I watched as Vaelix’s body started to break apart, his form slowly dissolving into thin mist before turning into pure Essence particles. They drifted toward me like glowing dust merging with my body.
A series of notifications echoed in my mind.
[Level Up!]
[Level 302 → Level 310]
I let out a quiet breath. The increase felt nice, but not as much as I had expected. Vaelix had sacrificed his levels earlier to save himself, and that sacrifice had weakened him and reduced what I could gain from him.
Then something caught my eye. Right where his body had vanished, a faint symbol glimmered in the air. A rune.
It floated there, spinning slowly, radiating a faint red light mixed with golden streaks. I focused on it, trying to read the structure of Essence within it, but before I could make sense of it, the rune pulsed once and darted straight toward my chest.
I moved on instinct, raising my guard. But just before it could touch me, it stopped, frozen midair and began to tremble violently, as if something inside it was fighting to move forward but couldn’t.
I frowned and stepped back, keeping my eyes fixed on it. The rune shook faster, giving off a low humming sound, and then suddenly it shot downward, disappearing into the darkness of the abyss below.
I stayed still for a while, waiting, listening, but nothing else happened. The air was silent again.
"What was that...?" I muttered under my breath. It wasn’t normal Essence behavior. Something in that rune had resisted me.
I turned around, scanning the battlefield in front of me. The others were still locked in combat. Steve, North, and Primus were being held back by five elf chained monsters, each radiating sharp, steady power. Their coordination was good, too good. They were clearly meant to be the biggest hurdle.
My eyes narrowed.
The junction was behind us. Beyond it stood three gates, each glowing with faint light. But only three people could pass through them. We were four. One of us would have to stay behind, no matter what. And that meant someone had to make a choice.
My thoughts drifted back to Vaelix for a moment. For all his arrogance, he had talent. A transcendent rank, a domain refined through countless battles.
But against me, none of that mattered. He never understood that raw power alone wasn’t enough when the very Essence obeyed my will. And my biggest advantage was clear, it was my stats and physical strength. Even a transcendent being like him did not stand a chance against my blows.
Still, his death wasn’t meaningless. He had taught me about domains atleast.
I observed the fights the others were involved in. And Steve was the one who looked most at ease in his fight.
The air crackled with Essence as Steve faced the five Elves standing in a perfect line, their bows drawn and eyes glowing faint green. The moment one of them blinked, five arrows of condensed Essence tore through the air toward him.
Steve didn’t flinch. His sword moved. A single motion—clean, invisible. The air split apart with a soft hiss, and all five arrows shattered mid-flight, dissolving into Essence before they could touch him.
He exhaled lightly, his grip tightening. The veins along his arms glowed faint blue as lightning pulsed under his skin.
"Minor Law—Voltage Flow."
His muscles sparked alive. The next instant, his figure vanished. A thunderclap followed.
The first Elf barely turned his head before Steve appeared in front of him, sword slicing diagonally upward. The blade flashed once, and the Elf’s bow, arm and head separated cleanly from his body.
The others reacted instantly, firing again, arrows whistling through the air from different angles. Steve twisted his body, and the lightning in his bones erupted. His movements blurred as if time slowed around him. Each arrow passed through his afterimage.
He slid low, cutting through the second Elf’s legs before spinning and driving his blade backward into the third one’s chest. A burst of darkness spread from the wound as he added another command.
"Shadow Infusion."
The shadows stretched from the ground, gripping the fourth Elf’s ankles and freezing him in place.
The fourth Elf screamed, firing a desperate arrow, but Steve tilted his head slightly allowing the arrow to pass harmlessly.
His sword curved unnaturally, bending with his wrist as if alive, slicing upward in a motion that shouldn’t have been possible. The fourth Elf’s body split apart, neat and silent.
The last Elf drew a deep breath, summoning a storm of arrows glowing with condensed Essence. The air trembled from their force.
Steve stood still for a moment, then whispered, "Void Edge."
The glow in his eyes turned dark blue. His blade lost its color entirely, like it had absorbed all light. When the storm came, his sword moved once. A single horizontal slash.
Silence.
The arrows froze midair, split into countless fragments, and the Elf behind them fell, a deep cut cleaving him from shoulder to hip.
Steve straightened, lightning fading from his skin. The shadows withdrew.
He exhaled once, the air around him humming softly with the fading charge.
He turned his sword once, letting the last drop of blood slide off the blade before he started walking toward me. The faint hum of lightning still lingered in the air around him.
I gave him a small nod, my mind replaying every moment of his fight.
Steve had mastered a surprising number of minor laws—Edge Control, Sharpness, Blade Momentum, Conductive Surge, Voltage Flow, Shadow Infusion, and Void Edge.
Each one flowed into the next like a seamless rhythm. His movements were precise. There was no wasted motion, no hesitation.
Lightning and darkness both seemed to bend to his will, drawn to him as naturally as air fills a vacuum.
That connection came from his Blackvolt Skeleton, the special enhancement he got through Azalea. His bones could conduct and store lightning, reacting instantly with every movement. I could almost feel the energy running through him.
Now that I could transfer Essence and enhance others’ attributes, I realized just how much potential Steve held. If I gave him a fraction of my Essence, his speed and cutting power would skyrocket. In this war, he wasn’t just an ally, he was a weapon sharp enough to shift entire battles.
My gaze moved to Primus.
He was still fighting, his movements sharp and fast, but something felt off. For someone as quick as him, he was holding back. His attacks weren’t as aggressive as usual. Then I looked toward North. She was still locked in her own fight.
I understood immediately. I exhaled and shook my head.
"What happened?" Steve asked, stopping beside me.
"Primus wants North to finish first," I said quietly.
Steve turned his head and watched Primus for a few seconds. His eyes narrowed before he gave a small nod. "Maybe he thinks since there are three gates, he should give her a chance to be one of the three."
I nodded slowly. "Maybe. But we’ve already made enough sacrifices."
Steve nodded.
"Why don’t we try interfering in their paths?" I suggested.