The arrow fell like a meteor. The same one I always had charged up, waiting in the sky in case of emergencies. Now infused with my nightmare augmentation.
It fell, the sky shattering, the space tearing around it.
The same second I released my hold on it, it made contact.
The creature chasing me looked up. But it was too late, far too late. It tried to move its body, but it failed. It's large, plump body stuck between buildings.
I had perfectly trapped it.
Then there was white. Not a flashbang, not temporary. Everything turned white, I counted the seconds.
One, two, three, four.
Finally, the white vanished after ten seconds.
I opened my eyes, only to close them again.
Sound returned with a vengeance. It felt as if my eardrums themselves had shattered into tiny pieces.
I waited another half a minute. The aftermath settling.
I opened my eyes, curiosity burning in them.
Only for them to widen.
As I didn't see the body of the creature. Nor a building. Nor a street. It was all just, gone. As if never being there.
I looked around, baffled by the raw force that had to be tearing through everything. I myself remained upright, with barely an injury.
Finally, the kill confirmation arrived.
[You have slain a Dormant Devil, Sludge wall.]
I stared at the message for a moment. Then grinned.
"Yes!" I shouted out, joy coursing through the entirety of my body.
I had proven myself, to myself.
I didn't want to rely on Fenrir or any of my family members for all the tough fights I will fight. I myself, wanted to be strong. And this, this was proof.
Sure, I had the arrow long prepared. But I can always do that while fighting, it was very simple. And clearly, very effective.
I marched towards the corpse, or rather, the soul shards that remained where it died. These shards, would bring me closer to the maximum amount of fragments. That meant several things.
My progress would slow. And I could start saving any and all soul shards. Of course, I would buy memories. Perhaps a place in the dream realm.
I picked up the four dormant soul shards. Glee surging through my veins.
And then I sensed blood, approaching, fast.
I ignored it for a moment before realizing that this blood was similar to mine.
I sighed, but my satisfaction didn't leave me.
I merely warped on top of a rooftop, directly in front of a squad of people.
The same people who had taken away my right arm.
Then I sensed more, a second squad following the first.
I noticed Morgan stop, clearly having noticed me.
She approached quickly, but not threateningly. It seems, she had learned. I debated on summoning a few arrows, but decided, for once. That I would not start the violence.
I jumped off the rooftop, warping right in front of Morgan.
She quickly stopped, a few meters between us.
It was Morgan's advantage at such a range. Or at least it used to be.
Now? Every range was my advantage.
She slightly raised her hands. I did as well. But the [Vamparic dagger] didn't vanish back into my soul sea.
I wanted to see what would happen yes, but I was wary of a sneak attack. Especially from that dammed archer.
Finally, I decided to speak first.
"What brings you here?"
I smiled softly, eyes glinting with amusement.
She scowled, but answered nonetheless.
"You, of course."
A short, crisp, dignified response. As expected of a princess.
I sat down, crossing my legs.
"Well then. I will make you a simple offer."
She paused, raising an eyebrow. Then nodded.
My smile widened into a small grin.
"You tell me. What do the people paying you want from me? And I don't kill the second squad approaching."
Her eyes widened. Disbelief visible.
She clearly hadn't expected me to be aware of her backup. A mistake.
I raised my hand, the dagger glinting ominously in my hand.
Then I extended my pointer finger upwards.
Morgan didn't look, she didn't need to.
She already knew what I meant.
Arrows, which I hadn't actually summoned yet.
I could see the squad now. They were definitely not mere awakeneds like me. No, they were masters. Hopefully not at the level of Morgan.
And Morgan herself? She was stalling.
A scowl replaced the small grin.
I stood up, my long hair swaying.
My finger curled back, making a full fist.
"You have three seconds."
"One."
I didn't even get time to say two, when Morgan sighed.
"Fine."
My smile returned, slightly forced. Pretending wasn't easy. But I needed this information. I needed it badly. I needed to know how far they would go to reach me. Why did they want me?
She herself sat down, in a more dignified manner. She also sat down in a position she would be able to quickly stand up from.
"Call them all off. Not a single one approaches."
She hesitated for a fraction but did it nonetheless.
I could feel their movements slow down, but they didn't stop.
"I said call them off, not slow them down."
At that, Morgan's eyes widened.
She pressed a finger to her earpiece once again, this time. I heard the words clearly.
"I said stop. Not slow down. This is an order!"
She hissed. Frustration was audible in her tone.
There was no callback. And instead of stopping, they sped up again.
I summoned the [Twilight bow] at once. Three arrows already warping into the sky.
I stared into Morgan's eyes, my own emotionless. A facade, perfect enough to be mistaken for the real deal.
"It seems. Your authority is nothing."
Morgan stood up, a grimace on her face. It seemed, she was aware of what had happened. Perhaps an equally high-ranked person was with them. Or perhaps even higher.
Not good. But nothing to worry about.
Talking to people was nice. And fighting them improved my own lack of skill.
A win-win situation.
Then Morgan dashed towards me. It seemed she realized I hadn't had any arrows set up before this. And she correctly guessed that the one I had just shot would require time to charge.
I warped away, now sitting on a rooftop, my legs dangling from the edge.
"Come on Morgan! You don't need to do this!"
I laughed out, the thrill of fighting humans burning through my veins. Adrenaline surged, my heart pounded.
This was so, so much more fun than fighting creatures. So much more exhilarating...
I dodged a sword flying towards me, it cleaving through the building behind me with ease.
I whistled,
"That's some serious throwing skill, not to mention the strength."
Morgan paused, I wasn't sure why. But she did.
Then she raised her hands. Looking towards the side. Of course, I had already sensed the gazes. Her own squad, as well as the second one had arrived. Staying on the sidelines. Circling.
They wanted to exhaust me with Morgan.
They didn't consider that if Morgan were in trouble. They would be too far away to help.
A despicable action.
"Such great teammates you have. Using you as a tool to exhaust me."
My voice, filled with disgust, sounded out. I wasn't shouting, but the others had heard me clearly.
An arrow shot towards me, the same crystalline pinkish sword.
I merely warped it away, and it ended up at the archer's feet.
And then I was sent flying. What hit me? No idea.
[Assassin's wear] burned brightly. Bluntness and Kinetic easily absorbed the force.
Kinetic itself is half-charged from a single blow.
I grimaced, looking around me.
I could sense the figure when I focused on blood sense. But I couldn't pinpoint them.
It was the slim girl with the daggers.
Finally, after taking that single blow. I decided not to stick around. It was too risky, with no actual reward behind it. Other than my own satisfaction and amusement.
Morgan immediately noticed the signs.
The lack of engagement, teleporting around.
She raised her hands, shouting out to the others to stop.
They did. And so did I.
This was interesting.
She approached my position slowly, jumping up on the rooftop with ease.
Her eyes slightly softened. Making herself look less threatening.
I almost laughed at the thought. Morgan? Not threatening? A joke.
Then she opened her mouth.
"The government wants you to join."
A simple sentence. A sentence I wasn't interested in. It didn't sound like a job. It sounded like becoming a slave.
"Not interested." I dismissed. Waving my single hand absent-mindedly.
Morgan faltered for a moment. Then rallied.
"Then how about clan Valor? Surely you would enjoy such luxury."
A statement, like she was sure I would enjoy it.
I shook my head again. This was a princess, strong, commanding. But she sounded so naive from my perspective.
"That is not what I seek."
Then I vanished.
***
I lowered my hands, a sigh leaving my form. This was becoming an impossible mission. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to murder. The boy had spared her squad several times. And it seems, they were getting nowhere near him.
And the biggest problem, he was getting better. Not just physically, but mentally.
I could see his eyes darting around once, no more. He had learned to keep track of the battlefield without constant attention.
And his skill? It's improving. It was growing, rapidly.
I had seen him teleport at the start, and his balance was barely kept together. Now? He was doing it with ease. From sitting, to standing.
And he didn't even feel Rel's attack. Brushing it off like dust.
At this point, I'm starting to doubt that he's a mere sleeper.
And then there was this mission. Classified. Important enough for no one to know the details of it.
Saint Cor had even denied my father. Something he had never done before.
Oh, and my father. He had ordered me to return at once. To leave behind this mission.
I had refused. I was in a lot of trouble. But I wanted this mission completed. Not just for the clan's honor. Not just for my own.
I wanted to fight the boy. A person able to go toe to toe with me. Even if he didn't fight like me. Even if he didn't have honor.
What mattered most was the fact that he only held back killing blows. Nothing less.
***
I finally returned home, I had to use six warps to leave as little as possible behind. I absolutely didn't want another home destroyed. Even if it was temporary.
I dropped down on the torn-up couch, exhaustion clinging to my body.
What the hell am I supposed to do with three charged arrows? I couldn't just drop them randomly. But I couldn't hold them till tomorrow either.
They were still at the battlefield. Which I could barely see with blood sense.
Then a terrible idea sparked to life.
I quickly got up, pouring more essence into the dagger.
Soon enough, I felt it. A devil prowling the streets.
I could warp the arrows right on top of it. Even if I didin't get the soul shards, at least the arrows wouldn't go to waste.
The arrows slightly dropped on the battlefield.
I could almost feel the shock of the combatants there.
Then the arrows vanished.
Two seconds later. An explosion comparable to one Transcendent memory boomed through the area. Injuring the devil greatly.
Sadly, it seemed this one had tougher defense. Or perhaps, only a Transcendent attack could kill a devil.
I debated the pros and cons of taking it out fully. I was already quite drained. Wouldn't get the soul shards.
I decided to just finish it off today, if Morgan didn't investigate the area.
***
It seemed Morgan didn't investigate, since I could see the crab, tentacle-like thing still prowling the streets. Its upper back is a shell, cracked in half.
I sighed. Of course, it had to be one of these things.
I stared upwards, a bright star in the sky. Of course, it wasn't a star. It was the arrow falling at incredible speeds.
I warped away. This time, I didn't want my earbuds to die on me.
Soon enough, the explosion tore through the street and the creature. Disintegrating both.
[You have slain an Awakened Devil, Guard Centurion.]
I whistled, no wonder it was so much tougher.
Requiring three ascended and one transcendent arrow.
I quickly warped to the location, eyes gleaming with greed as I stared at the four awakened soul shards. This would fill up my core.
***
I was in my home's basement, which was barely standing.
I picked up a soul shard. Crushing it in my grasp.
Then the second, third. And finally the fourth.
I sat down.
Expecting anything.
I didn't expect the spell to pop up.
[Your nightmare core is overflowing!]
[Forming the second core...]
I stared at the runes, confused. Then I felt it, absolute bliss. It was magnificent. Perfect. I felt like I had just taken a cold shower, then drank hot chocolate. At least I hoped that hot chocolate was that good. Other kids on the streets would praise it like a gift from the divine.
[Second core formed.]
I quickly opened my runes.
Name: ######.
True name: Apex Of Nightmares.
Rank: Awakened.
Nightmare core: Monster. [2/7].
Nightmare fragments: [0/2000.]
Memories: [Assassin's wear], [Vampiric dagger], [Twilight bow].
Echoes: —.
Attributes: [Heir Of Oblivion], [Mark Of the -Unknown-], ["Perfect"], [Recovery], [Creature], [Blasphemer].
Aspect name: [Oblivion's Heir].
Aspect rank: [Unholy].
Aspect description: [Chosen by the -Unknown- to wield a fraction of its power, you bring Chaos and Oblivion].
Innate ability: [One of their own].
Ability description: [As the Heir of Oblivion, no creature shall challenge you, unless you challenge them].
Dormant ability: [Warp].
Aspect ability description: [Warp the very fabric of reality, making the space be replaced by anything you wish it to be, even yourself].
Awakened ability: [Concept's Heir].
Ability description: [Concepts bent to the -Unknown- and now they bow to you as "his" heir. Time stops for the Apex, Space listens to the prince, and the fundamental building blocks of reality whisper the prince's name.
Flaw name: [The "perfect" being].
Flaw description: [You are "perfect," and so a perfect being does not have a flaw.]
I stared at my classification of "Monster". It felt disgusting to think of myself in such a way. But was it truly wrong?
I couldn't help but think of myself as a creature sometimes.
And today? The fight with Morgan had proven something.
I wasn't enjoying slaying creatures anymore. I enjoyed fighting humans.
I shook my head; it was better not to think about it for now.
What was truly important. Was my soul essence.
I could feel my soul essence, it had grown a lot. Not double, not yet. But this was a very good sign.
And yet I found something even greater. Something even more interesting. In my own soul.
Two augmentations.
A grin bloomed in my face, raw. Full of joy.
This was incredible.
The thoughts and ideas had already grown in my mind.
Now I could keep my body augmented, even while shooting down a transcendent arrow.
I laughed.
Then I heard the door open.
I whirled around. Grin faltering.
Only for it to return as I saw Fenrir walk in.
He was unnaturally focused, staring at me in what seemed to be disbelief.
Then he rushed forward, crashing all of his weight against my chest.
We both fell down, Fenrir licking my face and barking in excitement.
Thanks for reading!