Chapter 97: Arise
With that thought in mind, his grip on both their waists tightened, before their figures suddenly vanished. Appearing at the entrance of the Greyson Residence.
Causing Amber and Lyra to blink rapidly. One moment they had been inside his quarters, the next they were hundreds of meters away, bathed in moonlight. What kind of unearthly speed was that?
Seeing their shocked expressions, a faint smile spread across Ulric’s face. Before, his shadow teleportation had been limited to a maximum of ten meters. No matter how hard he tried, the range had barely increased.
Now, he could cover a hundred meters in an instant. And more than that, he could do it repeatedly. Just as he had now, allowing him to clear hundreds of meters in mere seconds.
And what was even crazier was the fact that this was only the beginning.
The thought had barely formed before his figure vanished into a dark blur. He bolted forward, breaking into a full sprint.
His newly upgraded physique came into play, and it did not disappoint. His speed had more than doubled.
Lyra and Amber, nestled securely in his grasp, grew even more shocked. A tinge of worry flashed in their eyes.
But as the seconds slipped by, the worry eased away, replaced by trust. Soon they were squealing excitedly.
The wind rushed through their hair, fluttering wildly. The experience felt surreal. Questions swirled in the back of their minds.
Was this how fast he could truly move? They could barely keep track of their surroundings as everything blurred past. It was simply too fast.
Yet for a moment, clasped tightly in his arms, everything else seemed to lose meaning. They relaxed, greedily gulping in the cool night breeze.
Until it all ended as he suddenly came to a halt.
"Why did you stop?" Lyra pouted as he released his grip and set them down on the ground.
"We’ve arrived," Ulric muttered, his eyes piercing into the distance.
"Huh?" Amber gasped, looking around in confusion.
They were on the outskirts of the city, where the wasteland stretched out infinitely. There was nothing in sight.
She gulped faintly. They were deep in the wasteland now, in the zone where strong beasts roamed.
He couldn’t possibly have brought them here to...? The thought made her mouth fall open slightly.
The realization hit Lyra almost instantly. Her eyes widened.
True to their suspicions, a faint smile stretched across Ulric’s face. This was indeed the zone of strong beasts. D-rank territory. It wouldn’t be long before a few sensed their presence and attacked.
He had expected it to take anywhere from a few minutes to nearly an hour before any beast showed up.
He was proven wrong almost immediately.
Barely seconds after the smile formed on his lips, he spotted the outline of a figure rushing toward them at impressive speed. If it had been anyone else, it might have taken longer to notice the charge. The creature seemed to meld with the darkness, perfectly concealing its presence.
But with his enhanced senses, Ulric detected it the instant it charged. He immediately cast Appraisal on it.
[Beast: Wild Cat]
[Level: 58 (D-rank)]
[Weakness: Ice attacks]
"This should do," Ulric breathed, waiting patiently.
When it crossed the hundred-meter mark, he could see its full outline and gave a slight nod at its regal frame.
It towered over four meters tall, covered in sleek dark fur, with two massive crystalline orbs for eyes. Sharp, razor-like teeth gleamed menacingly under the moonlight, and its claws looked even deadlier.
Every time those claws touched the ground, they sliced through battered rocks as easily as cutting butter.
Yet Ulric remained perfectly calm. When the beast crossed the ten-meter range, it pounced.
Its maw charged straight for his neck, aiming to end him in a single strike.
Ulric deflected it effortlessly. He raised his hand, grabbed the massive throat, and broke its momentum sharply, letting the creature dangle helplessly in the air.
The roles reversed in an instant. He was no longer the prey, and that truth was slowly dawning on the wild cat.
Screeches tore from its throat as it thrashed madly, trying to claw him to pieces. Its efforts were futile.
Beneath his tough robe lay a physique harder than any rock the beast could imagine. Its attacks left not even a single mark.
Behind him, Amber and Lyra’s eyes widened in surprise. One moment they had been standing calmly in the moonlight. The next, Ulric held a raging beast by the throat, slowly draining the life from it. They gulped audibly.
They hadn’t even seen or heard the attack coming. If he hadn’t been here... they could only imagine what would have happened. It was just another reminder why most people never dared wander beyond the city gates without sufficient strength.
Otherwise, death was almost guaranteed.
With the last of its strength, the wild cat raised its head. Its crystalline eyes locked onto Ulric’s crimson gaze, causing it to shudder in fear. There was something far more dangerous about this human. It growled, sensing the same oppressive aura it felt from the great demons lurking in the deepest parts of the wasteland.
But it no longer mattered. The light in its eyes dimmed as Ulric snapped its neck with a sharp twist, snuffing out its life before dropping the corpse to the ground with a heavy thud.
Watching the lifeless wild cat fall, the two girls’ eyes fluttered rapidly.
"Woah... so strong," Amber finally muttered, breaking out of her trance.
She had heard tales of his strength, but seeing him casually kill a D-rank beast with such ease was astonishing.
Lyra didn’t seem to share the same awe as she walked up to him with a teasing smile spreading across her face.
"Did you bring us here just to show off?"
She had seen part of his battle with Aelira, and that woman’s aura had been far stronger than this beast. If he truly wanted a real fight, he should have gone deeper into the wasteland, and probably wouldn’t have brought them along.
Hearing her words, Ulric’s lips twitched slightly, his throat going dry as he found himself at a loss for words.
"Uh... no... this... maybe," Before he finally sputtered.
"Watch."
He shook his head slowly. She was growing bolder by the day.
Crouching beside the lifeless corpse, Ulric cleared his thoughts. His lips parted as he chanted softly, a spark of insight flashing in his eyes. He recalled the fragments of revelation and enlightenment he had gained when his talent advanced.
"Where there is light, there must be darkness," he muttered, then sank into a deeper chant.
"Life and death, two sides of the same coin, perfectly conjoined. Your light slips into the darkness... and now I call upon that darkness so that you may rise once more."
He paused for a moment, exhaling softly, before breathing the final command:
"Arise!"