Chapter 3: My skills can be upgraded
As he poised to slice the throat of a defiant figure named Darian, an unexpected presence materialized. Was this newcomer a child of the sect leader?
Before plunging into combat with Damian—though Darian's identity didn't concern him—his keen instincts identified the intruder as Merrick. Merrick, the capable heir of the Jay family and the son of Thorian.
A deep craving for blood surged within him. But...
His attention abruptly shifted to a mysterious woman.
"Liora," Darian declared, and in that moment, he knew she was the woman from whom he'd stolen the seal. A strange sensation coursed through him, identified as "escape."
But first things first, he vanished.
"That..." But the stranger had already disappeared. Darian offered a genuine smile to Merrick and Liora.
"What's keeping him late?" Liora inquired about Caelum, the fourth season, known for his partial fierceness and purity.
"Who knows? He may be busy dealing with the perpetual issues that plague their sect."
Darian was surprised that Merrick had not changed. Nonetheless, he wore a façade of friendliness as they entered the Heka sect with the others.
Little did they know, Lysander had the ability to read the minds of those who passed through his formation.
In a dark, smoke-filled room, unidentified individuals discussed a plan. "Release the Enthralled Shadows into the Heka sect. Lysander must be wounded."
These figures were masked from head to toe.
Arion landed in the forest, a few meters away from the Heka sect. Eerie and faint whispers filled the air. What kind of creature was this?
He learned that these were the Enthralled Shadows, beings possessed by a manipulator's last command. Simply put, they were controlled by a sinister force.
Possessed?
Arion watched as these creatures moved in groups toward the Heka sect. In that moment, he relished the thought of these beasts exacting revenge on the sect leader and his followers, indirectly on his behalf.
"What? My skills can be upgraded?"
His sophisticated brain informed him that if he managed to eliminate every last one of the possessed beings, his skill could be upgraded to the Immortal Extinction Attack.
So they expected him to take on this task? Was his reincarnation merely a means to send him on errands?
First things first—his principle—he cast a spell and unleashed beams that sliced through the Enthralled Shadows.
"So, they are not as strong as they seem?" He sneered, but his confidence waned as the creatures resurrected within seconds.
Shadows?
Before he could react, the shadows had already reached the sect's entrance.
The shadow warriors infiltrated the sect, prompting Lysander to instruct the disciples to prevent them from advancing further.
"My lady! The sect has been surrounded by..."
"Monsters," Merrick interrupted before vanishing.
Did this imply a hidden aspect of Merrick's character? Or was it a disguise?
"Monsters?" Liora questioned, her nerves betraying her, despite her combat prowess.
Darian urged her to help stop the shadows from overrunning the sect, and they teleported to where the Heka students faced the so-called monsters.
To everyone's astonishment, the shadows showed no intention of attacking anyone but Lysander.
"Protect the sect leader!" The students formed a barrier against the monsters, unaware that these beings were shadows.
Arion, standing at the entrance, wondered if a formation could truly stop shadows. Observing the confusion, he decided to step inside.
Merrick tried to play the hero, but he couldn't stop the shadows, just like Liora and Darian.
As Arion ventured a bit into the invisible formation, a flash crossed Lysander's mind, allowing him to glean Arion's thoughts.
It's a dragon... a big and fierce one!
"They are shadows! They are possessed people and are nothing else than shadows!"
What? Did he just communicate?
According to his brain, what he did was called "talking," using his "mouth."
"Wow, that's cool," Arion thought.
Liora recognized him as the seal thief and confronted him, placing her sword at his throat.
"It's you, right? You stole my seal and released these creatures into the sect!"
Arion seethed with anger, a child of the one who had destroyed his family daring to threaten him with a sword.
How dare she?
If not for the promise of his skill being upgraded upon killing the shadows, he would not spare her life, nor her father's.
First things first, he moved away from her, and...
What the hell?
He hadn't anticipated this man's strength. The man's hands moved with torrents of magic, effortlessly dispatching their opponents.
And then, in an explosive display, he kicked off every member and nearly sliced the last one into pieces.
Unsurprisingly to Arion, they resurrected and swarmed Lysander, inflicting deep wounds.
"Father!" Liora cried out, rushing to him. Arion, fueled by determination, dove into the midst of the Enthralled Shadows.
As he did, his presence seemed to dispel the very darkness they thrived upon. His sword, gleaming with an ethereal light, bore intricate runes etched into the blade that pulsed with power.
With a swift motion, Arion sheathed his sword, his movements harmonizing with an incantation that flowed from his lips. As the words left his mouth, a surge of energy enveloped the blade, creating a shimmering barrier that repelled the shadows' attempts to envelop him. The spell resonated in the air, a blend of ancient words and luminous energies that seemed to hum with a suppressed force.
Is he going to save this man with the sword he forged to kill him? This seems not right, doesn't it?
"These beings are shadows," Arion shouted, his eyes blazing with red magic, "and how can shadows be dispelled? It's through darkness, a vast one!"
To everyone, who he was didn't matter as much as implementing his idea to save themselves.
The Heka disciples gathered, their hands intertwined in a mesmerizing dance of power, their collective magic beginning to weave together. With synchronized effort, they directed their energies upwards, sending a surge of combined mystical force into the sky above. As their magic melded, tendrils of energy spiraled and twirled like ethereal ribbons, shrouding the daylight in an enigmatic embrace.
Slowly, the azure canvas of the day transformed into an expanse of vast darkness. It was as if a cosmic veil had been drawn over the world, and the once radiant sun was now obscured, replaced by an unsettling void. The light that had defined the realm seemed to wane, replaced by shadows that stretched and deepened.
With the Enthralled Shadows dependent on light to manifest, the sudden shroud of darkness disrupted their very existence. Their forms began to waver and falter, like smoke dissolving in a gust of wind. The shadows, unable to find purchase in the obsidian expanse that now surrounded them, started to disintegrate, their once-ominous figures reduced to mere fragments scattered in the abyss.
Sensing the opportune moment, Arion seized upon the chaos. With his own brand of potent magic, he conjured the Devilmite beam, a concentrated burst of energy that shimmered with a malevolent gleam. Fueled by his determination and the weight of the moment, he unleashed the beam upon the dwindling Enthralled Shadows.
The Devilmite beam pierced the darkness like a starburst, its intense radiance illuminating the shadows' fading forms. As the beam connected, an explosion of spectral energy erupted, consuming the remnants of the Enthralled Shadows. Their eerie presence was eradicated, vanquished by the combination of Heka magic and Arion's calculated strike.
In the aftermath, the darkness gradually lifted, the world emerging from its shadowy cocoon. The Heka disciples lowered their hands, the weave of their magic unraveling.
Arion wasn't just impressed; he had saved these people and felt a surge of new power within him, a profound one.
His skills had been upgraded!
The new skill was called Immortal Extinction Attack, a potentially destructive ability aimed at wiping out immortals. Immortals could now meet their end not just by accident but also at the hands of this newly empowered mountain god of the north.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Kutley
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