Chapter 224: The Light of Execution
I closed my eyes, standing still as I absorbed the shift in my comprehension. Alongside space, light was now woven into my Minor Law of Absolute. Progress was coming faster than I expected.
I checked the levels gained from eliminating the group.
[Level 88 → Level 92]
The biggest change was in my Psynapse—it surged past 700 points the moment I hit level 92. That spike was what had deepened my understanding and control of the light element.
I glanced at the tattoo of the staff etched into my skin and summoned it. Essence churned around me, and in the next moment, the Executioner’s Staff materialised in my hand.
I tightened my grip on the staff, feeling the residual energy of light flicker in my palm like a living thing. I commanded and the staff glowed with particles of light ready to explode at my will.
Without hesitation, I took off running.
The wind rushed past me as trees blurred on either side, the ground thudding under my steady, rapid steps. I moved fast—focused and silent, cutting through the forest like a blade.
My perception stretched wide, scanning the surroundings for any sign of movement. The Holts were spread thin, but they left traces , faint pulses of elements, Essence, careless whispers of breath, broken twigs underfoot.
Not far ahead, I spotted a pair of figures moving cautiously near a cluster of trees.
Two Holts, likely searching for me and Steve.
I slowed for just a breath, then surged forward again. No wasted motion—only intent. Light obeyed me now, swift and deadly.
With my free hand, I pointed at the first man. A sharp beam of light fired from my fingertip, piercing his skull clean through. His head snapped back with a wet crunch as he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.
The second man turned toward the sound.
I brought the staff around in a wide arc and smashed it into the side of his head. Bone cracked, flesh burst, and the top half of his skull caved in with a sickening spray. He crumpled to the ground, twitching once before going still.
I didn’t stop to look. Just kept moving.
After a few seconds, up ahead, I caught sight of three Holts moving through the brush, spaced just enough to feel safe. They didn’t see me, but they would.
I didn’t slow.
I pointed a finger and a beam of light flared from my fingertip, instantly appearing before the nearest man and drilling through his temple. His body dropped instantly, lifeless before it hit the ground.
The second turned with a shout, reaching for his weapon. I was already in front of him. My staff slammed into his chest, cracking ribs and launching him into a tree. He hit hard, spine snapping on impact, and slid down in a limp heap.
The last man barely had time to raise his blade. I spun, ducked under the swing, and rammed my staff upward into his jaw. The blow shattered his teeth and drove through the roof of his mouth. Light exploded on contact, blowing out the back of his skull.
Three kills in under three seconds.
I didn’t look back and just kept moving.
[Level Up!]
[Level 92 -> Level 93]
Each new encounter was the same — two or three Holts scattered along the riverbank or hidden in the shadows.
I moved like a predator in his element, swift and merciless. Light cut through the gloom, cleaving through bone and flesh with a brutal grace. I killed seventeen Holts and was sitting at level 95 when the forest thinned into another clearing just ahead. I stepped out from the brush.
Five Holts were there, spread out and combing the area, clearly searching. They froze when they saw me. I could guess from their expression that they instantly recognised me.
One of them narrowed his eyes, squinting at me.
“Wait… he’s only level 95?” he muttered. “Why the hell did they send so many of us?”
I didn’t give him time to find the answer.
[Seismic Burst].
The world compressed and snapped. In an instant, I was in front of him, my staff already mid-swing.
The Executioner’s staff head crashed into his skull with a sickening crunch. Bone, brain, and blood exploded outward as the man dropped without a sound, headless and twitching.
A shout rang out from my left. I glanced in time to see a fireball racing toward me.
I lifted my free hand. Light surged and formed into a radiant shield that hovered before me. The fireball crashed against it, sending sparks and flame spraying outward but the shield held firm.
My gaze snapped to the caster—a Holt near the treeline, hand still outstretched. I raised my staff and pointed it like a spear.
A beam of white light lanced from the tip, piercing through the clearing in a blink.
The caster’s eyes widened. He barely managed to summon a barrier, the impact detonating against it and flinging him backward. He survived but only just.
They scattered, trying to regroup, but I was already moving.
The light shield floated beside me, adapting to my pace and angle. Arrows and bolts of fire that came my way splashed harmlessly against it, leaving only smoke and burned air.
I darted through the space between two Holts and spun the staff with both hands. The head of the weapon slammed into the side of one man’s ribs.
A flash of light burst from the impact, piercing out the other side of his torso. He shrieked, staggered, and fell clutching his chest as blood poured from the glowing hole.
The second man lunged with a spear. I let the light shield shift in front of me, catching the tip. Sparks flew. I stepped in, sweeping the staff low.
It cracked across his shin, dropping him to a knee. Before he could recover, I brought the weapon down like a hammer. Light exploded as it struck his head, splitting it open in a flash of gore and blood.
Only two remained now.
One tried to run. The leader stood his ground, casting a storm of glowing orbs that zipped toward me in a tight pattern.
I advanced calmly, my shield intercepting each blast. One by one, the orbs vanished against the light, unable to breach the floating defense.
Then I struck.
I dashed forward and jabbed the staff into his gut. The weapon hit hard—but the burst of light that followed was what ended it. It punched clean through his back and into the tree behind him. He slumped forward, dead before his knees hit the ground.
The last one tripped as he ran, crawling in the dirt with his weapon discarded.
I didn’t speak. I pointed two fingers.
A pair of beams fired and ended him in an instant, burning through his back and out his chest as he collapsed like a broken doll.
Silence returned to the clearing.
I let the shield dissolve and lowered the staff. The fight was over in seconds, and I hadn’t taken a scratch.
Once again, I searched through their belongings. Nothing useful. I was about to move on when a presence flickered at the edge of my perception.
Someone was coming. Fast.
A figure tore through the forest, heading straight for me.
I scanned him.
[Abe Holt – Level 167]
“Finally. Someone with real power.”
He was stronger than Marcus—I could tell just from the way the forest bent around his momentum, the speed at which he closed the distance.
I spun the staff once in my hand and drove it into the ground beside me.
Blood surged through my veins. Essence pulsed hot in my channels. My skin prickled with heat, the familiar rush of battle building in my core.
I grinned.
“Come.”
Creation is hard, cheer me up!