Chương 100: Chapter 99 - The Dark Soul
[BACKGROUND MUSIC: EXCISION - BASS CANNON]
23 Years Ago...
Active Skill: Hard Swing
Description: Wow, an active skill right off the bat. How lucky for you. You can swing stuff with your hands really hard.
Van stared at the skill description, meticulously scanning every word as if searching for a hidden meaning or some overlooked detail. But there was nothing. No deeper purpose. No hidden nuance.
"Are you kidding me...?" he murmured to himself, lying on the cold ground shortly after he and Magus had been summoned. His voice was low, tinged with frustration. "What the hell am I supposed to do with a skill this useless?"
For a long time, I took this skill at face value. It was garbage. Utterly useless. And the mocking tone of the description didn't help. It didn't need to be insulting for me to realize how worthless it seemed.
So, I clung to the other skill I had, which essentially made me immortal. It made sense to think that way.
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'But I can't rely on this skill right now,' Van thought, his steps steady yet deliberate as he advanced.
'If I die, he'll kill them all. I can't let that happen.'
[This is the second time you've pissed me off...!!!] Kota growled, his voice laced with fury. [You attack so vigorously, it seems you've forgotten that you lost ALL of your Resistance stat, reduced to 500!!]
His lips curled into a sadistic grin as he raised his arms. [How about I remind you!?]
Dozens of magic circles materialized above Kota's head, crackling with violent energy. They erupted, unleashing a rapid onslaught of massive fire shots, so bright and intense they lit up the entire cavern in a hellish glow as they barreled toward Van.
"[FIRE BARRAGE]!" Kota roared, his voice reverberating through the cave.
"Tsche..!" Van grunted, immediately breaking into a sprint.
'I can't parry all of them! My Perception stat is down to 500—I can barely track their trajectories!' he thought, narrowly dodging firebolt after firebolt.
His movements became erratic as he zigzagged and rolled, evading each blast by mere inches.
[DANCE, HELLIX, DANCE FOR ME!] Kota shouted, his tone teetering on manic glee. [Your [Hard Swing] means JACK if you can't use it!]
'Fuck...!' Van cursed inwardly, gritting his teeth as he narrowly dodged another fiery explosion. He couldn't deny Kota's words. Without the chance to utilize Hard Swing, he was on the defensive.
The searing heat radiated all around him, oppressive and unrelenting. His black-metal dwarven armor deflected some of the intense flames, but the heat was beginning to take its toll.
'I can feel it... If it weren't for this armor, I'd already be cooked alive. But even black metal has its limits—it'll melt if I take a direct hit!'
His thoughts were interrupted as a firebolt, hidden behind one he had parried, tore through the air, closing in on him too quickly to react.
'SHIT...!!'
The bolt connected.
BOOM!
The explosion sent Van hurtling through the air, slamming him hard against the cave wall.
"GAAHH..!!" He gasped, the impact knocking the wind out of him. Pain seared through his body as he crumpled to the ground, the heat intensifying.
Sweat poured down his face but instantly vaporized, and beneath his armor, his skin began to sear, the metal pressing unbearably against him. His vision blurred, the heat threatening to overwhelm him entirely.
'IT BURNS...!' Van grunted, pushing through the pain as he used the dust cloud to slip away, his body still responding despite the searing agony.
'How does it work? Is he controlling the skill directly, or is it automated...!? How the hell do I stop this!?' Van's mind raced as he ran, his eyes darting toward Kota, trying to read his gestures or gaze. But the endless barrage of flames obscured everything.
'SHIT...! He has no openings... I have to figure out a way to bypass this!' His thoughts scrambled, desperation clawing at his focus as his burnt skin throbbed painfully beneath his armor.
'I didn't want to admit it, but he's right. His flames are hotter than Alicia's, even though he's ridiculously outclassed stat-wise. Damn it... DAMN IT...!! I need to stop those flames!'
Suddenly, a memory surfaced—an instinctual recall of the skeleton from earlier, which had been instantly neutralized by the Guardian of Wind's Vacuum.
"[SUMMON]! Come out, Guardian of Wind!" Van shouted, his voice ragged as he sprinted away from the barrage.
Kota sneered, his confidence unwavering. [Ah, there's her too.] His tone dripped with condescension. [I didn't even bother registering her presence. An A-Ranked spirit? Laughable. But, by all means, bring her out. Writhe and struggle all you want.]
The Guardian appeared in an instant, her ethereal form taking shape. Without waiting for instructions, she conjured a wind barrier, blocking the incoming fire attacks before they could reach Van.
[What is the meaning of this, Van!? Wasn't he your ally!?] she cried, her voice strained as she winced under the relentless assault.
Van steadied his breath, his gaze fixed on the fiery barrage crashing against her shield.
"Guardian, I need you to Vacuum his immediate—AH!" Van suddenly dropped to his knees, gasping for air as his strength seemed to abandon him.
'What is... happening...!? Why do I feel so weak all of a sudden!?' His mind reeled as his body grew heavier, his limbs trembling under their own weight.
His eyes flickered toward the Guardian, and realization struck as he noticed her struggling to hold the barrier.
With a trembling hand, he summoned his status window.
Mana: 0/2,000! YOUR MANA RAN OUT!
'Right... Haah... When mana runs out, any attempt to use a spell draws directly on your health. Back when I wasn't sealed, it didn't matter—I had billions of health points to spare. But now...'
His gaze shifted back to the Guardian, the strain on her form unmistakable.
'She's blocking a spell far beyond her rank... It's draining my mana in seconds! FUCK...! If I want to end this, it has to be now!'
Gritting his teeth, Van forced himself to his feet, his battered body trembling under the weight of his decision.
"VACUUM THE AIR AROUND HIM!!! LIKE YOU DID THAT SKELETON!! NOW!!!" Van shouted at the Guardian, his voice strained but commanding.
[I CAN'T…! I CAN'T BLOCK THAT BARRAGE AND DO THAT AT THE SAME TIME!!] she cried out, her ethereal form trembling as she struggled to maintain the barrier. Van could feel himself growing weaker by the second.
"...Then do this," Van said, his voice low but resolute.
The barrage continued, relentless and unforgiving. The flames illuminated the cavern in a hellish glow, the heat growing more oppressive with every passing second.
[Hmph, is he on death's door by now?] Kota mused, a smirk playing on his lips. [Oh well, just for good measure, I'll keep it up for another—]
His thought was cut short as an armored figure suddenly emerged from the wall of fire. A great gust of wind propelled him forward, his greatsword already poised for a devastating vertical swing.
[What…!?]
"[HARD SWING]!!!" Van roared, his voice cutting through the flames as the blade descended. The heat seared his flesh beneath his armor, but he worked through the pain, focused only on the strike.
[NOOO—!!!] Kota screamed as Van's sword cleaved him cleanly in two.
--- Moments Earlier ---
"Propel me through the flames with your wind. The moment you do, I'll unsummon you and cut him down," Van commanded the Guardian amidst the chaos.
She hesitated only for a moment before nodding, her winds surging around him.
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'I GOT HIM…!' Van thought, exhilaration surging through his battered body as Kota's two halves fell lifeless to the ground. But the victory was short-lived as Van's momentum carried him upward, slamming him into the cavern ceiling before crashing back down.
Exhausted, he lay on the ground, his breath ragged.
'Wait...' A creeping unease settled over him as he replayed the strike in his mind. His gaze darted to the remnants of Kota's form, and his heart sank.
'There's no aura… no dark energy…'
His stomach twisted with realization just as slow, deliberate clapping echoed from behind him.
[...Bravo,] Kota's voice rang out, smooth and mocking. The severed form of his body dissolved into flames, vanishing without a trace.
Van didn't waste a second. Without even turning to face Kota, he pinpointed the source of the voice and acted immediately.
"[SUMMON]! Guardian of Wind!!" he shouted, his voice hoarse but unwavering. The Guardian materialized in an instant.
"YOU CAN SEE HIM NOW, CAN'T YOU!? CHOKE HIM OUT!!" Van barked, pointing toward Kota.
The Guardian didn't hesitate, summoning a whirlwind that constricted Kota, creating a vacuum around him to suffocate him completely.
[Hmph,] Kota grunted, his lips curling in mild amusement as the air around him compressed. [Not bad…]
[For a noob,] he added, before puffing his chest and exuding a powerful pressure of heat. The force expanded the vacuum, breaking the Guardian's circle in an instant with a violent eruption.
Van screamed as the immense mana drain transitioned into health loss, his body wracked with agony.
'FUCK... AH... If she stays summoned any longer, I'm done for…!'
"GAAHH… Un… Un…summon…" Van croaked, his voice barely above a whisper as he forced himself to dismiss the Guardian.
The Guardian faded back into the spirit world, a faint grunt of satisfaction escaping her lips as she disappeared.
'Summoners have the easiest time, MY ASS…!' Van thought bitterly, still collapsed on the ground. His body trembled as he flipped onto his stomach, coughing up blood through his helmet. Slowly, he began to rise to his knees, spitting crimson as he steadied himself.
'You have to know the spirit inside and out to understand which attacks drain your mana the most and act around it…' he thought, grimacing.
'And I guess she's still holding a grudge over my comments,' he thought, the memory of her satisfied grunt as she faded lingering in his mind.
[GOOD,] Kota's voice boomed suddenly, halting Van mid-motion. [Stay that way. Stay kneeling. It suits you. Someone like you should remain groveling before me.]
Kota's voice turned cold, biting. [I may even feel merciful toward your friends if you do...]
His lips curled into a smirk. 'Just kidding,' he thought to himself.
"...You..." Van muttered, coughing as he forced himself to stand. "Fucker."
The movement caused Kota to flinch, his composure cracking for just a moment.
"A shadow clone…?" Van asked, his voice sharp despite the pain.
[FLAME Clone,] Kota corrected with a sly smirk. [And I can summon up to ten of those, all capable of firing Fire Barrage simultaneously. That, and also...]
His voice trailed off ominously as his grin widened.
[Ten minutes remaining, Hellix. Then, I'm maiming you.] He let out the reminder with malicious glee, his words sending a faint flinch through Van.
"...Right," Van exhaled unevenly, steadying himself as he raised his greatsword once more. Despite the oppressive odds, his steps began advancing toward Kota with quiet determination, undeterred.
'Resilient little bastard, aren't you?' Kota thought, clicking his tongue in irritation.
[Alright then. How about I show you a new trick?] Kota said, his smirk deepening as he spread his arms wide and called out:
"[SUMMON: UNDEAD ARMY]!"
The ground beneath him rumbled as flaming skeletons began clawing their way out from below. Dozens quickly became hundreds, and hundreds turned into a thousand, their flickering flames casting an eerie glow across the cavern. Each skeleton wielded a unique weapon—a casting wand, massive gauntlets, a berserker's polearm—and together they surrounded Van, their firelight illuminating the overwhelming odds.
'Hm,' Van thought, his mind racing as he eyed the skeletal army encircling him, with Kota hovering above, his flames burning ever brighter.
[These skeletons,] Kota began, his tone dripping with smugness, [can cast every attack they wielded in life. I can command each one individually. I can merge them to create stronger, higher-tiered skeletons. I can enhance them with my magic... hell, they can even do chores—]
"Can they hold a tune?" Van interrupted, smirking beneath his helmet, his burnt lips stinging from the movement.
[...] Silence filled the cavern, save for the crackling flames licking the air.
[You don't get it,] Kota growled, his voice trembling with irritation. [I'm telling you that you're going to die!]
Van remained calm, opening his status window with a nonchalant swipe, his attention seemingly elsewhere. "I heard you," he muttered, almost disinterested as his eyes scanned his skills.
'This fucker...' Kota thought, his irritation mounting. 'He's just been clubbed, burned, and thrown around like a ragdoll. His skin is undoubtedly seared under that armor, and his own metal plating is cooking him alive... yet he cracks a joke? Is he insane?'
"No," Van said flatly, as if reading Kota's mind, causing the latter to flinch.
"I'm just used to getting burned," Van added, his tone devoid of emotion, sending a chill through Kota's spine.
'He's nothing but a weakling. Take away his stats, and he's just a meat bag... So why do I feel uneasy? He's out of mana, out of options, completely surrounded. If he dies, his party dies too. He's bluffing! He has to be!'
Kota's mind raced with conflicting thoughts as Van continued to scroll through his skill window, seemingly oblivious to the threat around him.
'I don't fully understand what Arcane is, nor the [Seed of Darkness] passive. The description is too cryptic to make sense of it. I can't rely on something I don't understand.'
Van scrolled back to the top of his skill window, his eyes locking onto the first skill he had ever read aloud.
Active Skill: Hard Swing
Description: Wow, an active skill right off the bat. How lucky for you. You can swing stuff with your hands really hard.
[FUCK THIS. Everyone, JUMP HIM AT ONCE! KILL HIM!!] Kota roared, and in an instant, the horde of skeletons leaped toward Van, thousands at a time.
As the skeletons closed in, Van's mind drifted to a memory, the skill still highlighted on his status window.
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"Say, Van," Magus asked during one of their early journeys. "I've been wondering about your skill..."
"What about it?" Van replied, barely looking up.
"Just... what exactly counts as a swing?"
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'I guess I'm about to find out, Magus,' Van thought, gripping his sword tighter as the skeletons piled onto him, creating an enormous bonfire that engulfed him entirely.
[Hmph, how boring...] Kota sighed, turning away as he began hovering toward the cavern's exit, where the rest of the party awaited. [As I thought, he was just bluffing—]
BOOOOOOOOOM.
A deafening explosion shattered the cavern's stillness. The massive pile of flaming skeletons was obliterated in an instant, their remnants scattering like shrapnel. Bones and shards of armor flew in every direction, ricocheting off the walls and slamming into Kota's energy shield repeatedly.
[WHAT THE...!?] Kota spun around, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at the carnage.
At the epicenter of the destruction stood Van, his armor scorched but intact. His greatsword was tightly gripped in his hands, its edge glowing faintly from the force of the swing. Around him, the skeletons' broken forms began to slowly regenerate, reassembling themselves piece by piece.
Van's mind echoed a singular thought:
Active Skill:
[Hard Swing]
[IMPOSSIBLE!!!] Kota bellowed, his voice laced with frustration. [How the fuck did you do that!? You were supposed to die!!] He screamed, his composure slipping into raw fury.
Van didn't answer immediately, his breath steadying as he adjusted his stance. His helmet tilted upward slightly, his gaze locking onto Kota through the fiery haze.
"...I swung," he said simply.
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