Chapter 94: Death
The moment the words left his lips. The air around him shimmered violently before suddenly imploding, as darkness tore outward in an endless wave.
It lingered across the room, thickening for a while before drilling into Ulric’s figure in waves.
Instantly after, soul-crushing pain tore into him, eliciting a groan as his teeth clamped tightly.
He thought he understood pain. But with every evolution, it seemed to redefine his understanding, pushing him to limits he had never known.
His body convulsed violently, collapsing from his meditative posture as he spat out a mouthful of black blood.
Seeing this, Amber and Lyra, watching from the side, gasped sharply, their faces paling as they cried out.
"Ulric!"
The sight froze them in place as questions flooded their minds. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen when breaking through to D-rank... had his evolution backfired?
They rushed toward him, trying to help him up. But just as they came within ten meters. Ulric rose to one knee, raising a hand to stop them, a bloody smile stretching across his face.
This was part of the evolution. And more than that, this time his physique wasn’t just advancing a minor rank. It was transforming into something entirely new.
For something new to rise, the old had to be purged. And that was exactly what was happening.
His advanced mortal corrupted physique was being broken down, redefined and pushed toward far greater heights.
Seeing the look on his face, they halted, their eyes widening. Could it be...? He wasn’t advancing to D-rank as they had assumed.
This was something beyond that. A new evolution entirely.
Was the pain part of the process? More questions surfaced. Their curiosity burning even brighter. Until they chose to trust him as they slowly backed away.
Their eyes flickered as they recalled the monstrous power he wielded. Was this the price?
Exhaling softly, Amber stared blankly. The only other time she had seen him like this was the night of his coming of age and afterward, his strength had surged explosively.
Would this be the same? Her fingers clenched as she held her breath. She hoped so.
While the two sank into worry, Ulric ground his teeth, biting down his tongue as blood pooled in his mouth.
With every passing second, the pain only grew worse, until he could no longer endure it. His mouth snapped open as a guttural growl tore from his throat.
His very being was being redefined. The mass of darkness that once formed part of his body was being purged, oozing out in thick, dark sludge that dripped to the ground below.
Then, the energy drilling into him shifted.
The inky darkness slowly gave way to a sea of crimson. Veins spread across his body as he felt it. Raw strength flooding into him in unimaginable waves.
His skin cracked under the pressure, red fractures forming as it struggled to contain the power. He could feel it. His body had reached its limit. But the energy didn’t stop.
Just as he thought he was about to explode. Ancient markings spread across his skin.
Runes. Sigils.
Far more complex than his eyes could follow.
They moved in intricate patterns, regulating the energy allowing him to take in more.
And more.
His heart thumped rapidly, strained to its limits by the growing power. Soon, it could no longer keep up.
His breath grew short. As the runes flared brighter, his heart finally grew overwhelmed.
With one last powerful thump... his heart exploded.
"Huh?"
Lyra and Amber gasped simultaneously. With every second that passed, everything around them was torn to shreds or outright obliterated.
Yet when the destructive force wrapped around them, it caused no harm. It was as if it had a mind of its own. They had asked him about this before, why they remained unaffected when he unleashed it in battle. He had told them it was because they were his women.
They had thought he was teasing them at the time. But now, seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn’t help but nod. He had been telling the truth.
Perhaps that was why he had allowed them to watch his breakthrough. As time slowly slipped by, their worry eased, little by little.
Even though he was in great pain, they could feel his aura and strength growing at an absurd rate. All he had to do was endure, and everything would be alright.
For a moment, everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Until it wasn’t.
One moment he was on his knees, absorbing the waves of crimson energy. The next, he collapsed onto the ground, his face showing no trace of life.
It was almost as if he were truly dead.
They froze, staring blankly, unsure how to react. As the seconds ticked by, their worry grew, tears welling in their eyes.
Amber felt it worst of all. With her Earth Elemental Heritage, her affinity for lifeforms was exceptional. Even from a distance, she could sense his life force slowly slipping away.
Yet they still didn’t interfere. Partly because of his earlier command, and partly because the evolution had not yet concluded. Hope still burned in their hearts, now laced with desperation.
He wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be.
The energy kept drilling into him. If anything, it only intensified, dragging his body upward until he hovered freely in the air.
The ancient runes and sigils raced and intertwined across his form, lighting up in a resplendent red glow that wrapped around him in an ethereal embrace.
While Lyra and Amber stared at his floating body, Ulric’s consciousness sank into darkness... until it was completely devoured by the abyss.
The next instant, he was no longer in his chamber.
Instead, he found himself in a desolate wasteland stretching as far as he could perceive, filled with swirling mists of darkness.
The air reeked of death. The longer he stared, the more he felt as though he had entered the underworld itself. A single question formed in the back of his mind:
Was he dead?