"Hmph."
The skeleton released a cold snort.
The next moment countless shadow tendrils erupted from the floor like dark serpents awakening from slumber. They twisted and intertwined before collapsing into several humanoid figures of varying sizes and shapes. Some possessed elongated limbs, others carried massive clawed arms, while a few resembled twisted beasts standing on all fours.
Kael immediately activated Eye of Judgment.
Information flooded into his mind and his expression darkened.
The shadows weren’t simple summons.
They were living entities.
Or at least something close enough to living that the system recognized them as independent creatures.
What made matters worse was their nature.
Even if destroyed, they would simply disperse into shadow mist before reforming again. As long as the skeleton continued supplying energy, they could endlessly regenerate.
It was an absurd ability.
A frustrating one.
His gaze drifted toward Varek’Voran.
Numerous shadow tendrils still coiled around the throne like vigilant guardians. Any direct attack aimed at the skeleton would undoubtedly be intercepted long before reaching its target.
Kael clicked his tongue.
Fine.
If he couldn’t reach the master, he’d deal with the servants first and figure out the rest later.
Without warning, the first shadow lunged.
Dark claws shot toward his throat with murderous intent.
Kael ducked beneath the attack and pivoted sharply. One sword flashed through the air, severing the creature’s arm before it could touch him.
The shadow recoiled.
Yet even as it stumbled back, darkness was already gathering around the stump.
A new limb was forming.
"Tch."
Kael didn’t give it time to recover.
He burst forward and engaged another shadow. His blades carved through its torso, splitting the creature apart.
The body exploded into wisps of darkness.
Then immediately began reforming.
More shadows emerged.
More shadows attacked.
For every enemy he destroyed, another seemed ready to take its place.
The throne room had become a battlefield of endless darkness.
A larger shadow suddenly charged from the side.
This one moved faster than the others.
Its massive arm descended like a battering ram.
Kael narrowly slipped past the strike.
The blow smashed into the floor, sending freezing air and fragments of stone flying in all directions.
"Not today."
His sword thrust upward.
The blade pierced directly through the creature’s chest.
The shadow exploded apart.
Then began reforming once more.
Kael exhaled slowly.
This wasn’t sustainable.
The shadows weren’t particularly powerful. Individually, most felt comparable to opponents around Levels Ten to Twenty.
Normally they wouldn’t pose any threat.
The problem was their numbers.
And their endless regeneration.
No matter how many he destroyed, they simply returned.
If this continued, he would eventually exhaust himself while Varek’Voran remained safely hidden behind his defenses.
A battle of attrition was impossible.
Even in his weakened state, the skeleton had once stood on the threshold of Transcendence.
There was no universe where Kael possessed more energy than such a being.
If he played the waiting game, he would lose.
Which meant he needed another path to victory.
Then suddenly,
The shadows opened their mouths.
A horrifying wail exploded throughout the chamber.
The sound was neither human nor beastly.
It was something far worse.
A scream filled with despair, agony, madness, and terror.
The very air trembled beneath it.
Kael immediately recognized the skill.
Pain Wail.
One of the abilities he had seen earlier.
A fear-inducing attack capable of causing confusion while reducing an opponent’s combat effectiveness.
The moment the sound struck him, he felt its influence attempting to invade his mind.
Trying to freeze him.
Trying to fill him with dread.
Trying to make him kneel.
Unfortunately for the shadows,
They had chosen the wrong target.
The invasive force barely entered his consciousness before it collided with layer upon layer of mental defenses.
Eye of Judgment.
Cataloguer.
And his naturally monstrous Intelligence stat.
The effect shattered instantly.
Completely resisted.
The shadows clearly expected otherwise.
Believing him vulnerable, they rushed forward to capitalize on the opportunity.
Kael met them with violence.
Both swords became silver flashes.
One shadow lost its head.
Another was cut in half.
A third was skewered through the chest.
Darkness exploded throughout the room as shadow after shadow fell beneath his assault.
Yet even while fighting, Kael’s thoughts never stopped moving.
He was searching.
Looking for an opening.
A weakness.
Anything.
Then suddenly,
He found one.
A grin appeared beneath his helmet.
Reaching into his inventory, Kael retrieved a small glass vial filled with purple liquid.
Without hesitation he hurled it.
The skeleton barely reacted.
Shadow tendrils surged upward.
The vial never came close.
It shattered against the defensive barrier.
Exactly as Kael intended.
Purple liquid splashed in every direction.
Several droplets struck the skeleton’s body.
Immediately,
Sssssss!
A violent sizzling sound filled the throne room.
Dark smoke rose from Varek’Voran’s bones.
The poison began corroding its body.
The skeleton released a furious howl.
"You insignificant mortal!"
"How dare you injure this great one!"
"You deserve death!"
Kael merely grinned.
"Come and earn it."
The insult only enraged Varek’Voran further.
More shadows surged from every direction.
Wave after wave charged toward Kael.
At first he felt pleased.
The more shadows the skeleton deployed, the fewer should remain protecting its body.
But moments later his expression stiffened.
The defensive tendrils around the throne weren’t decreasing.
If anything, they seemed to be increasing.
Kael stared.
Then stared harder.
"Just how much shadow does this thing control?"
For the first time since entering the throne room, genuine despair tried to creep into his thoughts.
The shadows felt endless.
No matter how many appeared, more continued emerging.
How exactly was he supposed to kill something like this?
Then his thoughts halted.
A realization struck him.
Wait.
Why am I trying to kill it?
His eyes widened.
The skeleton wasn’t an instance creature.
It wasn’t native to the Drifting Castle.
Which meant,
Sovereign Claim wouldn’t trigger the wrath of that unknown higher being.
Hope ignited within him.
Without hesitation he activated Sovereign Claim.
Immediately he felt the familiar sensation.
A thread of invisible energy emerged from his existence and stretched toward Varek’Voran.
The connection began forming.
Slowly.
Steadily.
For a brief moment, success seemed possible.
Then,
Snap.
The connection shattered.
Not because of physical resistance.
Not because of mana.
But because of something far greater.
The sheer weight of Varek’Voran’s existence.
The essence of a being that had once stood at the threshold of Transcendence crushed the forming connection before it could stabilize.
Kael sighed.
"As expected."
Still, he wasn’t disappointed.
Because Sovereign Claim had never been his real plan.
Meanwhile, Varek’Voran had noticed something.
A strange feeling had briefly swept through its soul.
Danger.
Threat.
The sensation vanished almost immediately, yet it left the skeleton unsettled.
Its burning eye-flames narrowed.
"What is this mortal doing?"
The very idea felt absurd.
For a creature like Kael to threaten him should have been impossible.
Yet the feeling remained.
Small.
Distant.
But undeniably real.
Kael didn’t give it time to think.
His eyes flashed.
Mark of Judgment activated.
Mana erupted through his body.
Willpower surged.
An invisible force crossed the distance between them.
Varek’Voran’s expression changed.
For the first time since their meeting,
Fear appeared.
Something was attaching itself to his essence.
Something unavoidable.
Immediately shadow tendrils exploded outward.
The countless animated shadows abandoned Kael and rushed back toward their master.
They fused together.
Merged.
Compressed.
The throne room trembled.
A colossal body of darkness formed around the skeleton.
An enormous grotesque giant constructed entirely from writhing shadows and tendrils.
Everything it had was poured into resisting the mark.
It didn’t matter.
The skeleton was simply too weak.
The Mark of Judgment continued carving itself into the foundation of its existence.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Inevitably.
Panic entered Varek’Voran’s voice.
"You!"
"What have you done to me?!"
The gigantic shadow giant charged.
Its massive fist descended toward Kael with enough force to flatten a building.
Kael didn’t even flinch.
Because the moment had arrived.
His eyes turned golden.
Brilliant divine light erupted from his pupils.
Supreme Eye of Judgment.
The world froze.
Silence descended upon the throne room.
An overwhelming majesty spread from Kael’s body.
At that moment he no longer resembled a mortal.
He resembled a judge seated above heaven and earth.
A being whose authority could not be questioned.
Then reality itself shifted.
A colossal golden scale materialized between him and Varek’Voran.
One side held Kael.
Or rather,
His Cosmic Weight.
The mysterious value whose meaning remained unknown even to him.
The other side held Varek’Voran’s Cosmic Weight.
The instant the scales appeared, the skeleton’s panic intensified.
Because it understood what Kael did not.
And for the first time since their battle began,
The former quasi-transcendent looked truly afraid.
Judgment had begun.
# #
[A/N_ Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have had to reduce the Chapter release rate for the past two days. I apologize for this inconvenience. I expect to resume the normal release rate tomorrow. Thank you for continuing to read my story.
If you’ve made it this far, I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave a review. I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far.]