Explode!!

Ash's arms and legs exploded.

A fountain of blood erupted from his body, splattering across the ground in a violent burst.

His upper body fell to the ground, without legs and hands, the impact sending a dull echo through the quiet space.

Ash's eyes regained focus after the explosion of his body parts, the shock forcing his senses to sharpen for a brief second.

But soon, his hands and legs regenerated, the process visible to the naked eye as flesh, muscle, and bone rebuilt themselves in a rapid blur.

This...

It took only a split second, yet hundreds of thoughts ran through Ash mind, overlapping, clashing, and forming conclusions with frantic speed.

Soon he reached one.

Rune of Life was working as usual. There was no problem with the Runes themselves. His injuries were healing without any issue. The only problem was that they were healing without mana pathways.

That meant even if Ash's body was regenerating, his mana pathways were not.

It was as if the concept of mana pathways did not exist inside him anymore.

Or rather, the concept of mana pathways had been erased from his body entirely.

There was a reason the true power of Rune could not be easily harnessed. The fused power of the Runes was too much for a normal body to bear, to the point that it had suffered permanent damage....or permanent erasure.

Am I going to die..?

Ash could not see any way out of this situation.

But there was indeed one way for him to escape. He just had to use the anchor he had given to Elysia.

But as soon as he did that, his body would teleport to her location.

Since anchors were formed by large amounts of mana and will, they did not require additional mana to activate.

No, if somehow Orien is able to follow me just like he did with Lumielle, Elysia will face danger as well. I can't take the risk.

All the roads were closed in front of him, and he could not seem to see any path out.

"Your body is regenerating on par with the healing abilities of a Phoenix."

Orien muttered with narrowed eyes, observing every detail with growing interest.

One after another, he was witnessing things he would never have expected to see from a human. His gut feeling told him that if not for his Domain restricting the Anomaly, he would have already fled long ago.

And right now, he was feeling genuinely glad that he had taken precautions and deployed his Domain beforehand.

But, Ash movements were blocked, even though his body regenerated, he was still lying on the ground.

The only thing that was in his advantage was that although his mana pathways were erased, but Orien had no idea about it.

Orien still believed that touching Ash body would be disastrous for him, which made him rely only on his Domain abilities to harm Ash.

Any attack devoid of demonic energy had no effect on Ash's healing, allowing him to heal without any interruption.

Orien walked up to him and as he towered above him, he gazed intently at him as if trying to decipher something hidden deep inside.

His eyes were swirling with dual colors.

"Indeed, there is something blocking me from seeing inside of you. Even my eyes can't pierce through it. It would really be a pity if you were to die without spilling all the secrets you have."

Orien covered his lips with his hand as his smile slowly reached his eyes. He was becoming genuinely amused by Ash existence, entertained by the mystery he presented.

If he could truly get his hands on the secrets Ash was hiding, he was certain that he would gain an enormous leap in power.

His instincts told him so. And at his rank, gut feelings always proved to be right.

A sky colored crystal suddenly appeared in his hand.

As soon as it appeared, the surroundings became even more silent. The quantity and quality of mana in the air increased sharply, almost as if the world itself reacted to its presence.

Ash mind became clear. All the confusion and shock vanished from his mind.

A crystal clear clarity returned to his psyche.

What's that..?

Ash had no idea, but his heart was pounding in...fear?

No way, I am feeling fear..?

There was a reason for why Ash felt like that. His mind was protected by the Rune of Knowledge, and nothing interfered with his thoughts. Even beneficial effects were always blocked, unable to touch his psyche.

But right now his mind was being cleared forcibly, and his psyche was being affected by something overwhelming.

It was only natural that he felt like this.

Just then, a voice echoed in the surroundings.

"Is that..?"

A small distance away, Lumielle shocked voice earned the attention of both Ash and Orien.

In her beast form, she was lying on the ground, her body was devoid of any power, but as soon as the crystal appeared, her emotions erupted as if a dam had burst open.

Her body started to tremble nonstop, and she tried to force her exhausted frame upward. She was willing every fiber of her being to move, to snatch the crystal with whatever strength she had left, yet no matter how much willpower she gathered, her body simply refused to respond.

"N-n-no!! How can it be? Why does something like this is with y-you....And that presence!!! Y-YOU DEMON!!!!!!"

Lumielle enraged voice, filled with killing intent, echoed through the surroundings. The intensity behind her words would have crushed the mind of most beings, yet Orien simply chuckled. He was not affected in the slightest. He brushed it off as if it were nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum.

"Demon? Yes, I am a DEMON!!. And I will soon transcend even that, and now that you have brought me another precious nourishment, how can I say no to it? I would say, Lumielle, you are truly my benefactor."

His voice carried clear mockery and ridicule, as if her suffering was nothing more than entertainment to him.

"Damn it!!!"

Lumielle was having a complete breakdown. Her husband had died, her body was unable to move, her son was sent to a safe place by Ash, yet with Ash himself on the verge of dying, she had no idea what kind of future her son would face. The weight of everything was crushing her from all sides.

And right now in front of her....she felt the presence of her daughter's soul from inside the sky colored crystal.

Ignoring Lumielle, Orien focused his attention back on Ash, who looked at him with an emotionless face. Even so, Orien could sense the turmoil hidden beneath that calm exterior, faint but present like a storm trapped behind a thin wall.

"Do you know what this crystal is?"

Ash remained silent.

"This is Spirit Crystal. A very rare natural treasure in the whole universe. It has the power to preserve a soul from dissipating for a very long time."

Ash still showed no reaction, holding the same unreadable expression.

Seeing that, Orien's lips curled even more.

But inwardly, he was seething with rage. He could not accept that a human had made him feel fear even for a moment.

He wanted Ash to experience the same helplessness he had felt, no, he wanted Ash to drown in despair, to feel fear so deeply that he would beg.

So he continued speaking with even more emphasis.

"Spirit Crystal is something that most of the powerful beings desire in the world, mostly those who have reached the end of their lifespan, but want to live even more."

"They preserve their souls inside the Spirit Crystal and take possession of another body. Although what I said sounds simple, there are countless complicated processes involved, and I will not go into those details."

"All in all, even though Spirit Crystal is something everyone desires, what I have in my hands is something everyone detests."

Before he could continue, Lumielle enraged voice burst out again, trembling with hatred and desperation.

"YOU DERANGED BEAST!!! RELEASE MY CHILD RIGHT THIS INSTANT. WHAT HAS SHE EVER DONE TO YOU???"

She was forcing herself to stand with her trembling front legs, but it was useless. Her body was beyond its limits.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and her horns flickered with a rainbow hue. The light shimmered like a thin veil of hope clinging to her last ounce of strength.

Maybe resonating with her emotions, the Spirit Crystal also released a faint burst of rainbow pulse.

But before it could grow stronger, it was instantly suppressed.

"What has your child done to me? Nothing. Its just she is the nourishment I need for my Transcendence, nothing else. And do not disturb me. I was about to reveal something dreadful. You disrupted my flow."

"LIE DOWN."

With a wave of his hand, Lumielle was instantly forced onto the ground, her mouth sealed with invisible energy. She struggled, but her exhausted body could not resist the overwhelming force.

Focusing back on Ash, who was lying on the ground with his face toward Orien, the demon continued.

"Where was I? Yeah, what I have is something everyone detests. The reason being, what I have is indeed a Spirit Crystal, but a mutated one named.....Spirit devouring Crystal."

"Indeed, it devours the Souls of anyone and allows someone else to easily absorb and assimilate the devoured Soul. It is a Treasure that is rarer than even the Spirit Crystal. A treasure that allows one to strengthen the soul...and a Treasure that allows another one to gain powers of.....a Unique Soul."

Orien slowly circled around Ash body, gazing at him with high intensity. Even his eyes, known for piercing through almost anything, were unable to peer beneath Ash's skin. What he saw could only be attributed to the simple innards of a normal human.

But he refused to believe that things were truly so simple.

He kneeled near Ash head, staring deeply into his eyes as he spoke.

"In short, I am going to absorb your soul, Ash Burn."

****

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