...…
After realizing that everything had most likely been orchestrated by Immortal, Shin immediately adjusted his initial plan.
He understood better than most just how cunning that man was.
One reminder was the incident in the Frozen Kingdom, where Immortal had betrayed Justine and the rest of the Silent Night Adventurer Team at the most crucial moment, turning what should have been a somewhat favorable campaign into a complete disaster.
That incident alone was enough to prove that Immortal never fought fair.
He always preferred manipulating people from the shadows rather than confronting them head-on.
More importantly, Immortal not only had the Undying Guild behind him, which was a fanatical guild filled with players who worshipped him like a god.
He seemed to have an extensive intelligence network as well.
There were also quite a lot of his spies as well. That girl Rust from the Silent Night was the perfect example of that, who turned out to be one of his True Apostles.
Shin could not help but suspect that one of those hidden operatives was lurking within the guild that Felix and Felicia had once led.
Everything suddenly made much more sense when he thought about this.
The suspiciously well-timed leaks of information and the flawless coordination between different forces.
The way every event had unfolded as if someone had been guiding them toward a predetermined outcome.
"Tsk! Tsk!" Shin clicked his tongue before shifting his gaze toward the dozens of Elemental Anomalies blocking his path. "This is going to be troublesome."
"If that guy is really the mastermind behind all these…" His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the ancient prison in the distance. "…then there is a high chance he is already at the place where that object is located."
Whatever object Solus and Hanzo wanted him to destroy, Immortal was most likely the one who had placed it near the gate to attract the crimson rivers of slaughter energy.
That realization alone was enough to give him a headache.
Shin was not too confident that he could defeat Immortal under his current circumstances. His greatest trump card, the Mond's Style, remained sealed.
After absorbing the Legendary Sword [Permafrost], the Legacy Skill had entered a dormant state while it slowly digested and assimilated its newly acquired power.
There was still a considerable amount of time before the process would be completed.
Without it, his combat capabilities were noticeably limited.
Compared to their previous encounters, Immortal had undoubtedly become much stronger as well.
Fighting him now might be an uphill battle.
"Still…" Shin slowly let out a deep breath. "There is no turning back."
Not with the quest before him. Not with an Ancient Elemental Being desperately resisting corruption. And not after learning what was truly at stake.
He tightened his grip around the [Yamato] gradually tightened. "Let's hope my newly created 'Phantom Series' would be enough to make up for what I have lost."
He then began walking toward the wall of Elemental Anomalies standing before him. "Let's forget about that guy for now, and deal with these ugly creatures first."
The moment his foot landed on the ground—
*Ding*
A familiar notification suddenly appeared before his eyes.
System: The Ancient Elemental Being has further acknowledged your will!
System: You have received two additional blessings for this battle.
System: Granting the Blessing of the Ancient Darkness.
*Ding*
System: Your contracted Elemental Spirit Blackie has temporarily received the Ancient Blessing:
"Abyssal Severance"
*Ding*
System: Your contracted Elemental Spirit Grimrace has temporarily received the Ancient Blessing:
"Mantle of Darkness"
Shin instinctively halted his steps.
His brows rose beneath the mask before he immediately opened the detailed descriptions of the two newly granted blessings.
--------------------------------
Abyssal Severance
Authority of the Ancient Darkness
Darkness embraces all things—not to consume them, but to purify them and transform them into part of its own existence.
Every attack infused with this authority is strengthened by the Ancient Elemental Essence of Darkness.
-Ignores the regenerative abilities of Elemental Anomalies.
-Severs the corrupted essence sustaining anomalistic beings.
-Purifies corruption upon contact.
--------------------------------
Mantle of Darkness
Authority of the Ancient Darkness
Darkness accepts everything into its embrace—not to devour, but to cleanse.
The cloak becomes a sanctuary untouched by corruption.
-Devours any authority attempting to corrupt its bearer.
-Rejects all forms of corruption directed toward its master.
-Continuously purifies the surrounding area with the Ancient Elemental Essence of Darkness.
--------------------------------
Shin silently stared at the two blessing descriptions for several long seconds.
The more he read, the more astonished he became.
These weren't ordinary temporary buffs. They were authorities specifically created to counter the very nature of the Elemental Anomalies.
It was as though the imprisoned Ancient Elemental Being had personally recognized the greatest threat before him and had chosen the most suitable powers to overcome it.
"So..." A faint smile gradually appeared beneath Shin's mask. "The System never intended to give me an impossible quest."
He slowly closed the status panel.
Then, he tightened his grip around [Yamato] once more.
The hesitation that had lingered in his heart moments ago had completely disappeared.
This time, he finally knew exactly how to face the nightmare standing before him. "Let's do this."
Step!
Right after Shin entered the aggro range of the nearest Elemental Anomaly, he immediately attracted their attention.
Moreover, he had not just attracted the attention of the ones that he had attracted. Every Elemental Anomaly simultaneously turned toward his direction.
Dozens of grotesque heads twisted, snapping at him.
"Tsk! That's quite creepy." He mumbled while continuing.
Then he saw countless mouths open.
What came next was a scream—screams without sound, which then swept across the mountain.
Boom!!!
The mountain exploded into motion.
The instant Shin took another step forward, the entire swarm reacted as though sharing a single consciousness. Dozens of Elemental Anomalies further away twisted their grotesque bodies simultaneously, their countless crimson eyes locking onto him with unnerving precision.
The surrounding mana immediately recoiled, fleeing from their presence as patches of earth rapidly lost their color and crumbled into lifeless gray dust.
Boom!
Every anomaly charged, making the ground shake violently.
Some of them sprinted using four distorted limbs while the others crawled upside down across space itself. Several tore open shadows and disappeared only to emerge behind Shin.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Shin immediately muttered. "Dark Reaper. Shadow Reaper."
Immediately after, the two elemental spirits swiftly moved and went to possess two of Shin's signature items. One went to possess the inheritance sword [Yamato] while the other went to fuse with the sacred relic [Death's Shadow].
'Elemental Spirit Possession (Abyssal Darkness): Abyssal Conqueror'
'Elemental Spirit Possession (Psychic Shadow): Soul Eater'
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Immediately after, Shin suddenly disappeared from his current position, dodging powerful strikes coming from the two Elemental Anomalies from behind.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground did not just explode when the series of strikes landed on the spot where he was standing. The earth seemed to have ceased to exist when their attacks touched it.
Swoosh!
When Shin reappeared in another location, another attack came.
Shriek!
A deafening cry tore through the air.
It was not a sound, but an attack directed at one's soul.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Invisible ripples distorted the surrounding space, causing even the nearby boulders to fracture into fine powder. The psychic scream swept toward Shin like an invisible tsunami, carrying an overwhelming devouring intent capable of stripping away not only mana, but even one's consciousness.
At this instant, the tattered cloak made of shadow behind him fluttered.
Whoosh!
Before the invisible shockwave could reach Shin's body, the [Death's Shadow] expanded on its own with its dark fabric ripping like an endless abyss. Countless ghostly hands silently emerged from the folds of the cloak, intercepting the incoming psychic current before dragging it into the endless darkness concealed within overwhelming authority that it possessed.
The invisible scream disappeared as though it had never existed.
Without slowing down, Shin leaned his upper body forward while lowering his center of gravity. His right foot slid half a step across the broken stone before violently pushing against the ground, launching his body forward with explosive force.
Boom!
Huge boulders behind him collapsed almost at the same time.
Instead of running, he accelerated through a series of microscopic bursts, every step landing for only a fraction of a second before the next burst of force propelled him even further. His body remained unnaturally low, reducing the target area presented to the approaching anomalies while allowing him to instantly change direction.
'Phantom Series: Movement Technique – Midnight Excursion'
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Not long after, two anomalies reached him first.
The creature on the left swung six elongated arms simultaneously, each claw tearing open black cracks in space as they descended.
The one in front, on the other hand, split its chest open, revealing hundreds of spiraling fangs that released a vortex capable of consuming surrounding elemental essence.
Shin's eyes narrowed, utilizing the 'True Sight' to their highest capabilities. His breathing remained perfectly steady.
He had also summoned his 'Heart Realm Technique', heightening all his senses to an unimaginable level.
Instead of watching their attacks, he was feeling them as well as the movements of the surrounding mana.
Every subtle movement in the surroundings was clearly reflected in his eyes and mind.
The instant a minute signal arrived, he quickly moved.
Swoosh!
His waist twisted first, followed by his hips. Then, his shoulders followed a split second later before finally transmitting every ounce of rotational force into his arm.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
At the same time, multiple phantoms overlapped on his body one after another, making his current appearance no different from the anomalies with multiple arms.
The [Yamato] then drew a flawless crescent through the air with its blade, leaving behind neither light nor darkness but a razor-thin distortion in reality itself.
'Phantom Series: Killing Technique – Mirage Burst'
Another application of his newly created technique, which was further augmented by the blessing of the Ancient Darkness—the Abyssal Severance.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
The slash seemed almost gentle. No explosion erupted, nor violent shockwave spread outward.
However, the six claws that had descended toward him silently separated from their owner's arms before dissolving into countless dark particles. The severed limbs struggled violently for a brief moment before the Ancient Elemental Essence infused within the blade completely erased the corruption staining them.
Shriek!
The anomaly shrieked.
For the first time, it had felt pain—a real pain.
Its body attempted to regenerate instinctively, with the black tendrils writhing from the wounds like living parasites.
Unfortunately for it, nothing had happened.
The black traces left behind by the [Yamato] spread across the wound like roots, purifying every fragment of corruption they touched. Within seconds, the monster's entire body stiffened before collapsing into glittering fragments of Elemental Essence.
The second monster was already upon Shin at this point.
Its enormous maw expanded to an impossible size, swallowing the surrounding air itself as a terrifying suction force erupted outward. Trees, stones, and even shattered mountain debris were violently dragged toward its mouth before instantly disappearing into absolute darkness.
Shin deliberately allowed himself to be pulled forward. His heels left the ground while his body flew directly toward the creature's open jaws.
Just before crossing the threshold—
His left arm swept backward. The [Death's Shadow] immediately unfurled behind him like a pair of colossal black wings.
The devouring force crashed into the cloak. Instead of consuming Shin, the shadow cloak consumed the devouring.
Layer after layer of abyssal darkness folded inward upon themselves, swallowing the monstrous authority as though dropping a pebble into a bottomless ocean.
"This authority sure is convenient," mumbled Shin while using the monster's own suction as momentum to rotate in midair, knees tucked inward while the torso inverted.
The rotation continued until his body completed a perfect aerial spin, converting every ounce of centrifugal force into the descending strike of [Yamato].
Shing!
The blade fell. It was neither fast nor slow, but simply unavoidable.
A single vertical line appeared from the monster's forehead to its abdomen.
Time itself seemed to pause for a moment before the entire body split cleanly into two symmetrical halves before quietly dissolving into countless dark motes that drifted harmlessly into the atmosphere.
Far across the battlefield, the remaining Elemental Anomalies froze.
For the first time since their birth, these predators had witnessed one of their own being utterly erased.
And instinctively, they understood that the human standing before them possessed a blade capable of delivering the one thing they were supposed to never know.
A true death.
...…
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