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2024-11-06 18:52:53
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Death scape CHAPTER 20
20 Neo sat down beside the fire. It was night again, and the blood-red moon towered above the sky, inviting the deadly creatures that dwelled at the mountain peaks to a feast. The world quaked as they battled for their stomachs' fill, making Neo remember what happened earlier that day. He had lost his first battle, and if it wasn't for Seeker's timely intervention, it could have been his last. Neo didn't know if to be grateful because it was Seeker who sent him to fight in the first place. Eventually, Neo spoke, his voice faint."Thank you..."Seeker paused, his teeth biting down on an especially large chunk of meat, with his makeshift helmet raised."...for the other time," Neo added.Then the confusion on Seeker's mind finally cleared."It's nothing, just eat up, it thickens when it gets cold," he replied.Neo stared at the black soup in front of him in disgust. It was a slurpy soup made from the gargoyle's blood. Seeker said the skin of the mangled fox was not edible the day it wa
Death scape CHAPTER 21
21 An ocean of fang and claws lashed out, aiming at a youth with bushy, inky black hair. His straight, but bruised face, curved into a vicious grin. His pale skin was framed by a furry mantle, covering all of his body save for the head. Red bolts of lightning flickered in the depths of his eyes, as he evaded a swift claw strike that would have ripped the better part of his leg off. Still trying to keep his panic at bay, just as he had been taught, he quickly made a swift turn, generating just enough tension on his second leg to leap out of the way—all in one swift, fluid motion. The cage of fangs clashed together, releasing a reverberated metallic sound in the air that was quickly swallowed by the sound of the horde of creatures perishing in the distance.Suddenly, a blurry silhouette lashed out, piercing the eyes of the creature straight into its brain. The creature vibrated and fell to the ground with a loud thud. As blood cascaded from the injury, the sword dissipated into a clou
Death scape CHAPTER 22
22 Neo stared into Seeker's bestial eyes, noticing a sense of wrongness in them. And then it was suddenly gone, replaced by his carefree and insouciant attitude."Why are you here spacing out?" Seeker questioned."Don't pretend you don't see the creature on the ground, weirdo," Neo retorted."Of course I do. What's up with it? Is it pregnant? Ohh, or does it have a birthmark? Those ones are very delicious." Seeker replied, pretending to scope it out."Ohh curses, Seeker! This is my first slain demon. All the signs are there: jagged tooth, vermillion eyes… You taught me all these things, damn it!" Neo replied, facepalming with a frustrated groan."Ohh, I see. Good. Remember for the last three weeks you haven't been holding up to your end of the deal, but now that you can slay demons, that changes.""Remember, two heads per day," Seeker said, walking up to the cayherd corpse. He chopped its head off in one swift motion and then added, "One more for today."He then turned to leave, but a
Death scape CHAPTER 23
23 Neo attempted a downward slash at the incoming eel, but the eel evaded the slash nimbly. Neo had been quite proficient with the sword lately due to the lessons he had been receiving from Seeker, but still, the eel had been able to evade it, partially because it was in its natural habitat while Neo wasn't, and also partially because the slash was slowed down by the density of the water. Neo was still struggling to retract his arm for a follow-up slash when the creature planted countless tendrils into his arm. Bolts of electricity coursed through his arm, heading straight for his brain and heart. Shivers ran down his spine…quite literally, Neo suspected his death was near. But instead of the expected death, Neo's body absorbed the electricity, igniting the bolts of crimson lightning in the depths of his eyes. His power soared. Neo immediately abandoned all pretense of coordination, activating the second power he had hidden since his arrival to the afterlife. He had underesti
Death scape CHAPTER 24
24 The battle began as the bird's enormous talons shot forth in an attempt to skewer the giant lizard. However, the lizard was just as fast; its spiky tail impeded the talons' advancement as sparks burst forth from their point of contact, making the world shudder. On and on the battle raged, sending several bouts of shockwaves across the battlefield. The palpable killing intent finally receded somewhat, and Neo's tensed breath died down. Neo looked up with a wry smile on his face, resisting the urge to black out at that moment. The shockwaves from the battle kept brushing against his mantle, even though he was several hundred meters away. "Damn!" Neo reckoned one hit would kill him ten times over and he wasn't willing to find out if he was right. Quickly, he carried his dazed self away; if he lingered any longer, he might not survive the collateral damage from the battle. He had to do something—and fast. Neo dumped the spices and herbs somewhere and took to his heels as he he
Death scape CHAPTER 25
Neo sat leaning against the wall. He was audibly gasping for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He was shifted uncomfortably on his butt; his butt hurt too bad, everywhere did. His mantle was stained with his blood, and his inky black hair was ruffled and dirty. He was looking like a product of a long-forgotten sewer."Damn cursed world!!"Neo cursed aloud, and the world shuddered in reply. The leviathans and whatever it was that seemed more powerful than them were still battling.Neo tried to hold back his tears and steel his resolve, but he was failing woefully. He was just a kid after all, a lost kid. And he had survived enough pain in these last few months to last a lifetime.If things kept going that way, Neo felt he would break one day, maybe even sooner than he anticipated. He feared the possibilities of his future the most if things didn't change.At that point, he desired death... but not too desperately. No one really wants to die; the survival instincts of humans a
Death scape CHAPTER 26
"And that's the greatest mistake you've ever made," Seeker bellowed.Neo jerked his hand forcefully away from Seeker. "Hey, what's up with all this? You're acting strange and weird, and it seems you know something I don't. I need an explanation for all this, okay?" Neo yelled, his throat bobbing heavily in fury. "You seek explanation, well then. Explanation you get," Seeker said. "This, you see right here," he started pointing to the murals, "is called the devil's painting. It's a prophetic enchantment. Once you set your eyes on it, it dictates and manipulates your life in this cursed valley. Remember I told you there was no way out of here? That… was wrong. The only way to be free and leave this place in one piece is to complete this prophecy.""What the hell!" Neo exclaimed. He wanted to ask how possible the phenomenon was, but then he remembered that in that cursed reality, everything and anything was possible. He had heard that fact a million times over, from his parents to the a
Death scape CHAPTER 27
"I told you to stay still, but you didn't listen. Now look at you," Seeker said, approaching Neo's weak, broken body.Seeker's eyes suddenly lost life, and his figure went limp. He shivered slightly, and some energy left him. Neo, teetering on the brink of losing consciousness, saw a vaguely familiar floating orb of pristine light float out of Seeker. It was his soul. Neo, in his haphazard guesses, had been right. Seeker could possess other people. Therefore, the body Neo had known him with turned out not to be his after all. Surprisingly, the soul of the creature Seeker had hijacked its body, while weak, was still alive. Its pristine light flickered, obscured by a misty haze, as it clawed at its face. The pain seemed to be sifting from his soul to its almost lifeless body. Neo felt if he could just reach the creature, he would be able to heal it with the power bestowed to him by [Soul Stinger]. But then, he was just too late as the soul seeped its last pristine light and imploded
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- Death scape
CHAPTER 38
Neo dragged the creature aside for the Harknidae to suck dry. He then started to summon willow's vine massively, without the least care for his essence depleting. Although the Harknidae are pesky and annoying, they are the reason the whole valley is not unbearably disgusting and stinking. The sheer amount of blood spilled in the valley each day—and night—is staggering. But the Harknidae are up to the task of cleaning up the mess; they are like the valley's vacuum cleaners. Neo's essence finally ran out after a few minutes, and the cave's compartment was filled with an endless brown rope running around the place. Usually, Neo would wait for his essence to replenish before plunging into battle again, using the willow's vine as an extra reservoir of essence to sustain Asunder for a longer duration. And that was exactly what he was trying to do, until his stomach started to hurt as if he was being shredded from within. Black blood began to drip from the corner of his lips. Neo was no s
- Death scape
CHAPTER 37
Neo suddenly felt a constraint, and before he could react, a putrid smell assaulted his nose. By the time Neo realized what was happening, he'd already lost a few liters of body fluid to the embrace of a blue, cloth-like creature. Its presence had been utterly obfuscated by the large expanse of the blue lake. The creature, which strikingly resembled a piece of clothing, fed on the water within creatures, a method similar to the Harknidae, but far more devious. Neo immediately plunged his hand into the soul realm, crushing the creature's soul. Cracks spread across it with some resistance, but it eventually crumbled into countless particles adrift in the unknown universe once more.The announcement rang in Neo's mind, revealing that the unassuming creature was a mutant behemoth! Neo was certain he wouldn't have been able to slay that attack without a similarly devious trump card. Nevertheless, without Soul Stinger, he could have stunned the creature with his Crimson Nebulae and escaped
- Death scape
CHAPTER 36
It was another day of death and blood in the Valley of Endless Battles. The sky was overcast, a more frequent occurrence lately. The day was still young, but the signs of the previous night's battle were still evident on the valley's terrain. Gargoyles and Harknidae were already converging in massive numbers, ready to continue where they left off the day before. The endless, harrowing cycle—an endless loop of death—was about to begin again.Neo, however, observed the activities from a particular ledge. His long, inky black hair fluttered in the wind. Something seemed different about his apparel; a deep blue cape was attached to his mantle, also fluttering in the wind and bolstering the grandeur of his stance. A great sword, silver with intricately running orange lines across its hilt, rested resplendently on his shoulder, held steady by his arm.With a sharp, unyielding gaze, devoid of emotion, Neo's expression darkened."Oh, Valley," he voiced, "I heard you never run out of fodder?"
- Death scape
CHAPTER 35
The creature thrashed wildly, swinging its ample muscular frame around. Neo gritted his teeth, swinging like a loose hair strand, ensuring the willow vine remained firm. It didn't seem to work; the creature was furious, trying to rid itself of the parasite assaulting its body. But Neo was just too stubborn. During its wild thrashing, the creature struck the cave tunnel wall. A large chunk rained down, causing a chain reaction; a large slab of stone crumbled far away, covering a sizable portion of the tunnel. A smile threatened to break through Neo's grim expression; his plan was working. He just needed to inflict more pain. The creature was momentarily disoriented by the damage it caused, so Neo seized the opportunity to skewer another part of its belly. Repeating this several times, Neo tested his theory of pain. The creature's endurance finally gave out; it seemed to have had enough of Neo's shenanigans. It abruptly fell to the floor, rolling to crush Neo under its immense we
- Death scape
CHAPTER 34
Neo's skin seared and hurt badly; the fur of the cave mantle was blackening and charring from the lightning coating his body. But that was the least of his problems. Bolstered by the speed of Ten Lives Per Second, further augmented by his Crimson Nebulae, Neo quickly escaped the cave chamber— where he killed the most harrowing creatue he'd ever faced, save for Seeker. Neo, being Neo, was quickly confronted with another problem. This wasn't surprising actually; he seemed to attract death and blood. One might say it was the price for having Soul Stinger and Bone of Contention, both weapons that cheated death in some way. Nonetheless, it could just be Neo's bad luck. "If only someone out there could fix my luck," Neo thought sullenly. Exiting the chamber, Neo found himself in a tunnel leading to the cave exit. He could see the pristine sunlight at the other end, but it seemed miles away. Worse, the tunnel was completely straight, offering little room to maneuver. If the harrowin
- Death scape
CHAPTER 33
Neo pondered for a few moments, figuring the only person who he spent enough time with for the scent to rub off of him was Seeker. At least, that was Neo's assumption. There was a high possibility the leviathan feared him because of the ancient, mysterious man Neo had lived with for weeks. Thankfully, Seeker was gone, and Neo wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. But aside from that, after the creature spared Neo, it must have abandoned its wait-and-bait game. It compelled Neo to kill it so it could sacrifice its life for its unborn child. “Actually, scratch that; I’m not sure about any of this nonsense,” he muttered. “Being lonely has finally ruined my sanity,” Neo mused, shaking his head in self-deprecation. “So, what am I to do with this egg? Fry it, scramble it, or destroy it and gain more leviathan souls and probably a specter? Perhaps I’ll go with the third one,” he thought, laughing at his own dry humor. The prospect of an easy, stress-free leviathan soul was ecs
- Death scape
CHAPTER 32
Neo stared at the creature's carcass with astonishment. He still couldn't comprehend what made it slay itself, but further thought wouldn't change anything.There was much to harvest from a creature of that caliber: its tough scales and extremely dense bones would be very useful. Feeding on the creature wouldn't be worthwhile; partly because Neo felt a connection to it, and mostly because it would be so tough it might not even digest. He'd rather eat his nameless soup or some cayherd. It wouldn't be pleasant to see the meat return whole after a stressful voyage through his digestive system.Neo summoned Weeper's Fury and got to work.He climbed onto the creature, his legs trembling slightly. He was actually standing on a leviathan! What if it was just pretending to be dead? he thought. But he quickly dismissed his doubts and began.Even though it would have been cleverer to start from the deep laceration in its underbelly, Neo couldn't turn the whole creature over. Not only because
- Death scape
CHAPTER 31
Neo walked toward the creature. Wisps of crimson lightning crackled beneath his eyes. The massive creature's soul came into view, but instead of a single soul shrouded in a misty haze, there were two: one mature, the other immensely fragile and weak.Neo's expression remained placid as he moved with a steady gait. He raised his right arm and thrust it toward the mature soul. His arm phased through the creature's body as if cutting through air, striking the soul—a pristine orb. Cracks spread across its surface, but then something strange happened.The cracks immediately began to close, restoring the soul to its whole state. But before this process was complete, the creature intentionally halted the healing, and the cracks reappeared. The soul shattered into countless pieces, finally free from the curse of corruption. Essence from the dead soul, bending the will of the realm, flowed into the less mature soul—the power of a leviathan.[Reaping: You have slain an Amok Leviathan: Heavenly
- Death scape
CHAPTER 30
After seeing the gigantic eye, Neo's initial reaction was to flee—something he had become quite proficient at recently.But then he didn't. He had a sudden, strange feeling that something was off. Whenever he was agitated or frantic, there was always an adrenaline rush born from fear or panic, accompanied by the killing intent surging from the threat. Neo's brain had summed up these feelings as a beacon of danger. So, since one of them was absent in his current situation, he couldn't help but notice that the giant eye, or whatever creature it belonged to, wasn't releasing any killing intent whatsoever. That was even the reason behind Neo's impetuous act of climbing the ledge, without even taking notice of the creature lying in the darkness within.Neo silently contemplated for a split second whether he should leave or check out the cave. His logical reasoning was trying to rip him apart from within, scolding him for even having the thought of staying.A wry smile suddenly appeared on
