28 27. Dull Skies
Beneath the shroud of midnight, the howls of wolves echoed, mana torches offered feeble illumination to the corners of the room, leaving the majority veiled in darkness. Undeterred, the man traversed through the entrance, heading for his leader's dwelling.
Upon entering, a crippling fear gripped him, yet he pressed forward. The room presented itself as a vast stone-forged structure, devoid of furnishings or constructions, except for a shattered statue at its center.
"IX, I assume your task is complete." The man within the room spoke, reclining on a stone slab suspended from the ceiling.
"Yes, Sir." IX halted near the entrance, kneeling on one knee. "I presume you've also seen the notification."
"Yes, Hajun possesses one of the Unknown cores," The man remarked, withdrawing a dark orb from his pocket, likely another Unknown core.
"What do you suppose we do with him?" IX inquired. "Especially after VIII's betrayal, they know we're in Winterglaides and might have an idea about what we're doing."
"They don't," The man retorted. He leaped down from the stone slab, landing in the shadows, his ruby-red eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "If they had, they would've destroyed the core, or better yet, they'd have been on our tails by now."
"That is true."
"IX, do you know why the night sky always seems so peaceful?" The man glanced at his subordinate, continuing when he shook his head. "It's because everyone's dead, sleeping in the night with the probability of never waking up again. That's why it's so peaceful."
"Your mind is a patient even I wouldn't dare operate on."
"Right? And here I thought I could relate to you since we're both madmen," The man sighed softly, his white hair ruffled by the wind. "How are talks with the Azure going?"
"They still haven't found Arsene," IX replied.
"Arsene, a beastman with limitless potential. A limitless vessel that can be filled with infinite knowledge," The man remarked, leaping up and grabbing onto the stone slab before swinging onto it. "The unrivaled strength of an Unknown in one rare specimen."
"Do you suppose I take someone else with me on my mission? As much as I can handle this alone, social interactions aren't exactly my forte," IX explained.
"Yes, take III along with you. I'm sure he'd want to see his failure in the flesh," The man said, putting his arm down, signaling the end of the conversation. "Keep the Azure on a tight leash, they aren't our allies."
"Yes, Sir," IX said before exiting the room, heading back through the entrance he came from.
Exiting the building, he turned left, catching sight of the man he was supposed to bring along. "Eavesdropping on the boss is going to land your head on a swivel one day," IX remarked, III chuckling in response.
Under the moonlight, they strolled toward a towering building, eventually settling on its ledge, where the mechanical clock's rumbling hands marked each passing second.
"I know you were a doctor back on Earth, but what exactly is Arsene and when did he go missing?" III inquired, referencing their earlier conversation.
"I'm afraid explaining it wouldn't make much of a difference," IX replied. "And besides, wouldn't discussing about Hajun make for a more engaging conversation?"
"There's nothing to talk about," III retorted, rising to his feet. "Since you won't tell me about Arsene, I'll find out myself. I'll extract that information from the Azure, whether you like it or not," He muttered before leaping off the tower, vanishing into the night.
"Do your best," IX chuckled as he observed the sunrise, another day beckoning him to search for his elusive experiment. "I'll find you soon, my beautiful beast. You're our key to heaven, after all," IX murmured as he leapt down, fading into the crimson sky.
As IX vanished, Harvey emerged on a cliff, cradling Elizabeth's ashes. He contemplated scattering them, but the thought paralyzed him. If he scattered them now and he felt nothing what would be the point, would he feel worse than if he hadn't poured them in the first place?
Swiftly, he dismissed the thoughts, making a concentrated effort to banish them from his mind before an unwelcome memory peered in. Looking down the cliff, he observed the frozen monuments and the people of the city, walking through the icy oasis they called home.
While he wouldn't get attached to the guild members as he nearly did with the Chaos Bird party, at least now he currently possessed a lead. Once they dealt with the Azure and possibly reunited Erra with her parents, he planned to part ways with her.
"That's the best way," He mused to himself. "I dragged her into this, keeping her involved after she achieves her goal is simply selfish."
Harvey tapped his system menu, prompting a screen to appear. He navigated through it, heading to his equipment section to equip the weapons he had retrieved from Silver Fang. "Equip Rictus Symbol."
[Character: Hajun]
[Age- 24]
[Level- 5,521] [Experience: 42,329/127,000]
[Class: Condemned]
[Clan: Roosevelt Guild]
[Cash available: 4,000,020 coins]
[Innate Technique: Cause and Effect, the user can remove a specific cause before it happens, leaving its effect, or remove a specific effect before it happens leaving its cause. Cool down -20sec]
[Manifest: Causma Nexus]
[Manifest Type: Zone Amp]
[Stats].
Strength-3,840/99999(maxed)
Agility- 2,752/99999(maxed)
Intelligence-1,158/999(maxed)
Dexterity- 1,122/99999(maxed)
Toughness-1,230/99999(maxed)
Luck: 1,120/99999(maxed)
Health- 10,125/99999(maxed)
Health recovery: 10/s
Mana- 10,125/99999(maxed)
Mana recovery- 10/s
....
Elements: Fire, Lightning.
Skill points: 1,519
Skills learned:
*Crit Induce(Greater Chance up): Increases the likelihood of Harvey landing a critical hit in battle, increasing his overall damage output.
*Double Impact: While random, Harvey has the chance to deal delayed damage with each attack. (This skill has evolved after its multiple usages and now Harvey can manually use it, it still works passively when he fights but he can manually trigger it as well)
*Boost: Harvey is pushed high into the air. (can be chained to another boost or double boost)
*Double Boost: Harvey is pushed higher into the air and stepping once more while in the air pushes him upward again. (cannot be chained to boost or another double boost in quick succession)
*Damage reduction: Damage is reduced for a specific amount of time.
*Blitz mode: Increases current speed by tenfold.
*Reflective barrier: A thin barrier is created, this barrier deflects all magic and physical attacks until the technique is over or the barrier is broken.
*Pierce: All attacks bypass the opponent's toughness, dealing damage directly to their health.
*Flash step: Quickly move vertically, advised to use in tandem with stab attacks.
*Wild attack: Creates a multiplier on attacks, increasing its damage for each attack.
Spells learned
Hellblaze (Seeker and Scattershot): A fire spell detonates into sizable chunks, utilizing the seeker aspect to track opponents and the scattershot feature to rain them down across the battlefield.
Magma Resonance (Homing): Gathers fire into a high-speed beam, incorporating the Homing feature allows the blast to trail the target. The highly condensed fire beam can pierce through most solid materials.
Striking Blue: Harvey's fist radiates with lightning, presenting a close-range attack that transfers lightning from his fist to the opponent. Executing this technique on the ground generates a barrier surge of electricity, damaging everything in a radius.
Thunderfall: Unleashes a random scattershot of falling lightning.
Thunderfall Max: Releases a random scattershot of more potent falling lightning, concluding with a giant thunderbolt striking the ground.
Magnificent Radiance: Focuses mana, with the spell growing stronger and more condensed as it converges in the user's palm. Its final form is white, possessing the destructive power of a warhead.
Magma Barrier (Barrier): Erects a fire barrier that deflects fire attacks with superior efficiency compared to other elements.
Thunder Rain Dome (Barrier): Creates a lightning barrier proficiently deflecting and handling lightning attacks compared to other elements.
Molten Trigger: Pointing his finger, mana converges at the tip, shooting out a concentrated block of fire. This attack can be repeated, treating the user's mana as ammo for its gun-like effect.
Collapsing Thunder: Harvey jumps and lands back on the ground, releasing lightning from his hands, affecting a large radius.
Flareburst: Summons multiple lava balls scattered across the battlefield, ready to be detonated at the user's command.
Spells able to learn: Phenom collapse 2,150sp. Thunderball Parade, 3000sp
Weapons Equipped: Rictus Symbol(Unique+)
*Weapon Description: This weapon harnesses the inescapable threads of destiny to strike down adversaries. Resistance is futile as in its presence, only death awaits.*
Weapon Forms:
Form 1: Malignant Cloud
Form 2: Crescent Star
Form 3: Fate's Embrace
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Form 10: Guided Line
Weapons stored: Hyruks Mage wand(Great).
Items stored: High stamina potion(x12), Unknown Core, Crazed Juniper Antler(Craft Material) (x2)
Harvey examined his stats, dismissing the notification before laying on his back and gazing at the sunrise. "Using the predetermined thread of destiny to attack... Is fate truly real?" He pondered, continuing to stare at the sky.
Reflecting on the events of his life, from the labyrinth to Hive, encountering the Unknown, and now dealing with the Azure, Harvey believed Erra could finally find closure after this.
"Still—" He began, his hands covering his face. "I don't want to be alone."
"Sobbing on a cliff, I guess even the strongest have their weaknesses," A familiar voice remarked. As Harvey turned, he saw Aurora from New Order, her blonde hair swaying in the wind.
"Has Fiera found the Azure's locations?"
"No," She joined him, sitting beside him, her legs dangling off the edge. "It's a beautiful sunrise, that's all— you don't mind me watching it with you, right?"
Harvey let out a silent sigh before looking away.
"Do as you please."
