SYSTEM ASCENSION

"I’ll train you in your parents place."

It was like the forest had held its breath.

Hundreds of weapons floated behind Elias and Natalie’s expression remained angry.

"You think tricks like this can stop me?"

The earth hissed like a boiling pot.

Everything beneath his feet liquefied into a bubbling pool, grass collapsing into black sludge before dissolving completely. The melting spread outward like a living plague, devouring roots, stones and fallen branches together.

Laura’s eyes widened.

"Brother! Be careful!"

Elias merely watched.

"...So that’s your range."

Natalie roared and burst forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. His molten fist shot toward Elias’ face.

Clang!

A longsword appeared in Elias’ left hand, and met his attack. The blade glowed red before softening.

"...Hm." he narrowed his eyes, watching as it dripped apart.

Natalie grinned.

"You can’t block me!"

His other hand thrust toward Elias’ chest.

Another weapon materialized. It was a shield this time. It lasted barely half a second before sagging like wax.

Elias took one step backward.

Twenty daggers shot past him.

Natalie crossed his arms.

The daggers entered the invisible field around him, and every blade melted into glowing droplets before reaching his body.

"They’re useless!"

The molten metal splattered harmlessly around him.

"I know." Elias raised a finger. "I wasn’t aiming at you."

Natalie’s pupils shrank.

The liquefied daggers struck the ground behind him.

Instantly—

BOOM!

The earth erupted. Chunks of dirt exploded upward, stealing Natalie’s footing.

"What—"

A spear descended.

He twisted sideways, but another one followed right after.

Then five.

Ten.

Weapons rained from every direction.

Natalie dashed through them, each weapon melting just before touching him, and exploding right after.

"How are you..."

"Melted or not. They’re still mine." Elias shrugged.

Natalie’s movements became frantic.

There were simply too many.

A spear grazed his shoulder before dissolving. A sword clipped his thigh. A dagger sliced across his cheek moments before becoming liquid.

He went harder.

"I said they’re useless!"

He slammed both palms into the ground. Everything within thirty meters began melting.

Trees folded over like paper. Massive rocks softened and collapsed into streams. The soil itself dissolved.

Even the air shimmered from the heat.

Laura smiled for the first time.

"Yes! Kill him!"

Elias glanced at her.

Although the forest had melted, her part was still untouched.

’He got good control. Such a waste.’

He looked down.

The rock beneath him had become liquid.

"...Oh."

He began sinking.

Natalie’s grin widened. "Let’s see how you create weapons after you’re melted alive!"

The molten earth swallowed Elias to his knees. "Aah..."

Snap!

A massive greatsword erupted beneath Elias’ feet. It lifted him clear of the molten ground like an elevator.

Another appeared.

Dozens of enormous blades burst from the earth, forming towering pillars that rose above the sea of melting land.

Elias stepped from blade to blade like walking across ordinary stairs, until he stood above the ruined forest.

Natalie stared upward.

"...You’ve got to be kidding."

Elias looked down at him.

"You’re making this difficult."

His left hand reached into empty air, and black longsword slowly emerged from nothingness.

Unlike the countless weapons before it, this one wasn’t made of ordinary steel. Its surface swallowed the morning light, and it has a mouth at the handle.

Natalie’s instincts screamed at him to run, that something was terribly wrong.

"...What is that?"

Elias looked at the sword for a moment, as if he had only just noticed it himself.

"I don’t remember."

His answer only deepened Natalie’s unease.

The system ding.

[Status: Sword of nothing]

[Creator: Omeo]

[Owner: The hound of the dark]

’Omeo? Hound of what? I don’t understand.’ Elias tilted his head. ’Where have I heard the name ’Omeo’ before.’

’Hold on, why is the system reacting to this fight after ignoring us? Is this perhaps my reward for second trial? I don’t remember picking...’

"I’ll just melt it!" Natalie yelled.

"Oh well." Elias grasp the sword, the teeth closing around his hand.

"Let’s see, yes?"

Natalie refused to wait any longer.

With a prideful roar, he launched himself upward, the melted ground exploding beneath his feet.

Elias disappeared, Natalie’s strike meeting the empty air. A second later, the black sword met Natalie’s arm.

Instead of melting like he had expected, the blade held firm against the acid.

Natalie’s eyes widened.

"It didn’t—"

Elias drove a knee into his stomach.

The force threw him back 20 meters. He skidded across the glass, leaving two burning trenches behind him.

"Kh—!" Blood sprayed from his mouth.

Laura’s smile vanished.

"Brother!"

Elias was already walking down the staircase of giant blades he’d made.

Natalie pushed himself up, shaking. Half his coat was burned away. Fresh cuts ran across his chest.

He finally decided to use his brain.

"Acid don’t affect him immediately. I should get Laura and escape—"

"I thought you’d say that."

His eyes widened at the sound of Elias voice beside him. Before he could turn, he saw the black sword swing, and next was his right arm falling off.

The world went quiet for half a second.

Natalie stared down. His right arm was on the grass, finger curled like it didn’t know it was already gone.

Then the pain hit.

"AAAAAHHHH—!!!"

He clutched at the stump with his left hand, but the moment his fingers touched it, black vein hissed. Obviously the sword effect.

It crawled up from the wound, threading under his skin like ink in water, up to his shoulder, and then his neck.

Natalie fell to his knees, gagging.

"My— my hand! MY HAND!"

Elias stared at him.

’why is his veins black? The sword effects?’

"Brother?!" Laura voice kept sounding from the distance.

"Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!" he screamed, dragging himself back. His good hand clawed at the glass, leaving red smears. "What did you do to me?! What IS that?!"

"A sword?" Elias glanced at the severed hand. "It seem to have a poisoning effect."

Natalie dazed eyes went to the hand. It was eating away, leaving nothing behind.

"You’re... using acid too?!"

"Not sure."

Natalie scrambled back, cradling his arm. The black veins were at his collarbone now. Every breath made him shake harder.

"Don’t come closer! Don’t— I’m warning you! I’ll melt the whole forest! I’ll melt you!"

"You’re already melting away." Elias bent down over him.

As Natalie tried to crawl away, Elias cut him by the neck. His second hand reached into Natalie’s pocket and pulled out the items in it.

As he opened his hand, a pang hit his head.

A pair of eyes and a necklace.

The necklace shorn, and for a moment.

"We brought you a playmate."

"I missed you! My Lord!"

"We’ll go together, my Lord."

He recoiled, almost all the memories flashing before his eyes in a second.

"Roche?!"

Natalie flinched.

"You killed Roche."

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