyeing its sparkling surface. "Hmm… so You're sure these are safe for me to wear? They’re really D-ranked?"

"Safe, he says." Mei rolled her eyes, a loud, dramatic sigh escaping her lips. "Yes, they’re safe. They're pretty trashy though, and I got them for cheap. But they will make you stronger, so quit whining." She huffed with a sly grin, donning a large jacket.

She pressed a button near the collar and Alex observed the jacket shifting, several energies racing along its threads to cause the winter coat to twist itself around her form, until it became somewhat stylish summer robes.

Alex raised a brow.

Mei watched him with an expectant grin, her small foot tapping impatiently against the dirt floor.

“What a difficult customer.” She said.

Taking his time, Alex slipped on the necklace curiously, the cold jade stone resting against his chest. An immediate rush of power hit him. He gasped, his body going rigid as the power soaked into him, every cell of his body suddenly screaming in protest before adjusting to the sudden surge, his muscles and tendons visibly rippling and shifting. The sensation briefly reminded him of mana burn, except it was less… intense, and far less encompassing. He slipped the ring onto his finger next, the solid weight settling around his digit and merging with his mana. The talisman, he stuck onto his skin, feeling the paper merge with his flesh. Another strange sensation. A shiver ran through him as waves  of energy rocked him, surging to his heart. His stats soared by almost two thousand, reaching three thousand in total.

He nearly passed out from the rush, his vision spinning as he braced himself against the table. Mei merely watched, a smug smile on her face. "Quite the feeling, isn't it?"

Alex glared at her through his dizziness. "You could have warned me."

"Where's the fun in that?" Mei was already heading for the door, her voice ringing back to him.

Alex felt a mild prick of annoyance, but he shrugged it off. She seemed to have quite the hard exterior, which he took to be an either defence mechanism in response to a harsh environment or just a result of being strong enough to become a system administrator. If her nature was a result of struggle and not just strength, he found himself wondering whether any harsh environment she had experienced would’ve been in the past or the present, before deciding that it didn’t really matter— the fact that she was helping him suggested there was quite possibly a good person buried underneath all of the energy that encased her.

Alex moved, slightly unsteady, and followed.

He grimaced as he stumbled through the narrow doorway, leaning on the wall to regain his balance. The peg felt natural. Almost like a leg, but not quite. He would have to get used to not having toes and only a single point of contact between his leg and the ground. It was disconcerting, slightly. His breathing was much smoother now, although the air still burned his lungs with mana; every movement was met with much less resistance from the energy and mana-dense air, with his stat boost, it now felt like he was moving through softer winds, and not dense sand.

Everything seemed more vibrant, more present. Most items and tools Mei possessed, even the wood of the house, seemed to be covered with an extremely thin yet clear, coloured haze of energy made clear to see with Outer Sense and True Sight.

He could see the colours for miles

What's up with this world? Alex wondered. And how strong is she to move so quickly when everything's so dense? Uncertain, but still grateful, he followed her into what he guessed must be the kitchen.

Alex grimaced as he hobbled into the kitchen, the dense particles of air resisting his every movement. The world of the Martial Empire was unlike anything he'd could ever imagine, and certainly unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. The simple act of breathing had become a laborious task. With his leg reduced to a stump, the harsh reality was taking its toll on him.

Mei, was stood over magical looking stove, cooking something that smelled amazing. Alex drifted over, mostly led by his nose. She handed him a ladle, and gestured for him to stir.

Alex grasped the ladle, squinting at the tender meat and myriad strange vegetables that burned with energy in the pot. His fingers fumbled with the ladle, trying to mimic the motions Mei had demonstrated. His first attempt was an unsightly, but he swallowed his frustration and started over.

He had no idea how to cook, often relying on his sister, grandfather, or even just ordering food rather than doing it himself. He'd always found it to be a waste of time. He could be practising with his sword, learning new techniques, or having fun with his friends. Why should he stay in the kitchen? Back on earth, he had hated cooking, always leaving it to others.

But now, it brought him peace, the pleasant smells, the taste. He was constructing something that would feed and strengthen him, while taking his mind away from his worries. It felt good.

"Alex, you hold a knife as if it's a sword. Ease your grip a little," Mei advised. Her voice was loud, boisterous, yet at times carried wisdom beyond her years. It was freaking weird, as far as Alex was concerned. At times he felt like he was talking to someone his age, his real age, and not a youth who had barely touched twenty.

Her small hands were skilled and certain, constantly demonstrating the right technique.

Following her instructions, Alex felt his grip relaxing, and the knife glided smoothly through the turnip. He observed Mei’s deft movements, her hands flying over the ingredients. It struck him how this tiny kitchen in the corner of the Martial Empire had become a haven for him, offering solace and purpose amidst the unknown.

"Tell me about your world, Alex," she said, her voice quieter now. The loud childish exterior seemed to fade away momentarily, replaced by a look of genuine curiosity.

Alex paused, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well, it's more advanced than this one. Well, less advanced in some ways. This place is like ancient china, but then again they explore loads of worlds, while we're only just beginning to explore the cosmos."

"And yet you found the Martial Empire, or rather, they found you," Mei murmured, her gaze fixated on the pot before them. She still remembered the day her own world encountered the Empire. The panic, the fight, the eventual defeat.

"Yeah," Alex nodded, the smile on his face replaced by a sombre look. His home, his Earth, was now a vassal world under the Martial Empire.

Or as Mei called it, a serf-world.

The pair fell into silence, the sizzling of the pot the only sound in the room. Alex continued to stir the contents of the pot under Mei's watchful gaze, the once-empty kitchen now filled with the aroma of cooking food.

"More salt, Alex," she guided, handing him a small, worn-out salt cellar. Nodding, Alex pinched a bit of salt, letting it flutter down into the bubbling stew.

Alex glanced at her, his brows furrowing. "Is that the same as what happened when your world met the Empire?”His voice was hushed, as if wary of conjuring the specter of the past.

Mei stiffened momentarily but then nodded, pushing away a lock of hair that had slipped onto her forehead. "We were explorers," she began, her voice a mere whisper. "Our technology was advanced. Like, starships, superstarships, lightspeed, warpspeed advanced. All of that stuff, that was us. And then, we stumbled upon the Empire in our exploration, not knowing it was a Pandora's box."

She let out a humorless chuckle, her gaze focusing on the simmering stew. "I... heard stories, from others. I wasn't there, it all happened before i was born. But they taught it in our schools. Showed us recordings. Our first encounter was...unexpected. We fought back, with everything we had. Against that first group, against ten of them. The struggle spanned across our entire world...." Her voice trailed off, her hands clenching around the edge of the table.

Alex could only imagine the panic, the confusion. Mei described a world-spanning struggle, a fierce resistance against the Empire's cultivators. She claimed her people had managed to wipe out the first group they stumbled upon using their advanced weaponry; the outer disciples were no more.

They celebrated, thinking they had won.

"And then?" Alex's voice was empathetic, but filled with curiosity. Alex could hardly believe it, but here was a world that had actually confronted the cultivators head-on.

Her spatula slowed down as she continued. "We thought it was over, that we could take on the rest of them. But we were wrong. The ones we killed... they were just outer disciples. Low-level cultivators." Mei shook her head at the memory, her hands tightening around the spatula.

"Then, the stronger ones, the inner disciples showed up," she finished softly, the words barely audible over the sizzle of the stir-fry. "We were decimated," Mei stated, a hard edge to her voice. "And then seeded with the system. Incorporated into the Empire. Just like that. But it was way before my time. When i was born, it wasn't so bad. It only gets bad when they show up."

"Just like Earth," Alex confessed, the bitter truth rolling off his tongue. "We were more advanced, yet we couldn't see them coming either. We were blindsided. How they found us, I still don’t know.”

"Well Earthboy, maybe we'll find out one day. I'm sure we will. But for now, get some plates, its ready!". Despite the sombre mood, Mei beamed at Alex, and at the sight of her happiness, and the aromatic smells of the food they'd cooked, Alex couldn't resist the beginnings of the smile that spread across his face. He had to admit, her optimism was a little infectious.

He hobbled through the kitchen, the dense particles of air only slightly resisted his movements now. He could mostly move freely, albeit much slower than he had on Pyra. This world of the Martial Empire had turned his very existence into a precarious and deadly experience, a challenge where the simple act of breathing had been a laborious task. With his leg reduced to a stump, the pain of his losses, of losing his home, his limb, and life on earth, Was taking its toll on him. He needed something to keep him busy, to keep him distracted. He needed a sword.

Or some food

Soul of Blades - Chapter 61: Cosmic Rewards

More madness. More changes. Who would have thought the imperials were cultivators? Alex had heard of the concept back on earth, but only vaguely. Maybe they had influenced earth somehow before the planets induction into the system? How else could earth coincidentally have knowledge of the Martial empire?

Now that he was out of the frying pan, he recalled his stat gains and and quest rewards, intent on viewing them before he facing the proverbial firestorm that awaited him. He willed his stat menu to appear before him. Instead, a slew of notifications filled his vision.

[You have defeated level 61 Astral Demonfiend - additional experience points due to the level difference]

[You have defeated level 34 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 23 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 27 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 43 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated level 61 Astral Demonfiend - additional experience points due to the level difference]

[You have defeated level 45 Astral Demonfiend]

[You have defeated…

[You have defeated…

[You have defeated…

[Level 60 > 69]

Strength +36, Dexterity+36, intelligence+54, unassigned stats +36

[Quest ‘Incursion event -Daemon Sentinel’ Completed - You have been selected as the highest contributor!]

[Reward: E-rank equipment -Body Elixir, Spirit Elixir, Lunar drops, Band of power, have been placed in your inventory!]

[Reward: D-rank weaponry -‘Eclipse’ granted. All rewards have been placed in your inventory!]

[Name: Alex Ironwood

Level: 60

Race: Human - Rank F

Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic SwO̷̟̮̙͚̔rd So̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅve̶̷̵̴̲̳̱reign

Sub-class: Locked

Strength: 387 (267)

Dexterity: 416 (287)

Endurance: 198 (128)

Intelligence: 551 (380)

Wisdom: 543 (28)

Feats: First Encounter, Pioneer, Pinnacle IV, Survivor, Warrior, Champion, Dungeon Insurgent,

Active skills: Phoenix Leap, Mana Burn, Mana Blade, Boundless Dodge, Duȅ̷̳̮̄͝͠l of C̷͎̠̠̖̿́orruption, Sovereign Executioner, FlameBody, Sovereign Clone,

Passive skills: Inner Focus, Outer Focus, A̷̶̵̴̲̳̱l̸̢͉̗̣̑͐͛à̸̶̵̴̶̷̶̺̥̮̯͇̲̳̱̼̲͒̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̸̴̶̷̵̢̳̮̲̳̱͉̗̣̲̳̱̏̄̑͐͛͝͠Ω̴̵̶̷̲̳̱ ̶̶̯͇̼̲̈́̈͛͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̷̶̴̵̶̷̴̶̷̵̳̮̲̳̱̲̳̱̏̄͝͠g̵̶̷̴̲̳̱e̸̪̟͇͕͂e̶̷̵̴̲̳̱E̵̴̶̷̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̢̲̳̱̼̲̲̳̱̟̮̙͚͉̗̣̺̥̮͋͐͋͂̔̑͐͛̀͒ͅͅ ̶̷̶̴̵̶̷̯͇̲̳̱̈́̈͛ ̷̸̴̶̷̵̳̮̪̟͇͕̲̳̱̏̄͂͝͠M̷̶̵̴̲̳̱m̸̵̴̶̷̸̷̸̴̶̷̵̢͉̗̣̲̳̱̪̟͇͕̟̮̙͚̺̥̮̲̳̱̑͐͛͂̔̀͒ͅ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̸̶̢̳̮͉̗̣̼̲̏̄̑͐͛͋͐͋͂͝͠ͅO̷̟̮̙͚̔o̶̼̲͋͐͋͂ͅᾯ̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̷̸̸̸̢̲̳̱̲̳̱̟̮̙͚̪̟͇͕͉̗̣̺̥̮̑͐͛̀͒ ̶̯͇̈́̈͛ ̷̶͎̠̠̖̼̲̿́͋͐͋͂ͅ ̷̳̮̏̄͝͠ ̷̶̴̵̶̷̵̴̶̷̴̶̷̵̲̳̱̲̳̱̲̳̱, Inventory, Bestial Senses, BladeBody,True sight, Mana Vortex,

Dao: True Immortality - 0.11% Progress

Unassigned stat points: 36]

Alex lay within the tiny hut, his eyes moving through the notifications he had ignored while he was busy fighting for his life, and dying in the cosmic vortex.

His status showed an inexplicable boost, something he found hard to comprehend. He had over a two thousand stats in total, two thousand and ninety five to be exact. Two thousand was the number stats he’d achieved during his last application of mana burn— the stats of someone around level 130. His jaw almost hit the floor at the realization.

And almost one fifth of those stats was in 'Wisdom' alone.

Most people at that level would not invest so heavily into one stat, and it most likely would never be 'Wisdom'. Without a skill like 'Inner Focus' that allowed one to sense, and with mastery, expertly manipulate internal mana, the wisdom stat would be hard to decipher. It wasn't until Alex had gained the inner and outer focus skills, that he was able to intimately sense his own mana and its effect on his skills. It was through sensing his mana that he learned the true nature of the wisdom stat. It was an indicator of the strength and potency of your mana, and directly related to the strength and potency of the mana your body was able to safely handle.

That must be why Mei gave him the skill. But why was she helping him? Why go through all of this effort? The healing medicine he constantly sipped couldn't be cheap.

It was strange. Suspicious even.

"Why?" He asked, his words mirroring his thoughts. "Why are you helping me?… Why save me?”

Mei turned to regard him as if he'd just asked the dumbest question in the world. "Why not?" She shrugged, before turning and walking away.

As she left, Alex considered his skills, old and new. His mind turned to 'Inner Focus'.

With each new discovery he was growing more and more appreciative of the skill, it truly deserved its high rank. Lyra and her party had complained about how the system shackled their wild mana to limit them to only using set skills, but 'Inner Focus' changed that to a degree, it allowed him some semblance of control. 

It was nothing like the magic Keir, their archmage had described; keir had detailed the limitless and unbound use of pre-system magic to alter reality through knowledge and ability, and for the best of them, even create life.

'Inner focus' would not allow Alex to achieve such heights as the ex-archmage Keir had recalled to him. To forego being 'handheld' and 'babied' by the system, as Keir had described it, and solely use the true understanding of magic and mana to alter reality as one wished and to alter it as far as one's understanding allowed. Alex couldn't hope to achieve something like that. But maybe with full mastery of skills, he could at least try?

Currently his skills wouldn't allow him to repeat the impossible feats of magic Keir had described. But still, it was a start, and Inner Focus seemed better than any skills the entirety of Pyra, and quite possible Earth had. Although… Given the amount of doomsday preppers and fantasy enthusiasts on Earth, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else had managed to unlock an equally high or higher graded skill. Hmm…

Alex cackled, or at least struggled to through the resistant air. The thought of some weapon obsessed hillbilly acquiring godlike power tickling him to no end. 

His gaze then returned to his status, each digit flared in his vision, the gains laid bare for him to scrutinise. Wisdom - a startling figure that dwarfed the rest. His already formidable mana pool had been enforced to astounding proportions. If his guesses were right, this meant he could either spam his skills relentlessly using a smaller amount of mana to activate each skill, as each drop of his mana was now much more potent and vibrant than before. Or he could invest an unbelievably large amount of mana into a single skill, supercharging it to untested limits.

He recalled his fight with the demon prince, the way his 'Mana Blade' had pulsed with an unanticipated surge when coupled with 'Inner Focus’, Outer Focus, and Bestial Senses. His heart quickened as he envisioned what these numbers might mean.

But the rapid escalation came with a dire consequence. The mana in this world was too potent, each breath he drew was laced with it, brimming with oceans of potent energy. All of it pouring into his cup with each breath. It was a razor-edged sword, cutting him from within and causing him to rely on simultaneous healing.

He grimaced, remembering the searing pain as his body tried to accommodate the raw and untamed mana. initially, a single breath had contained far more than his body could handle. That single breath had contained more mana than he'd ever seen in his life. He sighed, struggling to run a hand through his hair as the very air resisted him. It felt like he was buried in grains of metal, fighting to move even an inch. 

Mei had been right. Her skill 'Mana Vortex' had been his lifeline, diluting the raw energy of the world to a level his body could only barely endure. 

He owed her his life, yet again.

His feats, had also netted him almost five hundred stats. it seemed a forty five percent increase in stats was nothing small to laugh at. The more powerful he became, the more inflated his stats would become. He could be leagues above his level if this continued, especially if he gained more feats like the ones he had already.

His attention was then  caught by another notification - the completion of a dynamic quest.

The incursion event.

Yes! I knew it! He attempted to pump a fist in the air, but all he managed was stiff shake of his arm as the air encased him to hinder all movements.

But still, he celebrated. He had in fact received the highest contribution in closing the incursion, just as he’d hoped. It made sense, after all. He had had stopped the endless stream of soldiers and limited the number of their troops. Eight dungeon stages worth of creatures would have been more than an army, it would have been a legion. 

The quest probably intended on the demon legion being defeated, but he had simply stranded their troops in the world, cutting off their connection to their home world with what he assumed was no way to get back. Effectively stranding them on Pyra.

He had single-handedly evaded and thwarted an army, despite not being able to land a significant blow during the melee. The recognition filled him with a sense of disbelief, his chest constricting as he read the notifications again.

He suspected that he owed his life to the infernal Prince R'jdar's lies and promises of Alex's secret knowledge. The misdirection had caused the royals to attempt to capture him instead of killing him. A mistake they would eternally regret, Alex chuckled in schadenfraude. Blue blooded pricks, he thought, eyeing his leg. He vividly remembered the demon prince's boot shoving him towards certain death, along with that menacing cackle. He would find a way to return to Pyra simply to repay the debt of pain he owed to them. Tenfold. 

Surviving that encounter would not have been possible without his Dao, or Class. Or that infernal pathologically lying prince.

His gaze fell on the term 'Strength'. He didn't hesitate and with a mental nudge, he chose to allocate all 36 of his  unassigned stat points into strength, bringing it up to 303, or 439, through his feats. He had observed that the reason he couldn't move a muscle wasn’t because he was injured, or paralysed.

It was because he was too weak. 

Mei was right, he wasn't even strong enough to move the particles of air in this strange world without great effort, it was a miracle he could even breathe. Perhaps that was why he was in a constant state of near-death.

[Strength: 439 (303)

Unassigned stat points: 0]

The ‘unassigned’ numbers decreased, turning to zero as his strength value soared to knee heights. 

[2 hour mana cooldown ended. Skills now available for use]

Without a moment of respite, Alex activated Mana Burn. The feeling was immediate, like a wildfire consuming everything within him. His body jerked, the world around him seeming to slip into focus. His breath quickened, but he clenched his jaw, riding out the sensation. The experience was raw, the sensation akin to a thousand needles pricking his muscles simultaneously. His breath briefly hitched in surprise as his body trembled under the weight of newfound strength.

Over five hundred mana, burned in an instant to empower him to four thousand stats, and almost a thousand in strength.

"Whoa," he gasped out, as the unfamiliar sensation of surging power crashed through his being.

When the tumult within him subsided, Alex stared at his fingers. With an intense focus, he willed them to twitch. 

They moved.

Alex immediately flung himself from the bed, only to lose his balance and collapse, forgetting he was now missing a leg. He landed on the floor of the room, sprawling not in pain, but freedom.

Finally, he thought.

Catching his breath, he struggled to sit on the cold ground. His memory drew him back to the events leading up to this moment. He realised, as if a veil had been lifted from his memory, that he still had many items left in his inventory from his past encounters and rewards.

He had lost his weightless sword, it had shattered when the clone clashed with the royals. The Bronze and Golden Swords had been lost in the melee and spatial explosion, never to be recovered. And all that remained of the Infinite blade was a crystal hilt— his journey through the spatial anomaly had destroyed the blade. He must’ve clung to the hilt even as the entirety of his body was constantly destroyed and rebuilt.  

His enchanted gear had been destroyed too, torn apart by the raging storms of spatial energy. 

But still, a wealth of items remained within his inventory, ranging from simple flasks and mundane swords he'd taken from the demon army in a desperate flurry of escape and combat, to enchanted items and quest rewards.  The vessel of madness lay nestled in a corner, too dangerous to use without a mental skill of some kind. There was the pair of gloves, cloak, aged wooden stake, and a grimoire he’d stolen from the queen's hoard, each item filled with mana. He summoned them before him. He would have to get them appraised in this world, somehow. Perhaps Mai had an appraisal skill of some kind?

There was also his latest quest rewards, four E-ranked items, a D-ranked weapon, and the portal crystal he'd stolen from the demons. He recalled that these rewards had been placed directly into his inventory by the system, unlike for those without such a skill whose rewards would materialize in the physical world. A subtle convenience.

Swiftly tapping into his Inventory skill, his consciousness drifted and connected to his tiny spatial realm, no bigger than a small room. He felt the phantom sensation of cramped space, the invisible boundaries of this pocket dimension pressing in around his senses. A surge of anticipation coursed through his tired being at the sight of his small hoard. It filled him with revitalising energy.

Among the stash, his eyes landed on the 'Body Elixir,' and with a flex of his will It appeared, nestled in his palm. Its glass container was cool to his touch and he could sense the potent energy swirling within the clear liquid. Well body means strength, right? He thought before immediately consuming the elixir, hesitation forgotten. With the terrain’s harshness pushing against his every step, he was desperate for anything to ease his journey. 

The instant the liquid touched his throat a searing heat shot across his body, causing him to seize and topple to the ground once more. His body convulsed, yet as soon as the pain had arrived, it had gone. Struggling to his feet, he hastily checked his stats as a gasp escaped his lips.

Strength: 511 (353)

He then summoned and downed the spirit elixir, anticipating similar growth. 

Wisdom: 613 (78)

His strength and wisdom had surged by fifty points. One hundred in total. That was insane.

He turned his attention back to his inventory, shifting his focus to the two smaller items, the E-Rank Quest rewards he had received from closing the incursion. At first glance, they appeared as jewellery. A ring and a single earring. Strangely, he could see a faint blue burn of mana, as well as silver and red energies that seemed to swim within the items. That was new. He could see the energies clearly and in intricate detail, much clearer than ever before. With slight surprise, he realised his passive skill ‘True Sight’ must be showing him the hidden nature of the items, allowing him to effortlessly see the energies construction and inner workings that fuelled them. Maybe the colours must signify the mana’s nature, or maybe its strength? he speculated.

His fingers tracing the cold metal of the jewellery. The earring was a delicate piece of craftsmanship. It had a stud, with a sleek crescent moon design etched in its surface, carved out of a shiny metallic substance that reflected the surrounding light. The ring was more robust, a simple band of darkened metal. Upon closer inspection, Alex could see intricate fractals engraved on the inside of the band.

Closer inspection of the earring and ring brought forth a notification.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Band of Power - Ring grants 20 strength to wearer]

[Lunar Drops - These ear-studs are imbued with immense Lunar magic, and draw power from the light of the moon. Provides slight resistance to magical attacks of the same rank (E), enhances lunar-based abilities, grants the ability to move silently.]

Huh. I guess I can appraise items now. His gratitude for Mei seemed to grow by the second, but so did his caution.

With the notifications fading, Alex was left in the silence of his thoughts, contemplating his next steps in this impossibly challenging environment.

Lunar Drop, an earring filled faintly with must be Lunar magic. A useful defensive tool against magic attacks, a potential enhancer for lunar-based abilities, and the ability to move in silence. Useful tools indeed.

His strategy had always been based on his physical abilities and his mana. But his experience with items and equipment had added another dimension to his capabilities. He considered the silent movement that the Lunar Drops offered. 

Stealth had helped him get to the heart of the incursion while preserving his mana. It had been a potent advantage. And this equipment could enable him to do the same, bypassing obstacles and opponents without direct confrontation. 

It was not his usual approach, but versatility was a valuable asset in a world that created beings like the ten immortals, the cultivating prodigy Jin, or the old man, Phoenix.

Taking one last look at the items in his inventory, he put on the Band of Power, feeling the cool metal settle comfortably on his finger. The Lunar Drops were more challenging, he had never worn earrings before. But after a moment of hesitation, he pierced his earlobes, flinching at the brief sting. The studs fit snugly, their cool presence oddly comforting.

Armed with his newfound stats and capabilities, he felt a sliver of hope- He had never considered the possibility of equipment buffs. Maybe he could find more equipment, something to help him move freely in this world? He would have to ask the kid, Mei.

He retrieved one of the five random swords he’d stolen from the demon army, and turned his attention to the final quest reward, the named sword; ‘Eclipse’. 

Testing a hypothesis, he inspected the stolen sword until a notification appeared.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[D Ranked Sword - Standard issue blade of planet designation ‘Helven’s’ royal army. The weapon is made from the most mana resistant materials in the E-Grade]

So that explains why the clone could take such a beating, Alex thought. The weapons he turned to clones seemed to be as tough as the materials they were constructed from, perhaps even moreso after being altered by his clone skil.

I should’ve stolen more swords. Some of those demon soldiers had held some pretty enticing blades.

Alex then pulled the sword 'Eclipse' out of his inventory. The weapon appeared in his palm, sheathed, and he drew it and too in its details for the first time. The sword 'Eclipse' was forged from a dark, unrecognisable metallic material and was impossibly heavy, despite its slim and long appearance. Its blade was adorned with streamlined razor-sharp thorns that could and would pierce the flesh of its victims upon contact. Deep, curved channels ran along both sides of the blade, resembling veins.

Intricate, glowing crimson runes were etched along the blade, pulsating with dark energy. At the pommel of the sword, a malevolent, metal-slitted eye was embedded, unmoving and moulded into shape by some talented smith. Wicked, black tendrils coiled around the crossguard. When turned in the light, they appeared to be writhing as if alive. The sheath of Eclipse was marred by dried bloodstains.

The blade of Eclipse seemed to defy conventional sharpening techniques, maintaining an impossibly sharp edge that effortlessly cut through flesh and bone. Intricate engravings depicted scenes of carnage and conquest, adorning the blade, serving as a depiction of the demonic race's violent history. The blade was etched with ancient demonic symbols that seemed to shift and writhe, as if they were alive.

As he inspected the weapon, a notification flashed in his vision.

[Skill 'True Sight' has discerned the energies of the items you have inspected]

[Sword 'Eclipse' - Growth type weapon - An early work of a master craftsman of planet designation 'Hellven'. Ritualistically forged and doused in the blood of countless captured system beings, Eclipse's insatiable hunger for unique and higher blood grants the weapon potential for growth.]

Growth, Alex thought, this could be important, but what does ‘growth’ mean exactly? He assumed it could be growth in rank, power, or both. But deep down, he hoped it would be more.

He ran his fingers over the smooth surface of the sword 'Eclipse.' An E-rank weapon. He had a lot of those, but this was the only one with a name, unique history, and what looked like an absorption ability of some kind. He had a feeling this might be the key to his survival in this new reality.

A crash shook the hut.  

The door had swung open with a loud bang, as Mei entered the hut in that moment, seemingly attempting to make as much noise as possible by stomping and yelling at Alex.

Alex’s head spun on a swivel at the sound.

“Oi weakling!” She boomed. “Nice jewellery! I’ve got some gear for you, it's low ranked- well, to you it's probably super high ranked. But it’ll help you stop being so weak!- Well, you’ll still be weak, but at least you’ll be able to move!”

“you’ll need it to go hunting!” She smiled, then dumped a bag full of trinkets before him, all of them burned with mana in his vision.

“Come see,” she said.

Soul of Blades - Interlude: Outer Disciple Jun Li

Authors note: expanded to reveal how much of an ungrateful evil a** Jun Li is. Like, I’m sure this guy would tip over a wheelchair if it was slightly faster than him.

Anyways, enjoy.

Interlude: Outer Disciple Jun Li

Jun Li stood in their secret ‘training ground’, which was really just a small divot in the valley where their branch sect resided, surrounded by the early morning mist. Moisture clung to his clothes, making them cling to his skin. He watched Mo Ye from the corner of his eye, a coil of envy tightening in his gut. 

Mo Ye stood across the field from Jun Li, his form solitary against the petalled backdrop like a rising sun against the horizon, yet brighter, somehow. He was always brighter. Mo Ye inhaled, a soft, almost imperceptible intake of breath. The flowers at his feet swayed in a wide circle without wind, evidence of soft rivers of Qi seeping into his drawn breath, unseen.

He exhaled with perfect cadence and a single step, almost appearing to vanish due to the speed of his movement, shooting forward in a single instant. Mo Ye’s figure was sharp against the dawn, clearly distinct from one moment to the next, reappearing in a display of swirling robes with his initiate’s garments swaying to settle like tree leaves after a storm. An impact of wind and disturbed air caused the surrounding foliage to billow and fall, settling back earth to trace the path of his perfection. 

Mo Ye's movements were fluid, embodying the 'Bull charges the Earth' technique with an elegance that seemed almost effortless. Not a mark was made on the ground within his testmate’s path. The only evidence of his execution of the technique was the crushed foliage and leaves that swayed and billowed without wind, disturbed by his manipulation of Qi. 

Jun Li was chagrined by the sight and attempted to do the same.

Breathe in. Move. Exhale.  He turned his attention back to his own stance. He inhaled deeply, trying to mimic the fluidity he had just observed. His arms extended, attempting to channel his Qi through a path in the precise, controlled manner required for the technique. The Qi within him felt turbulent, resisting his command. Breathe in. Move. Exhale, he repeated.

He took a step forward, intending to initiate the technique. His foot placement was off. He stumbled slightly, disrupting the flow of his Qi. He righted himself, cheeks burning with the heat of his frustration and shame.

“You’re distracted” Mo Ye noted, pointing at the trail of destruction Jun Li had left in his failed attempt. “That is why you struggle.”

“Yes. By the danger.” Jun Li's response was swift, without pause or thought.

Mo Ye, pausing to sit across from him, plucked a blade of grass, examining it. "Danger? You mean the anomaly?" His tone was light, dismissive.

"Yes, that 'danger.' Sitting here, pretending it'll resolve itself." Jun Li watched Mo Ye, noticing the ease with which he leaned back, the light in his eyes not dimmed by the weight of their situation. A heavy sigh escaped Jun Li, drawing Mo Ye's attention. “We cannot allow it to continue.”

Anomalies were unpredictable and unbound. Jun Li didn’t care that the history books claimed anomalies without kill orders to be harmless, potentially resolvable errors. Logic dictated that an anomaly was dangerous and disruptive, and an element to be erased simply by virtue of its anomalous nature.

Mo Ye, unfazed, countered with a question, tilting his head. "And what would you have us do, Jun Li? Risk everything on a whim? On suspicion?”

Silence. The consequences of disqualification gave him pause. Frustrated, Jun Li settled once more into his stance. He inhaled deeply, attempting to center his Qi, but it churned inside him like a wild storm, refusing to be tamed.

His attempt at the technique ended in failure. 

While Jun Li failed, Mo Ye executed another attempt, slightly better than the last and much better than Jun Li’s flailing. The leaves of Mo Ye’s passing were less crushed,  but the disturbed air and foliage moved in ways that signaled poorly controlled Qi. A perfect execution would leave no trace at all. He had failed to master the technique, too. 

That made Jun Li feel better, but his personal failure still filled him with rage. He was still the worker of the two.

He turned to face Mo Ye in anger. "Why do you carry our burden of the anomaly as if it were a stone in our pockets, easily discarded?" his voice heavy with an unspoken accusation. 

Mo Ye's laughter, light and untroubled, filled the space between them. "Because it is a stone. To be skipped across a lake, not an anchor to drown us."

Mo Ye executed the technique once more, blinking across the space in a whirl of displaced Qi and crushed foliage, displaying further improvement.

Mo Ye leaned back, carefree ease drifting off his posture in waves, his voice floated towards his counterpart, light as the breeze. "You worry too much, brother. What can a mortal do?"

Jun Li watched Mo Ye with a mix of irritation, anger and envy. His Brother. Once the word had meant much to Jun Li, now all it did was remind him of his inadequacy. The morning's calm did little to soothe the storm within him. 

"It's not a mortal.” Jun Li replied. tension visible in the clench of his jaw. “It is an Anomaly.” 

"Yes, but remember what Master Li said. All anomalies die; they barely survive a single month past their kill orders.” A pause, then Mo Ye glanced at Jun Li, his eyes painted with care and concern for his siblings' wellbeing. “You are being... excessively wary."

“I am being prudent.” Jin Li’s response held no doubt.

Mo Ye simply laughed, swiping with a branch as if it were a sword. His Qi lashed out to eviscerate the ground in a wild and uncontrolled display of power. Jun Li blanched at the sight. He had no idea what he’d just witnessed, they had not been taught how to do that.

Mo Ye's expression sobered, his laughter dying. He sighed, looking skyward. “We follow paths laid by those before us. That is why we fought to join this sect, and not rot with a single broken serf-world to share between our house and not a single servant to our name. I won’t return to that.”

Silence followed his statement. They resumed practice.

Jun Li inhaled and stretched his arms, striving for the fluid grace he had observed from his sibling. Breathe in. Move. Exhale,  he mentally cycled, yet as he surged forward, missteps marred his execution: a misplaced foot, his balance skewed, causing dirt and crushed flowers to spray the air as he shot forward at speeds no baseline human could comprehend. 

His Qi swirled chaotically within despite his best efforts, he found it infuriating. I should be better than him… I should be better than all of them, his fist clenched at the dirt, shaking with shame and indignation.

Jun Li watched Mo Ye, the calm on his brother’s face grating against his own turmoil.

Mo Ye shifted in execution. He breathed and moved, blurring past his sibling in a Qi filled winds of near-perfection. A feat Jun Li could only helplessly witness. It filled him with more rage than the thought of an anomaly within their charge ever could.

Mo Ye looked at him with robes billowing, the hint of a frown forming. "And rushing in might cost us everything. Is it worth it?"

Jun Li turned, his gaze catching the morning light. "Not acting guarantees our failure," he almost yelled, holding himself back at the last instance. “We cannot wait and I won’t wait. It absolutely has to die by any means.”

Jun Li turned away, a bitter taste in his mouth. Watching and waiting was all he felt he'd ever done, always a step behind his brother, always in Mo Ye's shadow. Even his ascension to cultivation was covered in shade.

"There are rules," Mo Ye reminded gently, "There will be consequences if we're caught intervening. I won’t lose my chance to advance as a cultivator."

Mo Ye turned and shot forward in a whirl of robes and inhuman speed, less foliage destroyed this time. Less visible signs of displaced Qi, blinking from one place to the other. His form had improved while Jun Li’s remained stagnant.

Jun Li snarled in frustration. With a step forward, he launched into the technique, blurring forward, but his harmony was fractured—foot askew, punch skewed, carving a scar in the earth, a wake of shattered blossoms and torn earth marking his turbulent passage. His too-deep inhale and too-sharp exhale, threw his Qi through the wrong pathways and into disarray, a painter splashing discordant colors across a once harmonious canvas. Another failure. His cheeks flushed, not from exertion, but from the sting of frustration and the shadow of shame. He yelled at his brother, “you are going to cost me EVERYTHING!”

His fist smashed into the earth beneath them sinking slightly into its mounds. The ground trembled for the briefest of moments. “Do not stop me, brother.” He said.

Mo Ye simply observed.

Mo Ye's silence spoke volumes, he turned away, his gaze settling on the distant mist-covered hills and meadows. He crouched, slightly, assuming the stance of the bull he sought to master. 

Jun Li looked on, helpless.

Inside, his turmoil twisted tighter. It wasn't just the anomaly that gnawed at him, but the ease with which Mo Ye seemed to navigate their world—a world that felt like a constant battle to Jun Li.

Mo Ye disappeared, charging the earth to resume his training. This time, not a single leaf swayed as he disappeared. 

His brother had mastered the technique.

Whereas Jun Li continued to fail. The earth beneath them became scarred with paths of his failure, and the foliage surrounding them removed until the space became barren. With each attempt, his thoughts became focused on singular singular emotions.

Anger. Hatred. Shame. Worry. Concern. More anger, and then fury that turned to pure rage.

Deep within, Jun Li’s rage and resentment lay not in the anomaly, but in jealousy and envy. He found himself hating Mo Ye—not because he was a fool, But because he was better.

The anomaly too, by nature of its existence, held the potential to be better, and unconstrained. He hated it for that sole reason alone.

With each failure Jun li found himself hating them both in equal measure, though he tried to focus solely on the dangerous anomaly. 

Destroying it would be the first step of his ascension to the heights of power.

As he seethed in thought, his brother blurred past without even so much as a speck of displaced earth, perfection incarnate.

Jun Li watched Mo Ye’s perfection with barely concealed resentment as the clouds above them shifted, the morning light spilling through the misty hills surrounding the valley, stretching the shade that seemed to deepen the divide between them.

In both ethos and skill, his testmate left him far behind.

***

The sky cracked, a beastly roar slicing through the silence of the valley. Jun Li's legs carved paths through the meadow, a blur against the tranquil backdrop.

He sprinted. The valley's meadows were a blur beneath his steps, his speed was more than human. But behind, nothing pursued.

Blood painted his robes. His own and the blood of beasts. And the blood of his brother.

It was everywhere. It clouded his vision as Jun Li ran. Tears did too. Although whether they were tears of sadness or elation, he couldn’t tell.

So Jun Li ran. Legs propelling him forward, faster. His breath came in sharp gasps. He had made a choice. A hard, cold choice. 

It had caused him to grow stronger.

Forgive me, he thought. A plea to the winds. To the brother left behind. 

He recalled the beast, its massive form tearing through the valley, destroying the peace of their hidden training ground. "Is it a spirit beast?" his voice had quivered, the unknown fueling his fear. And the fear. It had gripped him then, tight and cold, paralysing.

Mo Ye had stood beside him, unshaken and confident. "No, it’s not. Just a monster of mana.”

“Channel your Qi,” he had advised, eyes sharp, a scoff following his assessment. “To your eyes, brother.”

Jun Li silently seethed at the need to be instructed by his better. Still he outshines me, he had thought. He begrudgingly followed his brother's instruction. 

Jun Li saw the truth through Qi-enhanced eyes. The creature lacked Qi. It was merely a monster of mana. With a surge of confidence, he had unleashed his strength. He was a bull, charging the earth, a trail of gouged foliage following his charge as he moved, tearing through the beast as if it were made of paper. The beast before them had crumbled under his godlike force. He hadn’t even deigned to properly employ his technique. 

He pursed his lips at the memory as he ran.

In that instant a much larger beast had crashed into their clearing. A majestic thing of muscle, sinew, and beauty. Jun Li had scoffed, believing it to be a mere monster, filled with a reckless bravado. He looked upon it with Qi-enhanced sight and was nearly blinded by what he saw.

True horror awaited. A spirit beast, at a stage of cultivation leagues above his own. So high it was unreadable. How was it here? Why was it here? its presence had been a suffocating weight. They could not win. Jun Li knew it like he knew the sun burned.

The beast had stepped forward as he blinked away the stars in his vision. Its movements had been slow, calculating, demanding acquiescence. Or sacrifice.

And its eyes…filled with hunger and intelligence.

Jin Li paused. A deep inhale. Would he die there? How could he survive? The decision had weighed heavy. His hands had shook, not from exertion but from the weight of his options. 

He made his choice. A decision born of desperation, frustration, and fear. And hatred. 

Moisture blurred his vision.

Breathe in. Move. Exhale. He had thought.

He attacked. Not the beast, but Mo Ye, striking from behind. Once. Twice. Three times. His brother's form crumpled to the ground, a distraction for the beast's hunger.

The ground had remained intact, and not a leaf had been altered by his trajectory. The air remained unmoved, its Qi expertly manipulated. Through his betrayal, he had exhibited a perfect execution of technique. Perhaps the heat of battle was all he had been missing? He had thought deep in his heart as he removed his fist from Mo Ye’s spine. 

Perhaps he was the one that was better?

Meadow grass, a green blur below. He did not look back as he sprinted. He could not. The path demanded all he had. Ahead, the sect, a haven now drawing closer. As he ran, his jaw clenched in a silent scream of liberation, his face a mix of unreadable emotions.

Drops fell. Not from clouds. From Jun Li's face. Streaks on skin.

The distance to safety grew shorter, the price paid stretching infinitely behind him.

A thought returned to him unbidden, caused by emotions that bubbled beneath the surface of his paper-thin grief. 

He had survived. He had moved perfectly. 

Perhaps the beast had come to assist him?

Perhaps he was destined to rise through sacrifice? 

Perhaps he was the strongest? 

In that moment, he had moved even faster than most initiates in his sect. He had mastered the technique in an instant, through battle. 

He was strong. Stronger than Mo Ye, who believed himself better.

He cackled as he ran, a grim sound that rang through the meadow.

Mo Ye had thought himself his better, but no one was better than him and no one would be better than him. Any who dared to try would meet the same fate.

Broken, defeated by his hand.

***

Days Later

In a higher realm in the heart of the Martial Empire, Jun Li the outer disciple brooded.

The grandeur of the Imperial homeworld was lost on him. His eyes, instead, were fixated on the glowing screens projected from a peculiar device - a treasure bestowed upon him by his sect. Information and images flickered before him, painting his face in a dance of luminescent colours as his eyes flicked back and forth, glowing runes and symbols illuminating his resolute face. From the world he was tasked to conquer in less than a year, the anomaly had seemingly disappeared without a trace

His test-mate, Mo Ye, had believed himself more naturally gifted than he was. Mo Ye’s talent for cultivation had clouded his vision. He had constantly dismissed Jun Li’s worries with arrogance, undeterred by the potential peril hiding behind the anomaly they'd detected. Mo Ye had been a fool, and now he was dead.

"The creature will perish without guidance, perhaps that is why it has disappeared. Trust in the system, Jun Li. It has yet to give us warning." Mo Ye had constantly said with disdainful flicks of his wrist. But the gnawing worry at its existence had never left Jun Li. He still felt it now.

What if the anomaly hadn’t perished? As improbable as the notion seemed, what if their system had missed something?

Serfs did not just simply vanish, at least, not without a trace.

This anomaly, untrained, unguided, without any tutorial - had completely disappeared. True, It should have been dead by now. Yet, there was no record of its demise. No ‘death log’. Nothing. Mo Ye would have insited it was gone, if he was still here. But for Jun Li, the void it’s mysterious absence left behind gnawed at any semblance of peace.

It was alive. He could feel it in his marrow.

Things were not adding up.

His fingers moved, dancing patterns over the treasures controls, tracing the runes embedded into the metal surface. He needed to find this anomaly, silence it before it became a threat. Without being caught or accused of cheating. It was a monumental task, he realised, as his treasure alerted him to another world without its trace. After countless days of the treasure scanning hundreds, thousands of worlds, an alert chirped softly from the treasured communication jade he held in his hand.

It had found it. The anomaly.

What had it been up to? It couldn’t have more than a week or so worth of levels, a mere ants strength. But even so, how did it even get off-world?

Excitement and dread filled him as he peered through the details, the anomaly was on… an Imperial world.

Jun Li's eyes shot open in disbelief as he read the location. What? that didn't make sense. System users, the so-called 'slave races,' shouldn't have been able to set foot on these sacred cultivation grounds, not without immediately dying horrible deaths in the energy rich environments. Unless... they ascended to the status of high servants - the strongest system users deemed fit to enough to serve cultivators. But that was simply an impossibility, the treasure reported the anomaly’s level as not even having reached the hundreds, It should have died the instant it set foot in a higher world. It defied reason. Jun Li knew that its level had to be less than 70. It was still a chick, ripe for reaping. Yet, the anomaly was there.

This kind of resourcefulness was worrying. Without remedy this blunder would surely have consequences.

His thoughts turned dark. What if the anomaly managed to cause a ruckus? Any chaos traced back to him would mean banishment. He would be tossed from the sect, left to eke out a precarious existence in the wild. Or return to the poverty of sharing the Qi of a broken world. Worse yet, he could be crippled, his paths to cultivation and glory forever barred. The mere thought made him shudder.

Exile would be the most generous punishment, whereas crippling would be a fate worse than death.

The realisation marked a turning point. The anomaly was more dangerous than he could possibly imagine. His body moved on autopilot, his mind grappling with the ramifications. He was fresh from his initiation into his sect, barely a fledgling on the path of cultivation, and lucky to have passed the sects requirements and been accepted to outer discipleship. He had struggled and strived all just to achieve the first stage of cultivation; Qi gathering. Soon, he would establish himself as a promising entrant, and someone worth investing resources and backing to. He could not afford to lose face to such a blunder so soon. Anomalies were rare in history, and never survived more than a few weeks. But they always, without fail, brought catastrophe to the cultivators that spawned them. Either through damaging their reputation or sheer misfortune. However, despite this, he was confident he could exterminate a mere magic user.

After all, they were always killed in the end, as soon as they were found and a kill order was issued. Some even on the first day.

Jun Li's heart beat a steady, increasing crescendo in his chest as he swiftly moved towards the departure plane.

Within this latest development lay an opportunity. He was forbidden from entering his designated world, at least until the day of conquering. But nothing forbade him from entering other worlds.

Nothing at all.

He would need help to reach another realm, as he was far too weak to own a spatial array or have the ability to planeswalk. He needed assistance. A high cultivator's assistance was costly, but it was a price he was willing to pay to eradicate this pest. He would not, and could not tell others from his sect— they would merely insist it was insignificant and would die soon, while fervently resisting any excessive expense or action, only caring for cultivation. To Jun Li, they were all simply talented fools, blessed with power they had not earned.

No, he had to do this himself. Jun Li’s steps were heavy with the weight of responsibility, he moved swiftly, his once calm demeanour now clouded with urgency. His position within the hidden sect depended on this. His path to ascension even more-so. He had to act, and act fast. The time for deliberation was over; it was time for action.

Today, the anomaly would die by his hand.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 60: Immortality

Authors note: I settled for a somewhat fiery pip-squeak of a woman! Enjoy.

Chapter 60: Immortality

A blinding swirl of colours and spatial forces swallowed Alex whole. He was spinning, tumbling, carried along by an insidious current in the sea of cosmic energy.

Flashes of different realities blinked in and out of existence around him. One moment he was in a vibrant jungle, the next in a barren desert, then in a frozen wasteland. Each shift in reality yanked at him, tearing bits of his flesh and soul.

The powerful rift created by the collapsed portal held him hostage, his body shuddering under the sensation of being torn and pulled in every conceivable direction.

Notifications flashed past, as swiftly and often as worlds.

Pain assailed him. His wounds screamed at him, each tear in his flesh a searing lance of white-hot pain. The pain was excruciating, unbearable. His breaths came in gasps that claimed no air, his already heavily damaged body convulsed with each new wound that appeared.

Barely clinging to his sanity, Alex turned to his Dao. The Dao of True Immortality. Drawing from the wellspring of his essence, he imagined a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The concept of immortality, in its most true sense, was not about a never-ending life, but about the endless cycle of rebirth and regeneration. With a heaving breath, he activated his Dao and channelled its power into his wounds.

His body ignited with a sensation more agonizing than anything he'd felt before. The rejuvenating power of his Dao ripped through his injuries, stitching his flesh back together and restoring his vitality. It was too much, too quickly. With a sharp gasp, his vision dimmed, and he lost his grasp on consciousness.

***

When his senses returned, he felt the coolness of a surface beneath him, grass. And heard the the rustling of leaves in the wind. His body ached, but it was a dull, manageable throb compared to the torture he'd just experienced. Blinking his eyes open, he was met with the sight of a person, staring at him curiously from a distance.

The moment Alex began to stir, the world around him roared in response. The air was thick with mana, so dense it was nauseating. Every rustling leaf, every gust of wind, and even the very air around him teemed with a force so potent it was hard to stomach. The leaves underneath him refused to yield under his weight, each one as immovable as a slab of stone. A stifling pressure pressed in from all sides, rooting him in place like a boulder under the weight of a mountain.

His eyes darted to the figure, who stepped closer, curiosity etched on their youthful face. The figures's lips moved, a question forming in an unfamiliar language. Alex strained against the weight of the world, attempting to respond.

It was in this moment of desperation that he made the fatal mistake of drawing a breath.

His instinct turned into his blunder.

What filled his lungs was more than just air. It was an ocean of mana, of energies so alien and vast, it dwarfed anything he'd ever experienced. It coursed through him, threatening to shatter him from within. Every cell, every fiber of his being ignited with an agonising pain. His body seized, his body igniting with pain as the influx of power threatened to tear him apart from the inside.

In desperation, he attempted to control the mana. He grappled with the foreign energy, desperate to force it out of his body, it was like trying to move a mountain. In the midst of his struggle, he attempted to clench his fist.

His arm exploded into a in a shower of gore.

Laid there, the oppressive forces of the environment pushing down on him. The figure watched, undisturbed but concerned. The mana invaded his body, causing his remaining limbs to start swelling.

Alex could feel the mana permeating his body, causing his chest, remaining limbs, and stomach to swell ominously.

This was how he would die, torn apart, assaulted by the very air he breathed and the ground he lay upon, unless he did something.

The Dao of True Immortality beckoned. The truth of the universe that existed independent of him. A fundamental principle that witnessed impermanence, change, and the cycle of birth and rebirth in all existence. Alex tapped into this Dao, using it as a lifeline. He connected with the wind, the leaves, even the curiously gazing figure, and the throbbing pain within himself.

As he aligned himself with the Dao, his skin began to tear. Each wound offered a means for the trapped mana to escape, relieving some of the unbearable pressure building within him. Only for the mana of environment to enter the next moment, and begin destroying his body from the inside all over again. Held his breath, it stopped the intake of endlessly potent oceans of mana, but did not halt them entirely, as lakes and pools trickled in through his newly made wounds. Each intake was larger than his mana pool, and threatened his life.

It marked the commencement of a brutal cycle: destruction followed by rebirth, tearing and healing, pain and relief. The damage was horrific, and the healing minimal, but it was a start.

His body continued the cycle of destruction and rebirth, breaking and reforming, each cycle more painful than the last. This rhythm rang in his throbbing head, its pounding growing louder with each passing moment.

The figure stepped closer still, their words floating in the air. But Alex couldn't hear them. His eardrums had ruptured under the immense pressure.

The relentless pounding in his skull became too much to bear. His dao overused, his world began to swirl, blurring into a haze of pain and mana. Then, just as abruptly, everything went black as he lost his grip on consciousness.

***

[Dao: ‘True Immortality’ - Progress 0.1 > 0.11%]

When Alex woke up, he was somewhere he didn't recognize.

His body was on a plush bed inside a lavish hut that was as foreign to him as the strange tube that trailed from a vessel of luminescent liquid into his mouth. It tasted odd but soothing.

As he stopped sipping the healing concoction, he was instantly assaulted by a multitude of pains. It felt as if the mana of the world was assaulting him, as if it was forcing its way inside his body, crashing through his defences to fill his reserves and overload him. Agonizing tears that seemed to appear everywhere within his body. He could feel the hurt, the harm, the raw wounds in his insides. The sensation was unbearable. Without a second thought, he resumed drinking the strange liquid, the tube not leaving his mouth. The pain dulled and the continuous destruction inside his body seemed to slow. His outer appearance remained unchanged, betraying no signs of the inner havoc.

The figure from before was there, tending to him, moving about the hut with purpose. Now that his world wasn’t engulfed in excruciation, he could make out her features, and see that it was a woman of roughly his age, if not younger.

She was short, very short. So short as to barely pass his stomach, the tip of her hair barely reaching where his chest would be, if he could stand. Although the word petite did not seem to suit her. She moved without care, as I’ve the entire world and everything in it belonged to her.

She must have saved him.

Alex strained his senses, attempting to make out the mutterings of his strange saviour. Piecing together the woman’s mumbled words and his own hazy memory, he realised he had been out for days. Three days.

She looked at him, eyes filled with curiosity, and asked, "Are you a cultivator?" Alex blinked in surprise at the query. The woman continued, "Or were you a cultivator and now you're a cripple? Why are you dressed like a slave?"

Alex glanced at his arm and leg, and felt a pang of sadness and confusion at the sight. He was still missing a leg below the knee. The demon royals, and R'jdar had really done a number on him. Only a stump remained below the knee of his leg, where it had been sliced off in his escape. Whatever his Dao had done, it had not managed to regrow his limb. His arm was there at least, no longer charred and disfigured but perfectly formed and healed. But how was it healed completely? And why wasn't his leg? Was it the healing use of his Dao? No, that couldn't be it, that had barely kept him alive. Perhaps it was the strange liquid the woman had been feeding him through the tube in his mouth, it seemed to have a powerful effect that constantly healed his body. His limbs were there, and he was mostly whole. But the smaller woman was insisting he was a cripple.

He noted that his clothes were gone, replaced with heavy silk attire that was almost impossible to move in. The weight was oppressive, but it had an odd sort of comfort to it.

He looked at his hands, attempting to flex them, and felt a surge of resistance. He couldn't move. The attempt brought a fresh wave of pain and tears across his body, instantly healed by the woman's medicine. His body was a battlefield, a war zone of constant wounds and regeneration, fuelled by the strange liquid he continued to draw from the tube. Alex blinked in surprise as her words sank in.

"I'm a...cripple? What, because of my leg?" He questioned, the words sounding foreign as they rolled off his tongue. His speech was slurred, and slow. It was strangely difficult to talk, it felt like he was submerged in sand, or gravel. His saviour, meanwhile, watched him with a peculiar look, her eyes alight with unvoiced amusement.

"No not the leg, that's nothing. You have stats, dummy. You'll barely even notice it, eventually." She waved dismissively. "It’s something else."

She paused, and squinted, peering at his helpless form.

"No Qi. No mana. And dressed like a slave." His saviour stated, inspecting Alex with a critical gaze. "That sounds like a cripple to me."

"No mana...?" Alex tried to reach within, to feel the familiar thrum of his mana. He tried to open his inventory and peer within, and a notification popped up, his system notifying him that his mana was on a cooldown.

[2 hour mana cooldown in effect. Skill unavailable]

He had no mana, no skills. A wave of realization crashed over him. He had been activating Mana Burn unconsciously. Continuously. His instincts must have kept him alive, burning the mana invading his body non-stop to counteract the damage, keep his reservoir dry, and rid him of the assault.

Cultivator… he had a vague recollection of the notion from films back on earth, the images his memories conjured strangely reminded him of the blurred memories of his Dao visions. But that couldn’t be what she meant… could it?

"What's a...cultivator?" Alex found himself asking the strange woman, his eyes falling onto the unfamiliar clothes draped over him. They were heavy, the fabric thick and lustrous. It was silk, he realized, and it was almost impossible to move in. He tried to sit up, but the weight of the attire coupled with the state of his body made it a Herculean task.

A burst of laughter escaped her, their gaze lightening as they found amusement in his question. "What you are?" She asked, a smirk tugging at her lips. "You're dressed like a slave and you don't know what a cultivator is? Next, you're going to tell me you don't know about Qi."

Alex blinked, the vaguely unfamiliar term pulling him from his thoughts. "Qi?" He repeated, his confusion deepening. He'd heard of mana, lived with it, felt it coursing within him, but this Qi...it was something he'd never encountered. Back on earth, he’d only ever heard it used as another term for mana— for energy. None of it had been real, back then.

His saviour’s smirk widened into a grin, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, you're joking, right? Is this jest?"

Silence.

"Cripple?" Alex repeated silently, more to himself than her. The word was a thorn, sharp and unwelcome. It bothered him.

"Yep. That's what you are." The woman wore a smirk, her words flippant. "No mana, no dantian. Kinda amazing you're still alive, to be honest."

"Dantian?" Alex murmured. Now there was something brought about no memories, no recollection. The word was as foreign as the concept it represented.

"The dantian," She nodded, her tone matter-of-fact, as if this were the most basic of knowledge, "is where your energy resides. But yours is kaput, hence, no qi. No qi, no cultivating. In essence, you're a cripple. Did they take your memory too? What's up with that?"

"Qi…" Alex questioned himself, scouring his memories for dregs of information to return with nothing substantial. He wished he had spent less time training, perhaps then he would have found these terms to be self-explanatory. Confusion was setting in. "I know what mana is, but this qi... and cultivator? Like Jin?…What are they?"

"Mana, qi, energy. Tomato, to-mah-to." The woman waved her hand dismissively, her eyes never leaving Alex's face. "And cultivators? Well, they're the lucky ones who can harness the most powerful of these energies; Qi. But you, right now you're an empty shell."

Alex could feel the weight of her words settling on him, much heavier than the air that encased him and hindered his every breath. An unfamiliar world was unravelling around him and he was allegedly a ‘cripple’ in it. But that wasn’t true, he’d had the system for a while now. But then... he considered the fact that he could barely move a muscle, and that the world, the very air itself, seemed to be trying to kill him.

"And surviving the dantian destruction... is that unusual?" Alex's voice was barely a whisper.

"Well, people usually explode. Couldn't handle all that raw energy without some of their own to protect them, I suppose. But you..." she tilted her head, eyes taking over Alex, "You're still here. Interesting."

Alex's attempted to move his hand to the heavy silk clothing that had replaced his own. It was near-impossible to move in. Maybe it’s true, he thought, more questions sprouting with each word of their exchange. Had he become a cripple in a world where power meant everything?

A faint buzz in the corner of his vision. He had system notifications to address, quest rewards to receive and view—but his present situation demanded the entirety of his attention.

Above everything, one thought nagged at him. A small detail that tugged at his mind, causing some facet of his consciousness to yell at the rest of him in alarm. It was a question.

Why would she think he was a cultivator?

"I still don't understand..." Alex's voice trailed off, the enormity of his situation beginning to dawn on him.

"Clearly," the woman retorted. She had a smug smile on her face, but her eyes were sharp, scrutinising.

"But how does one become a cultivator?" Alex ventured, curiosity gnawing at his understanding.

She shrugged, an odd sense of detachment in her gaze. "Dunno. I'm no cultivator, I'm just a high servant... an administrator."

That brought Alex pause. "A servant? But you... you move so freely."

The woman let out a short laugh, the sound ringing around them. "Yeah, because I'm not a cripple. Unlike you." Her voice was sharp, her eyes even more so. "You can't move because you're too weak."

"I'm not a cripple." Alex's voice was quick, defensive.

The short woman ignored him, walking closer until her lithe form was looming over where Alex laid. She reached out, a small hand touching Alex's forehead. In that moment, Alex felt something shift within him, like a lock being turned. A silent notification popped up in his vision, startling him.

[Administrator 'Mei' has granted you the D rank passive skills 'True sense' and 'Mana vortex'].

As soon as the notification disappeared, the pressure on his body lessened. He could still feel the small tears in his body as the environment assaulted him and the instant healing provided by the fluid, but it was not as intense as before. Looking around, he saw energy swirling around him in colours he couldn't describe. Bright blues that looked like flames danced along with colours he associated with earth, a vibrant kaleidoscope of reality. It was as though both his Outer Sense and Inner Sense skills had been multiplied in quality, distance, and capability by leaps and bounds. He could see the very drops of mana swaying in the air as if caught in a breeze he couldn’t feel, moving in oceans of energy.

"You'll need those skills to survive here," she said, pulling her hand away and stepping back. "And avoid the cultivators at all costs. You won't survive an encounter."

Swallowing hard, reeling from what had just happened. Had this girl... Mei, just controlled the system? And how was she an administrator? He re-evaluated his circumstances. He felt overwhelmed as he reviewed the information. Although... one thing the young woman, Mei, had said bothered him. “How will I know who's a cultivator?” he asked.

She simply deadpanned, staring directly into Alex’s eyes “Trust me, you’ll know”.

Alex managed to rasp out in response, "And where... where am I?"

"In a town," the woman replied, almost too casually, "in one of the outer realms- or worlds, of the Martial Empire. They rule the multiverse and the system. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Alex was silent.

Soul of Blades - Next arc - Poll!

Hi guys,

I made some changes to the ending of the last arc, to show some more strength/brilliance/defiance from Alex right up until the end:

“As Alex made his own attempt to escape the chaos, praying he wouldn't be caught in the vortex's anomalous pull, a sudden force slammed into his stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

A boot had halted his attempted escape, pressing against his stomach. He met the eyes of the Fourth Prince. R'jdar.

“Magnificent.” The demon whistled. Debris and torn dirt flew by. Each headed in a different direction.

The prince looked down at Alex and attempted to pry the infinite blade from Alex’s wounded fingers. But even now on the brink of consciousness, Alex refused to let go. A blade erupted from the skin of Alex’s hand like a blooming petal, forcing R’djar to release the blade and mutter words of healing.

He eyed the human curiously, ignorant of the calamity that engulfed the world around them.

The smirk never left the demon.

He appraised Alex a final time, a sly smile crossing his face before he uttered;

"My thanks, human,"

and with a wink, shoved Alex into the collapsing portal.

Alex was swallowed by the void.”

And more importantly! I’m facing a bit of a conundrum, there’s a character to be introduced, a sort of long lived child I’d heard someone call a lolibaba (lol). But for the new version I was considering making her a regular woman, which someone said might be less impactful or boring.

what do you think would be better?

Soul of Blades - Interlude: Prince R'jdar

Prince R'jdar, the fourth prince of Haearthhel, was bored.

He had just entered a newly inducted middling E-ranked world and was waiting for something interesting to happen.

After promising his siblings and his father that he would conquer it within the hour to secure first rights, he had at least expected to encounter some resistance. However, nothing came his way.

Well, whatever. It's not like he had planned on actually taking over the town.

R'jdar hailed from the conquered world of Haearthhel. Their home world had been seeded with magic and the system by the martial empire many millennia ago.

Now, the demons invaded other newly inducted system worlds for resources, slaves, and to boost their technology and magic.

The young prince didn't have high hopes for this world, even though it was strangely abundant in rich and pure mana, slightly higher than what a fresh world of its rank should have. Despite this, It was still an averagely ranked world, filled with weaklings. Maybe in a few hundred years, it would be worth paying attention to.

The Demons of Haearthhel, his people, had used their infernal skills, classes, and magic to conquer many worlds on behalf of their masters, the martial empire's cultivators.

In the martial empire's home realm, cultivators possessed immense power and reshaped destinies. Low-grade worlds were entrusted to initiates who oversaw their management, while high-grade worlds were rare treasures, and the disciples' ambition was to ascend and seize their reins.

The Martial Empire was a universal power, controlling the energies and power of the universe, with unimaginable means and depths to their strength, dictating the flow of mana and magic. They were the universal arbiters, and their influence extended throughout the multiverse. Despite their dominance, the Empire faced challenges and trials in their quest for power and immortality.

R'jdar had seen imperials many times, but he had never interacted with them. To his understanding, the ones he had seen were the weakest among them, and yet they still possessed the power of gods.

Deep down, he wished to taste some of that strange power, but he knew it was impossible. He wished to break past the confines of his power, to seize worlds of his own, maybe even do the impossible and conquer an imperial, topple a god?

He chuckled, despite himself, at the idea. He was the weakest among his royal siblings and had not been blessed with the infernal gifts of his royal race, the perfected variants. It was a genetic defect of some sort.

He was only a little bit stronger than a human of his level, although none on this paltry planet could compare to him. He had been stripped of his birthright and all but abandoned until he showed them his true superiority.

Despite being weaker, he had never lost a duel, competition, challenge, or war game with any of his siblings, even though they were leagues above him in mana and strength.

Even now, his strength was further restricted, having entered a freshly inducted world protected by the system.

So he waited, for something, or someone useful.

Wasn't this planet supposed to be filled with masters of magic? Practically low-ranked gods in their own rights... Why were they all so weak? They were worse than children.

There was a reason he had arranged this incursion. Soon, he would have the strength to rival that of an imperial, and only then would he return to conquer Haearthhel.

But first, baby steps.

This farce of an invasion had almost succeeded. He had to pull back his forces, and even then, only one human had managed to break through.

The human seemed vaguely interesting, but ultimately just a primitive. But to break through so soon and alone meant the human held promise.

Yes, he would do nicely.

***

R'jdar's mind was abuzz with satisfaction as he reviewed the recent events that had unfolded before him—it had all gone according to plan, better than he could have anticipated.

Although, the local assassin he’d hired had quit before even so much as making a dent, “‘guaranteed satisfaction’ my ass’” he muttered before grinning in elation, his mood unassailable.

Things had gone exceedingly well.

Who would have thought that a mere human, fresh from the tutorial, could prove to be so resilient, so difficult to kill? He had initially intended to handle the incursion himself, using the human… what was it called... Alex? as his weapon. But he hadn't even needed to raise a claw!

A sinister cackle escaped his lips as he revelled in his good fortune, vowing to gift the first human he encountered with a weapon or skill crystal of some kind. He was in a good mood, contemplating his next move with euphoria.

R'jdar then pondered the events that had unfolded.

Mildly impressed, he marvelled at how someone on such a young planet, barely over a week old in the grand scheme of things, could endure such a formidable assault.

Even if his dim-witted siblings had been slow to take the threat seriously, that human had displayed a surprising level of strength and resilience. In a pitiful sort of way, he had accomplished the impossible.

Another burst of laughter erupted from R'jdar as he revelled in his continuous streak of good luck. Perhaps he should consider entering a system raffle?, he thought. Who knew how far his lucky streak would take him?

Jovially, R'jdar continued on his journey, his army nowhere in sight. He idly wondered how long he should wait before moving forward with his plan to assassinate his siblings.

These recent events had only further solidified his belief in his own superiority, and the demise of his foolish brethren seemed more imminent than ever. With every step he took, R'jdar's thoughts were consumed by a mixture of satisfaction, amusement, and anticipation for what lay ahead.

The time for reckoning was drawing near, and he would relish in the downfall of those who dared to challenge his dominance.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 59: The Swordmasters Gambit

Alex slashed, and the crystal exploded into shards, causing starry rain to shower the battlefield in all directions.

The portal, its power source shattered, shrieked in protest. Its size shrunk drastically.

The demons in transit weren't spared. Their forms contorted as they attempted to step between worlds and through reality, twisted in ways that defied nature. Some were crushed under the unrelenting force of the collapsing portal. Others flung into the unfathomable depths of the unknown, their screams fading into silence.

A pause fell over the battlefield. The remains of the crystal were strewn on the ground, their glow dimming.

Amongst the fragments of the destroyed crystal, Alex stood, a lone figure against the torrent of shock. The Demon Royals and their armies were silent, their shock painted clear across their faces. For a moment, just a heartbeat, everything stood still.

Silence. The only sound that could be heard, piercing the stillness, was Alex's panting breaths and the crackling of the shattered crystal, its pieces littering the ground in a mess of fallen stars.

The moment passed.

Like a storm breaking, the demon royalty stirred, their gazes fixed on the single figure amidst the ruins. Their eyes blazed with an unholy light. But despite this, Alex only had one thought echoing in his mind. Over and over again.

Destroy the remaining crystals.

His foot dug into the ground, and he was gone again. The world spun into motion, a cacophony of roars. And the Demon princes and princess were fixated on him.

This time, they followed.

Forwards. The third demon prince, his face twisted in fury, surged forward, the beat of silence shattered. Enraged, the third unleashed a devastating blow aimed at shattering Alex's vestigial defences. Yet, with Outer Focus, Alex sensed the fluctuations of mana in the air far ahead of time, enabling him to react with lightning speed. Summoning a blade into his free hand to parry the attack with precision, he narrowly escaped certain doom. He was flung backward as his blade shattered on impact, he immediately drew another from his inventory.

He felt a surge of heat behind him. With a swift twist, he activated Boundless Dodge. His world spun as his mana jerked him sideways. The ground erupted where he had stood a second ago. Despite dodging the initial blow, the intense heat of the attack scorched his arm completely black, rendering it useless. A weakness of the 'Boundless Dodge' skill, Alex realised. Attacks that affected wide areas couldn't be completely evaded by the skill. His heart beat rapidly in his chest from pain and frustration as he sped towards another crystal, the taste of adrenaline sharp on his tongue. 

The Third Prince, lean and muscular, stood in the smoking crater, his eyes cold and disdainful. The third had completely abandoned his lazy demeanour.

Red flesh and silver blades. That was all Alex saw. Demons were all around him. Thrusting with spears, swinging with swords, screaming in rage as Alex charged forwards. But so many. They tried to overwhelm him, to stop him with magic. He was only one man, after all. A captain thrust a smaller demon aside. He swung a axe as tall as he was at Alex. Alex spun, swung his leg and his foot flashed.

Blades and skin. A flaming blade erupted from his sole. The fusion was seamless, as if his flesh had become sheath and sword simultaneously. The edge sliced through the metal of the weapon and it’s wielder. The captain blurred past as Alex shot by. 

Panic and death. Panic spurred Alex onwards, the milliseconds ticking away like a countdown to doom. He flung himself forward with Phoenix Leap, his enhanced agility taking him far from the demonic royalty's reach. But they were relentless. He could feel the hot flush of their power, their predatory gazes locked onto him. “The rabbit is still running!” The third prince called. The provocation almost made Alex stop in his tracks.

But he pressed on. He would end this, and wipe the smugness from their twisted faces.

He could still sense his metallic clone. He felt it struggling in the background, through a connection that extended beyond himself. A ripple of shock ran through him at the fact that it was still standing. It may have only had half of Alex's strength, but being made purely of metal, it had durability in spades. It took a massive blow from a demon royal, the First prince. Sparks flew off its arm and shoulder as the limb exploded, creating a brilliant fireworks display amidst the carnage. But Alex’s demon sword clone still stood resolute, unfazed by the injury, carrying out his order; to fight. It was made of hardy stuff, without organs to slow it down.

The demonic forces thrashed against its metallic form like waves against a solitary rock. Its purpose wasn't to win. It was to distract. And it performed that role magnificently.

Death. In the corner of his eye, Alex spotted a graceful figure. The second Princess, in her beauty and terror. Her twisted, warped smile stretching wide as she advanced on his clone sent a wave of unease down his spine. She pounced on his clone head first, her mouth open impossibly wide.

Chomp. Snap. Crack.

Her gluttonous assault was a terrifying spectacle. Each gargantuan, grotesque bite consumed a portion of his clone. The clone twisted free and charged.

And the second Princess lunged, a blur of deceptive beauty and monstrous agility. Alex's clone met her with its remaining arm, the sword held in a death grip. They clashed, the sound ringing through the air.

An explosion rocked the battlefield. The collision of the second princess's spell with the sovereign clone's metallic body sending shockwaves rippling through the surroundings, leaving destruction in its wake. The clone lay in many tattered pieces, rippling and shifting back into the form of a shattered blade.

Alex had to act quickly.

Fatigue settled upon him as the battle raged on. Wounds and burns adorned his body, a vivid canvas of his struggle. Blood mingled with sweat, staining the ground beneath his feet, as both sides fought to halt the inevitable.

“Worm!” the first prince spat.

Alex barely caught the sound, his eyes focused to the brink of insanity. 

Three crystals left.

***

“Forget trying to capture him. He is just one human. Focus on protecting the crystal. Then we will catch him.”

“I will find out what he knows, and how he has attained it. With the knowledge—”

“Brother! Sister! Shut up!”

The the first prince roared. The second princes flushed a deep and angry red, affronted. The third prince clenched a fist as if to retaliate. All present chasing their heels raised their heads in alarm.

The first prince saw the crystal shatter. The world shook, and so did his, but not from the fallout. It was his anger boiling. The human stood amidst ruins, then dashed, headed for the final pieces. 

The oldest prince's wrath boiled as he watched the battlefield descend into chaos, all due to the fleeing human. His eyes, cold as the void between worlds, sought Alex amidst the turmoil. 

“Insolence.”

His two siblings raged and yelled in arguement as the first uttered the word. One sibling wished to secure the remaining crystals. The other sought to uncover the humans secrets. But the first wasn’t listening. The first Prince of many was focused on the young human evading their soldiers. the human fled at speeds that almost touched upon their own. Almost. The humans body summoned blades, phantom warriors, and his mana appeared to constantly pull him from harms way— a rare class, then. He had seen many of those. He pointed at Alex and his warriors roared, surging at his position. 

His disdain for humanity deepened with each passing breath. This newly inducted human had disrupted order, a feat thought impossible. The human had touched upon something that resembled the Dao. Although perhaps the First had been mistaken. It could not have been the Dao, that would be another impossibility. And now, he threatened to destroy their conquest. The prince vowed retribution. Alex would pay.

He would not taste failure. Never again. He had to capture him. Or kill him. At this point it mattered not.

An exhale. Smoke and flames escaped pursed lips, curling to the blood red sky. The First Prince did something he had never imagined himself having to do. Not in all his years.

He began to take a human seriously.

***

At the corner of the battlefield, the Second Princess was a blur of agile motion. Her predatory gaze burned into Alex’s back. Suddenly, he felt weaker. It was her, he realised. Her eyes. They were sapping his vitality. Barely had he grasped the situation when his Inner Focus emerged, shedding off the enchanting gaze, focusing solely on his own internal mana flow.

And from the corner of his vision, he detected a rush of darkness, the Second Princess had begun surging toward him, a twisted, warped grin adorning her angelic face. She was impossibly fast. Her razor teeth reflected the light, an unsettling paradox of beauty and terror. With a swift swivel, Alex called upon his Boundless Dodge and Phoenix Leap, mana seizing his body and pulling him into a swift, unnatural motion. He evaded her strike by a hair's breadth, her inky strands grazing past him.

She pouted as he soared away, and launched after him.

He landed, then, on nothing but air. Unseen magic propelled him into a sideways somersault, narrowly avoiding a shower of shadow-blades manifesting from the Third Prince's hands. The intensity of their exchange exhausted Alex's very being, and the countdown on his Mana Burn was almost done. Yet it was the very key to his survival. Repeatedly, he invoked Boundless Dodge, each time narrowly escaping the fatal designs of his enemies. The Sovereign Executioner surged into visibility and retreated into nothingness. A shield in one instance, a blade in the other.

His stamina continued to deplete rapidly, his wounds making each move a struggle. The timer on his Mana burn ticked. His strength dwindled. Mana burn had boosted his stats, but at a great cost.

His focus shifted. From the outer chaos to the inner reservoir of mana. Inner Focus, activated.

Ten seconds. That was all he had left.

The first demon prince surged forward, a blurred shadow of fury in the stillness. His fist was a comet of dark energy, cutting through the air towards Alex.

Alex was ready- Boundless dodge. His body spun gracefully around the incoming strike, bending reality to his will. An afterimage was all the fist found.

[Boundless dodge - Mastery: 0 > 5%]

A second fist immediately surged towards him. Alex mentally yelled at his skill to activate, Boundless do—

The impact sent him flying. Blood spurted from his lips as he felt something, several somethings within his chest, crack.

But the impact had sent him hurtling at speed towards the remaining crystals. His skill, had somehow activated just enough to alter his trajectory.

He dismissed the notification as a cascade of deadly shards flew towards him. The second demon princess was the source, her power billowing around her like a tempest.

Yet, in that moment, Alex was focused. Through the myriad of pain that assaulted him. A completely burned back, a deep gash across his chest- slightly exposing a glimpse of his organs, his arm burned into a unusable form he could barely recognised, and a portion of his ribs destroyed, encroaching into what felt like a punctured lung. Darkness pooled into the corners of his vision but he fought against it with all he had. With an effort of will he remained conscious, but it was fading. In the old world, he would have been long dead. But this wasn't the old world. Alex mentally vowed to invest more stats into endurance, if he survived this. A Phoenix Leap sent him skywards, the ground receding beneath him.

The Second Princess's attack sliced through the air where he had stood, scouring the earth. His eyes scanned the battlefield while he was speeding through the air. The third crystal was close.

He descended, plunging towards the crystal.

He struck.

The mana blade shone blindingly bright at the point of impact. A Dao-infused attack shattered the crystal, the force of the strike scattering fragments across the battlefield in a wave of force.

The portal shrieked.

Starved of its energy source, it began to shrink. More world-travelling demons were caught in the backlash, their screams echoed as they were flung into the void or twisted and destroyed.

The demon royalty froze once more. Their armies did, too.

The respite was fleeting. They were upon him once more, a torrent of magical assaults pouring down on him.

Alex was undeterred.

He swung his Mana Blade, decimating another crystal.

The portal convulsed, shrinking further, trembling the ground.

A sharp pain blossomed in his leg.

The third prince had struck. His precision was devastating, slicing off Alex's leg with searing accuracy. Pain engulfed Alex as the demon incinerated the remains.

Yet, even as pain threatened to cloud his senses, his focus remained unbroken.

There was one crystal left.

Desperation. Alex was almost out of mana, with just two seconds left. His mana reserves were beyond finished, on the brink of depletion.

One second. That was all the time Inner Focus told him he had before he would lose access to his skills. Before his life would end. The pounding in his head from overusing his Dao was excruciating, and each pulse sent blinding flashes across his vision. The world spun around him. He knew he might pass out at any moment, but he continued to fight against the encroaching darkness with all he had. Falling unconscious was not an option, not now.

Out of options, he moved.

With no other alternative left, he acted. With a swift move, his hand plunged onto the final crystal, using his Inventory skill to store it away. The moment the crystal vanished, the portal - the demons incursion point - reacted. It began to collapse, reality shifting as it became unstable.

An unstable portal was a dangerous thing.

The portal, now starved of its energy source, imploded. The once stable entrance to the demon realm twisted and convulsed, its form warping as it fought against its inevitable destruction. Then, with a final shudder, it birthed a voracious vortex, a spatial anomaly.

The battlefield was chaos. Demons scattered in all directions, fleeing the spatial calamaty.

The vortex was relentless, sporadically sucking in everything within reach, crushing or warping or simply vanishing every thing sucked in to oblivion or the unknown. It drew everything into its depths. Nearby demons, caught in its pull, were crushed and warped, their forms disappearing into the unfathomable depths of the anomaly. The battlefield, once filled with the noise of war, now rang with the chilling sounds of the vortex's insatiable hunger.

The demon royalty fled. All around him, demons scattered in all directions, their focus shifted from capturing him to their own survival.

As Alex made his own attempt to escape the chaos, praying he wouldn't be caught in the vortex's anomalous pull, a sudden force slammed into his stomach and knocked the wind out of him.

A boot had halted his attempted escape, pressing against his stomach. He met the eyes of the Fourth Prince. R'jdar.

“Magnificent.” The demon whistled. Debris and torn dirt flew by. Each headed in a different direction.

The prince looked down at Alex and attempted to pry the infinite blade from Alex’s wounded fingers. But even now on the brink of consciousness, Alex refused to let go. A blade erupted from the skin of Alex’s hand like a blooming petal, forcing R’djar to release the blade and mutter words of healing.

He eyed the human curiously, ignorant of the calamity that engulfed the world around them.

The smirk never left the demon.

He appraised Alex a final time, a sly smile crossing his face before he uttered;

"My thanks, human,"

and with a wink, shoved Alex into the collapsing portal.

Alex was swallowed by the void.

His world winked out of existence. The last vestige of reality was the fourth prince’s chuckling laughter, a chilling sound ringing in his mind as he was hurled into the abyss.

Helpless, Alex fell into the void—an abyss of dimensional anomalies that winked in and out of existence.

He vanished.

Soul of Blades -  Interlude: Omnicidal Fred

Godfred, level 67 Omnicidal Hitman

A month ago, Godfred had been the greatest assassin this land had ever seen.

They had called him ‘The Reaper’. People had even begun to attribute him to unexplained deaths. A foolish king fell from his balcony after nights of drunken hedony? It was the Reaper, they would say. Godfred had thought it was a silly name. But he couldn’t blame them for it. after all, his true exploits were unrivalled. His accomplishments were stuff of legend. He was a ghost to those who had only heard of him in hushed tones, a legend made not of appearances but of absences.

His acts had been tales told in all corners of the world, marking him as the most silent of agents, a shadow that even darkness feared to embrace. His name was whispered in fear, yet none could claim to have seen his face. He had navigated the labyrinth of the undercity, unseen, to eliminate this era's king of thieves, a figure whose existence was so shrouded in secrecy that his existence was a mere rumor, much like his own. He had journeyed across a sea that reflected no stars, boarding a ghost ship to dispatch its captain cursed with immortality, slipping away as if he were never there. A judge, too noble for his own good, heart ceased in a crowded courtroom with not so much as a blemish. All of it Godfreds doing. And most recently, He had infiltrated the impregnable fortress dungeons, places untouched by sunlight and guarded by creatures of myth. Alone, he bypassed wards, beasts, and traps, all to assassinate a sleeping demigod.

But that was a past life, before his magic and aura had been stripped from him.

In the blink of an eye, everything changed. The magic that had defined him, the very essence of his being, had vanished, replaced by something new. Where once there was a seamless flow of movement, a certainty in each step, now there was hesitation. The world seemed different, sounds quieter and colors brighter, as if he had been reborn into reality as a babe. The world had blurred edges now, colors and shapes melding into one another where once clarity reigned. But it didn’t matter. 

Now, he was just Fred. 

A reset, they had called it. A chance to start anew. Fred scoffed at the notion. The loss of his magic and Aura had not diminished him; it had distilled him to his core. Skills honed over a lifetime of shadows and darkness now came to the forefront, guiding his hand, his eyes, his steps, his everything. It required adaptation, a return to basics, to the core of his being as an assassin.

There was a purity in this challenge, a return to the fundamentals of his trade.

And not to mention the benefits of his class. Its skills and capabilities made him more of what he had once been. He did not see it as being diminished, or even reset. No, Fred had been refined.

His class skills had made his life so much easier, and his passives had expanded his range. Presence of the Mundane would force those around him to constantly overlook his being, and experience a strange form of mass hallucination. He didn’t even need to wear a skin mask!  It was freeing, and allowed him to experience a form of normalcy that had been alien to him his entire life. It coupled well with his other passive skills, like Divine Alias, which allowed him to choose a fake cover-class. But his favorite skill of all, Two-For-One, had even given him a few temporary cobbler skills! No longer would he have to spend days or weeks learning cover-trades before jobs. 

To Fred, the reset was pretty damned great.

And to be honest, he found the life of a cobbler strangely fulfilling, with its simple days and novelties. The quiet warmth of the town's citizens had been a refreshing change from the constant fear and grandstanding he faced from others familiar with his trade or victim to it. He no longer found himself acting when interacting with civilians, he was being himself for the first time in his life. Perhaps if he had not fallen into the profession of assassination, he would have been a cobbler or a shopkeep? Perhaps that was his true calling?

In a past life, maybe.

Ash and hardened magma crunched underfoot as he pursued his unknowing guide, his thoughts returning to the present. His latest Job was proving to be as interesting as his past ones, moreso, in some ways, given the unprecedented nature of the events he was witnessing. He had been following a strangely capable man, Alex, to the center of the incursion before he’d lost track of him— how was he so fast? Fred wondered idly before dismissing the thought to refocuse on his target; the red light in the sky. Alex’s speed and secrets didn’t matter. The only thing Fred cared for was completing the job.

He had been paid a hefty sum to complete this task, in materials and enchanted equipment of a quality and durability he had never seen, despite his wealth of experience. And so the Job would be done, not because he was the best, but because Fred was a professional.

Whether it was a system reset, an incursion , or the end of the world as they knew it, to Fred, this was no different from any other day, any other  night, or any other job.

***

Shadows shifted up ahead, twisting into shapes no human could make, gathering like they were gearing up for something big. The shadows moved through the smoke in Fred’s path—a demonic army? Several armies? He paused and studied the demons, noting their numbers, their movements, their leadership.

Just more targets.

The job was the same. Eliminate the target, complete the contract. Demons or men, it didn't matter. He calculated, planned. No fear, no sentiment—useless emotions on the job.

Someone powerful wanted this dungeon closed.

The first step Fred took was not a declaration of war but a commencement of work. His blade, his skills, his mind—those were what he relied on. Magic was a convenience, not a crutch. He moved, a silent shadow among shadows.

As the first shadow took form, a creature of nightmares made flesh, he stabbed, and it died like any other. Fred’s blade spun, finding its mark through a maze of guards, unnoticed. He stepped between light, his skill, Lightless Void, causing its rays to miss him entirely and rendering him invisible. Red flesh parted effortlessly, cascading into maroon bursts as he moved among them unseen, a silent reaper hidden from all’s.

The back line fell in droves of confusion, demonic soldiers wondering as to why their comrades collapsed without cause to unexplained injuries. Blood drenched him, water mixing with mud at his feet. His grip on the blade remained firm, an old friend in his palm. 

An alarm sounded, panic ensued.

More soldiers fell, and more soldiers rose to take their place. How many of them are there? Fred wondered, exhaustion creeping into the edges of his movements. This is going to take forever, he lamented internally, before moving to complete his goal.

The blood fell harder, a relentless cascade blurring the edges of his vision. The world seemed smeared, like a painting left out in a storm. He watched the droplets carve rivers through the air, and settled into the task at hand.

Then they saw him; a momentary shift in the dark. One had a perception skill, Fred’s Appraisal had labeled it as ‘Dispel’. It removed his camouflage and forced him into the light. Fred stood surrounded and exposed, his veil of secrecy shattered.

A sea of armored demons stared up at him. Monstrous variants lurched forwards, his equal in height. Fred stared down. And then he saw the demons raise bows.

The job started.

As the first arrow cut through the air, time seemed to fold upon itself. The moment stretched, filled with the acrid scent of fear and the sharp tang of steel. He noted the archer's lower level, his stance, the bow's tension— “Amateur. Return Death,” he muttered. The arrow landed in the archer's eye.

Then they surrounded him, an endless number of infernals with levels of all ranges, few of them matched of his own. Fred scoffed. 

The confrontation was brief; His blade sliced, and demon flesh parted like dark curtains, revealing nothing but boiling blood behind. The demonic soldiers fell. Their mages, consumed by overconfidence, never sensed the strikes that silenced them forever. 

A champion stepped forward to face him, armed to the teeth in defensive gear. The ground itself appeared to recoil from the demons' touch, the earth scarred by the darkness that trod upon it. Fred’s enchanted blade found gaps no armor could cover, guided by experience honed beyond mortal limits. Breath steady, he exhaled with a stab and breathed in with retraction, measured. 

The champion fell. More champions rose to take his place, an endless stream of soldiers, enraged.

Fred’s blood fell, too. It's just water, he thought, scanning the blood red and flame filled sky. Drops hit the ground, keeping him grounded. A strike landed, breaking past Fred’s defences. More strikes were repelled by his armour but shook his bones. Fred tutted in irritation. More of his blood fell, now. The reset had weakened him, dulled his senses. And the soldiers. There were just so many of them, too many. 

“Evil Malleus.” He heard a dying demon call him as he impaled it, flinging its lifeless form into the masses.

“Evil Malefica.” Its comrade raged as he chopped wide, bisecting many.

Evil? Me? Fred laughed, his blood spraying at the action to paint his lips. “Foolish. Our system has no morality.” 

His next swing was a statement. Then a block to counter a demonic champion's rebuttal. It slashed, and Fred’s stab was a final argument made in the language of warfare.

An arrow pierced his thigh.

He snapped its shaft in frustration. It would take him way too long to reach the center, and he was starting to get tired.

How in Pyra’s name did Alex manage to make it so far? He wondered, arching his back to lean out of the path of a swinging mace.

No matter. He had done this before, countless times. Names and faces, forgotten. Only the job remained. This was what he did. Nothing changed. Not even now.

Another arrow pierced his side, and lightning struck his back. Fred hissed in pain at injuries he hadn’t felt in years. He swung, and the offending archer fell, bisected. He stabbed, and the lightning wielding demon fell, but Fred’s movements had begun to slow.

This isn’t working, if this continues… I could die. He had to return to his fundamentals; the essence of assassination. It lay not in brutal conquest or open combat. His profession shone brightest in the dark, in stealth.

“Lightless Void,” Fred vanished into the spaces between light and moved with the certainty of one who knew no doubt. 

Forwards. Blade met flesh. Flesh gave way. Again. And again. A bloodbath. In the distance, Alex raced with speed, a whirl of blades, magic, and demonic blood. Fred twisted, keeping clear of innumerable deadly swings. Two versus an army.

Amidst the clash, a single demon's eye reflected a world turned to fire and ash. brief glimpses of despair that moved in the form of a human— no, a spectre of death. The blood of its kin hung in the air, suspended in time as the spectre moved in ways it could hardly follow. It finally caught sight of the spectre's blade, cutting through the entirety of its being. Too late. It fell, dead.

Another demon took its place. Targets fell, one by one. More targets surged to take their place. 

This isn’t working, Fred repeated internally. A blast of heat and flame singed his back, and Fred gasped in pain and realisation. It was impossible, and he would soon have to retreat or face death. He couldn't make it in time, there were just too many, and they were too strong. 

But Alex, far ahead in the center was still alive somehow, though not for long by the looks of things. Despite the distance, Fred could see it clearly.

The army of demons didn’t slow down. They didn’t waver. they were running, chasing a young man across the flame twisted space. Following him.

The man with an unreadable class rocketed through the battlefield at speeds that caused Fred’s eyebrows to raise in surprise. He moved so fast that he appeared to stretch, leaving after images to all but those with the highest of levels. Fred noted with mild interest that Alex drew ever-closer to Fred’s true target— the incursion crystals. Fred had been tasked with destroying them, but It appeared that Alex had the same goal, though he wouldn’t survive its execution.

A smirk tugged at a single corner of Fred’s lips. Elation, the first real emotion he’d felt all day.

It seems as though this job would complete itself, he concluded, fading into the darkness between light in retreat, much to the confusion of the surrounding demonic soldiers. 

He would no longer offer his aid. 

Alex was on his own.

Soul of Blades - Chapter 58: Chaos

[2 hour mana cooldown ended. Skills now available for use]

In less than a blink, Alex summoned the brood mothers red skill crystal, its facets nestling hidden within his clasped fingers.

“Assimilate Nexus.” He breathed. He had less than a tenth of a second to do this. He would have to be quick.

[Infernal Spawn: The user will become—]

He ignored the text, eyes racing to his options.

[- ̶̯͇̈́̈͛Error̶̯͇̈́̈͛—]

[Target Primary Class: ̷̷͎̠̠̖̳̮̿́̏̄͝͠Sys̵̞̈́͆̓̓te̸̪̟͇͕͂mic S—]

[System Message: Choose one of 2 Ski—]

[Sovereign Decree: Words of sovereignty are law, and all must follow regardless of creed or ethos or be punished…]

An AOE skill… Debuffs… but conditional… this won’t help me reach the crystal. Even dilated, his thoughts were a blur deprived of time. He couldn’t afford to waste the little he had. He skipped the rest. 

[Sovereign Clone: The sovereign sword is eternal, unfettered, and unbound. The eternal sovereign's only limit is the sword…]

Unfettered… unbound… clone... a clone skill. A distraction. Perfect.

[Class skill ‘Sovereign Clone’ gained!]

His consciousness returned to a precarious reality; surrounded, outnumbered, and outclassed. Without hesitation, he immediately activated his skills, one after the other until there were none left to call.

“Mana Blade. Boundless dodge. Phoenix leap. Sovereign Executioner. Sovereign Clone. Mana Burn.”

As Alex crouched, muttering the words, his grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. He felt his mana wrap around his legs, ready to launch him in a direction of his choosing. In a single breath, a surge of magic flowed through him, and his white sword, weightless, began to change. His eyes widened in astonishment as the metal rippled, transforming into a brilliant white-silver metallic replica of himself. A clone, born from the very essence of the enchanted sword, stood before him, holding its own shining blade that seemed welded to its palm, as if the blade was a part of its white-silver body, or had sprouted from it. It was still covered in the barely visible patterns of enchantment he'd seen on the white sword pulled from his chest.

He sensed that he could issue the clone orders, vague commands, and did so. He told it to do one thing.

“FIGHT!”

Alex exploded forward in a burst of motion, a spray of volcanic rock jetting outwards as he launched into a swift charge, pushing against the ground with a fierce surge of power. His clone charged at the nearest demon, the mass of enchanted metal blindly following his order without thought. Alex summoned the Flameblade from his inventory and plunged it into his chest, then drew for his limitless blade as the world around him blurred. It’s ability to steal energy could prove life-saving.

[Grade F Skill: WeightedBody (Active) removed!]

[Grade F Skill: FlameBody (Active) gained!]

In that moment, in the far corners of the armies edge where cooling magma met laid stone and infernal landscape met civilisation, a spray of demonic bodies erupted, showering the air with armoured rain.

Someone else had entered the battlefield’s edge, and It looked to be someone powerful.

Alex turned mid-flight, peering at a distant, barely visible figure attempting to battle their way past the army's backline. The figure was huge, a giant of a man, whose vaguely familiar visage stirred lost memories within him.

Wait… is that? Despite the desperate situation, Alex did a double-take while soaring through the air, the battlefield still whirring past at blinding speed.

He squinted.

“Is that FRED!?”

***

To Alex, the entire world was a blur.

The melee caused by Fred the cobbler, at the edges of the legion had split its forces, a valuable distraction that bought Alex precious time. I knew there was something weird about that guy!, Alex thought between dodges, before spears of flames streaking toward his path forced his mind to screech to a halt.

He didn’t even have time to process the glimpses of destruction he had just witnessed the mild mannered Cobbler unleash, and in the present moment he found that he could hardly care- that was the least of his worries. 

With eyes focused solely on the portal looming in the distance, and the crystals that lay within, Alex continually launched forward. He was a comet streaking across the battlefield, a beacon for all who wished him dead. The earth beneath Alex cracked and split as he surged, a plume of smoke and flame trailing in his wake, leaving a wake of molten rock and debris with every movement.

His next step hit the chest of a lesser demon, caving it in. Its howl cut short as A Mana Blade cleaved through it. But he was already gone, his form blurring in a frenzied display.

The world spun around him as Boundless Dodge snapped into effect. A huge demon lunged at him, its glaive aiming for his chest. But the space where he stood was instantly empty, replaced by a gust of wind as he was shifted aside by his mana.

An instant later, he reappeared, the wind rushing past him, as a Phoenix Leap propelled him through the air. His Mana Blade shone brightly in his hand, leaving streaks of blue light in its wake as it sliced through the demon, splitting it into pieces.

The melee at the edges had given Alex a chance, but he couldn't afford to stay still for a moment, any hesitation could be his last. Any unseen attack could be his end. He was surrounded. And he had to keep moving. The skill 'boundless dodge' lay on the tip of his tongue, he clung to it like it a parachute in free fall.

His Sovereign Executioner appeared and disappeared, its trajectory unpredictable as a meteor shower slicing through the fabric of space. The construct blinked in and out of reality around him like an orbiting star. Cutting, slashing, and blocking blows with its ephemeral form. 

Watching Alex with the mild disinterest of a hunter watching a fern, The Third Prince huffed lazily before disappearing from his perch atop his brood mother in a wisp of shadows.

Alex suddenly sensed a presence behind him. A shifting of air and sound that painted the image of a man, sprouting from his shadow. He whirled around in a panic, the light of his Mana Blade slashing through the air, right where the demon had been a moment ago. But the third of sloth was gone, and nothing but smoke remained.

The demonic Third prince reappeared some distance away, standing behind the First prince.

The lazy Third Prince observed Alex’s flight with continued disinterest. “It attempts to escape brother, perhaps it will fight us” He turned to regard the eldest.

In that moment, before the eldest could respond, Alex’s sovereign clone barrelled through demon guards, it's weight uncontested and unstoppable. Each turn and tilt of the clone revealed new depths, as if the very fabric of space clung to its enchanted edges. Its steps defied the pull of the earth, yet in motion, held a weight that anchored it firmly to the root of its path. It was unstoppable.

And it clashed with the eldest, the First prince. The First did not even deign to draw a weapon, and instead butted his head against the clone's swinging sword. Blade met horn in a spray of sparks. The force threw the clone backwards. It skidded across the battlefield, gouging the ground, its face a half-obliterated mask of some strange demonic metal. Still, it got up, the enchanted-metal twisting, repairing.

It met a wall of blades.

A laugh, as harsh as grinding stones, rumbled from the First Prince. “Fight?” he jerked his head towards Alex “It's only just begun to understand the meaning of the word.” He then stretched his arm towards the human's direction.

Far away, a burning sensation immediately engulfed Alex. From below him, volcanic rock shot out like a geyser, shaped into a grasping hand covering the battlefield in an attempt to drag him down. A Boundless dodge saved him from its grasp, but could not prevent his back from being completely scorched by the intense flames, his defensive gear immediately shattering on impact. As he dodged, the prince clasped his hand into a fist, and the giant volcanic hand beneath Alex exploded.

Alex went flying, briefly losing consciousness as his world became filled with fiery pain.

Far from the maddening rush of battle, his metallic clone moved through the demon horde in response. Each step of the clone felt like an earthquake, each strike resonating like a gong. Its being was made purely of a dense and heavy metal from the demons homeworld, duplicated and increased by the magic of Alex's skill. The metallic clone held its ground, a tower amidst the assaulting storm. The demons swarmed to the moving statue, their attacks as relentless as a tide, covering it in dents, scratches and erosion. But the clone was unyielding, relentless in the face of a storm of magic, claws, and blades. It sought only to fulfil its original's command, to 'fight. 'Its metallic form was suddenly punctured by the second princess, who leapt forwards head first in a devastating lunging bite.

Yet the clone still surged on, obeying the original's command and causing havoc among the demon ranks.

Desperation engulfed Alex as he gasped awake in free fall towards the mass of demonic Guards. The Royalty watched his decent with mild curioisty, wondering if 'the native' was still alive. Alex's pain and desperation pushed him to the brink, fueling his boundless dodge. In swift succession, he leapt, twisted, and sidestepped, his body blurring through the chaos.

Not all of his dodges were successful. An errant strike sent him off course and crashing to the ground, a large gash forming across his chest.

Alex gritted his teeth and Leapt through the pain.

He was breathless. He wanted to throw up, run away, and escape. But he wouldn’t. Everywhere he looked, a wall of night was charging at him. Metallic red armor. Obsidian red skin. Glowing red eyes. The demon royals army was racing, roaring, chasing. But he ran on. Because he couldn’t stop.

Alex Ironwood’s heart was in his throat.

Burns, cuts, bruises. Blood fell freely as he weaved through the carnage of attacks from the surrounding guards. He could die here, he realised. Each new wound, each close shave, was bringing him closer to death. In a desperate bid to survive, Alex reached for something greater than himself, and then he felt it. The ancient resonance within and around him, the Dao of true immortality, infused in everything. He felt how every heartbeat, every breath, every move connected him deeper to the universe. And he channelled those truths into and beyond his palm. Change. Destruction. Rebirth. His weapon hummed in response, its form warping, shifting, eager to wreak havoc.

As whispers of rebirth and oblivion twirled around the core of the blade, it shifted. The Dao flooded his blade. It was a stream of impermanence, and destruction. A cyclical storm infused into the metal, and an unfathomable energy of impermanence, change, destruction, and rebirth poured continuously into his blade from his surroundings. The weapon shivered and warped even further, light condensing and twisting around it as it thrummed with the promise of unfathomable destruction. Of change.

It was no longer just a blade, it was a connection, a bridge to a truth of the universe held within the grasp of a mortal.

Around him, the demon royals reacted. Their eyes widened in realization, their bodies freezing for a split second before they were all in motion, moving frantically to intercept him.

"Stop him!" the First prince bellowed. The command boomed in the open space, igniting the dormant chaos.

Lesser demons threw themselves in Alex's path, eyes full of twisted hunger. They were met with steel. His Boundless Dodge threw him from one target to the next, in a journey of death and destruction. His Mana Blade tore through flesh and bone, the guards feeble screams cutting through the cacophony of the battlefield.

Alex sped towards the pillar of light.

Again, he activated Boundless Dodge. His senses flared, his body moving on its own, evading a rain of magic and claws. They were fast, the royals, matching him step for step, gaining closer every second. Perhaps even faster. Each breath he drew brought him a hair's breadth away from death.

They were gaining ground.

Desperation coursed through Alex in waves as he activated boundless dodge, his body moving with unparalleled agility to dodge attacks from all directions. His senses strained to breaking, his construct blocked what could not be evaded, and his BladeBody sliced at those that came too close. Boundless Dodge, he mouthed without breath. He repeated the skill relentlessly, relying on it as his lifeline in the face of overwhelming odds as his mana plummeted. In that moment, the demon princes acted. A bulge of darkness erupted behind him as torrents of volcanic rock surged from in front. Another explosion was coming.

Phoenix Leap.

Alex accelerated and dodged. Up, then down, then up again. The battlefield was a blur. Then, he reached his target.

His trajectory ended at the center of the incursion. The pillar of light. The portal.

The crystal.

Alex crashed into it, his blade performing a deadly pirouette. His Dao, his stats, and his Mana Blades were all unleashed in a spinning slash, striking the crystal with a force that exploded in a wave of pressure.

The crystal shattered.