Chapter 626: Essence Manifestation

Chapter 626: Essence Manifestation

626. Essence Manifestation

***

Haec watched as Salvos charged at him once again. She was fast— he had seen her fight against Venas. So he knew just how fast she could move. And right now, Haec knew that she was only starting to try.

Did he have to provoke her? She was letting him test out his Skills, so he should’ve been grateful. Certainly, he was grateful. But he was having so much fun. It was not something he had ever felt before. He felt... like he was truly alive.

For the first time in forever, Haec felt like he was being the real him.

She swiped her claw at his face, but he didn’t move. He knew that his [Greater Reapershell] would block her attack. And it did. Another spike shot out from his shoulder, curving around his face and repelling the fiery strike.

Salvos repeated what she did before, teleporting behind him. It was predictable. Haec knew it was coming. But he didn’t retaliate. He let her unleash her onslaught of fiery attacks as his eyes darted around, tracking her movements. When she teleported once more, he knew where she’d be and swung out with a kick.

It was a simple kick. Not empowered by a Skill. And he missed, barely grazing past his companion’s back.

“Hah! You missed me! You can’t catch me!”

Salvos laughed as she skipped away from him. He grinned, tilting his head at her.

“Are you sure about that, Salvos? Did I really miss?”

He taunted her, eyeing a black glow coming from her back. But she didn’t pick up on his clue as she crossed her arms.

“Yep!”

From the side, Taburas, Bertrugil, and Aemlua exchanged a glance. Haec blinked. And Salvos just nodded triumphantly at herself.

“You did miss! Look, I’m completely unscathed!”

“Uh, Salvos—”

Aemula piped up, raising a hand. But Bertrugil clamped a hand over her mouth as he cut her off.

“Hush. I want to see how this plays out.”

Haec pursed his lips, watching as Salvos waved a hand dismissively.

“I’m too fast for—”

She started, only for the black light on her back to expand into a sphere that circled her. Haec looked on as she took a step back, but her movements were far more sluggish now.

“Huh.”

Salvos stared down at herself. Haec chuckled, scratching the back of his head. He hadn’t expected his kick to connect— but he just needed to touch her. She placed a hand on her chin.

“I guess you did catch me.”

She observed simply, and Haec nodded.

“That’s right. I did.”

He took a step forward and punched her in the face. Salvos went flying. She caught herself before she could crash into the glass-like walls of her pocket space, but Haec didn’t let up. He barreled her way as he raised his right hand.

A bone-like spike jutted out of his wrist, forming a curved blade. He swung at her, and she barely moved out of the way in time, her movements heavily hindered by Haec’s Skill. It was called [Demonic Blight]. And it didn’t just slow its target, it weighed them down.

Furthermore—

Salvos swung back at Haec with a kick. But her attack never connected. Her leg bounced off the translucent black sphere weighing her down, and she blinked.

“Seriously? I can’t attack him, but he can attack me?”

“Yes!”

And he moved without thinking. He was carried only by instincts. It pushed him. It made him rise to his feet. He raised his right arm as it bulged, a white aura overcoming it. Salvos slowed for a moment as she saw him getting to his feet, then her eyes flickered.

Whatever it was that informed her of what was coming next might have saved her. Because Haec swung out as she barely leapt back in time.

“[The Right Hand of the Demon King]!”

The former Heir of the Netherworld bellowed as he threw his fist at where she had been. A pulse of light swept over the pocket space, and the entire plane shook. The glass-like walls all around them cracked, even though Haec didn’t even strike the ground.

Bertrugil and Aemula were sent flying back from the shockwave. Meanwhile, Taburas clung to the glass-like ground, stopping herself from being sent soaring away. She just looked on with wide eyes as she whispered.

“That’s... Haec’s Grand Skill. But why?

Haec staggered forward as Salvos landed a hundred feet away from him. She exclaimed.

“Hey! When did we decide we were going to be using Grand Skills?!”

But he ignored her. No— he couldn’t even hear her. It was like the world was a blur around him, every word Salvos spoke muffled to his ears. The whites of his eyes went black as he inhaled sharply, bringing his shrinking right arm into the air. When his right arm returned to a normal size, a black aura began to wisp off him, dripping from his shoulders like a dark liquid.

Like Demon’s blood.

Salvos furrowed her brows as she lowered her guard for a moment. And she muttered under her breath.

“I know that—”

“What is going on?”

Aemula cried out, peeling herself off the wall. Bertrugil shook his head as he cursed.

“How should we fucking know?”

Haec couldn’t hear them. He just continued to trudge forward as the black liquid continued to pool at his feet, before floating up to form a dark aura around him. He raised his gaze as he was carried only by his anger. By his instincts.

He spoke softly as he eyes Salvos with glazed eyes.

“[Demonic Essence Manif—”

Haec started, but was promptly cut off.

“Enough.”

Salvos shouted as she flicked her wrist. Haec froze where he stood, caught in a trance. The glass-like ground beneath his feet shifted, before slamming up into the ceiling. He recoiled in pain, and his head jolted back. The whites in his eyes returned as he blinked a few times. And then he came crashing back down into the ground.

The dark aura wisping off him dissipated as he just groaned in pain.

“Ouch...”

He lay there for a moment as he clutched at his chest. His entire body ached. He didn’t even want to get up. But he heard a set of footfalls approaching him, and he forced himself to look towards who it was.

“Haec...”

Salvos bit her lower lip as she stared at him. She swept her gaze past him, before shaking her head.

“What was that about? Weren’t we supposed to be going easy on each other? You could’ve killed us all if you destroyed [The World Of My Mind].”

“I... what?”

Haec stared at her blankly for a moment, then the memories of what just happened slowly settled in. He realized what he had done— what he tried to do. The former Heir of the Netherworld looked down at himself as he realized that he had tried to kill Salvos.

And he had no words to say.

Author's Notes:

Small retcon so Haec's new Grand Skill is called [Demonic Essence Manifestation Mastery] instead of just [Demonic Essence Mastery].