Chapter 20 | Arc I

(3'rd POV)

"Come forth." When Ashborn said this, Uto and Cylrit widened their eyes from shock.

Chills run down on their backs when Ashborn's shadows started expanding and started forming shapes of monsters.

Monsters with black armor and purple glowing parts manifested. A terrifying amount of mana was emanating from them.

'W-What the hell is t-this...' Both Retainers had similar thoughts.

Ashborn meanwhile manifested his own black armor and black one-handed sword from his shadows. Right now, the sword that Ashborn was wielding was emitting more mana than Uto.

'Do we even have a chance...' Uto thought while looking at monsters.

"We have to hold our ground before Scythes arrive." Cylrit said took off from the ground.

"They will arrive here?" Uto asked and his expression brightened a little.

"They would definitely feel such mana outburst." Cylrit told Uto.

While they were talking about what to do next suddenly Beru appeared next to them. Uto's face paled when he saw Beru's speed.

Cylrit not wasting any time took hold of Uto and moved him away from Beru. Cylrit brought out his large sword and tried to slash Beru, but ant avoided it without any problems.

'This ant isn't even using Aether arts... It is using just physical capabilities, yet it's so fast!' Cylrit yelled in his mind.

"Uto use your spikes!" Cylrit yelled at Uto, but Uto's next words shocked him even more.

"I can't use them! This guy can control shadows somehow!" Uto shouted and looked at Ashborn who was standing on Hawky and looking at them as if looking at bugs.

"Tch. Just fight black monsters!" Cylrit yelled and started releasing some black fog that covered the battlefield.

"Hm? this black fog has poison? No, it's something different..." Ashborn who was standing on Hawky felt something in black fog. When he exhaled he immediately understood that it had something.

"Unfortunately for you, poisons nor your black fog won't work on me." Said Ashborn and looked at Cylrit.

"Even that doesn't work?" Cylrit only had one option now. It was just to survive and wait for Scythes arrival.

Ashborn's shadows already neared Uto and Cylrit. Uto had to fight monsters without his main ability because it didn't work on the shadow monsters.

Cylrit also couldn't use his main ability because it didn't work on monsters nor Ashborn. He used gravity art to at least enhance his physical capabilities.

When Cylrit hit one of the monsters and split it half mysteriously it once again merged in one.

"These monsters can also regenerate!" Cylrit shouted for Uto to hear.

"I already know!" How much they fight doesn't matter, monsters regenerate even when they are hit in the head it just grows back.

Cylrit and Uto were trying to get away from monsters as much they could. However, their mobility was top-notch, nobody was getting in a way of another. They were getting near Uto and Cylrit fastly.

If they try to fly high, Ashborn or even Beru will bring them down. All of their abilities were nullified, and enemies were still in shape without any hints of exhaustion.

While Uto and Cylrit started to pant hardly. Even hope that Scythe will come didn't raise their morale.

What will change even if Scythe comes? the outcome was already decided in their eyes. They will die before any Scythes comes here.

Beru dashed at two retainers and both of them flew up to dodge the attack. At this moment Uto felt a familiar feeling.

[Ruler's Authority]

They both got frozen in the air. Ashborn used telekinesis on retainers to halt them both in one place and make them easier for to him them.

He ran down the battlefield while being on the Hawky, he prepared his sword for a strong slash.

When Hawky was already near retainers, Ashborn slashed with his black swords and split Uto in half while cutting Cylrit's leg.

Uto's eyes were filled with disbelief. Meanwhile, Cylrit who fell down on the ground without a leg didn't even try to fly anymore. He just laid on the ground and waited for his death.

"Why aren't you fighting for your life?" Voice ring out in Cylrit's ears. It was Ashborn who asked a question.

"I don't have enough power to fight, It's pointless, I will still die." Cylrit answered with still closed eyes.

"Yes, you are right. you will die." With that Ashborn slashed again and killed Cylrit, but this wasn't the end.

"But you will reopen your eyes in the darkness. Arise!" With a commanding voice, Ashborn shouted, and immediately shadows exploded from Uto's and Cylrit's bodies.

Shadow soon formed a humanoid shape, they both had purple glowing eyes and purple glowing horns.

"My king!" Both of the shadows shouted and kneeled down in front of Ashborn.

'Both of them have mana-pool equal to General rank...' Ashborn thought and observed them a little closer.

"Both of you had names right... You were Puto and you were Culprit. Right?" Ashborn asked and shadows even sweatdropped at this. (I don't mean anything bad with the word Puto it's just Ashborn who forgot Uto's real name.)

"My liege, they were Uto and Cylrit." Beru intervened just in time.

"From now on, You are Uto and You are Cylrit." If servants could laugh, they would already be doing this.

"My liege, shall we enter Relictomb now?" Beru who couldn't wait anymore asked.

"Yes, in my shadow." With that said every servant started jumping in his shadow.

A few hours later after the battle. The lone figure could be seen walking on the tempted ground, he was looking around as if searching for something.

"No traces, but this amount of mana..." Figure muttered and trembled a little.

"Even though, I'm Scythe and Vritra blooded. This is a whole different level." Yes, this was Scythe Cadell who came here after sensing a sudden outburst of mana.

He was in the Central Dominion of Alacrya when he felt an outburst of mana.

"Unbelievable, I felt an outburst of mana that far away. Was that an Asuras?" Such questions were flowing in his mind.

'I remember Retainers were stationed nearly here.' Cadell tried to sense the mana of retainers, but couldn't feel anything.

The only thing that he felt was mana that gave him a vibe of death.

Walking on this tempted land, he saw two corpses. He widened his eyes when he saw horns on those corpses. He ran to them and when he finally saw faces, he could only sigh.

"Just what monster appeared here?" The monster that tempted everything to the ground and killed 2 Retainers that were supposed to be trump-cards of Alacrya in war with Dicathen.

Besides nobody would leave such mana signatures if you knew that this territory is of Vritras, but no. Not only he left mana signatures, but also corpses of Retainers.

"What should I tell Lord Agrona now?" He can only say that Retainers died at the hands of an unknown attacker.

Meanwhile, our Ashborn with his Immortal Army of Shadows was going through Relictomb with unbelievable speed. Tearing apart any enemy that was in their eyes shadow army continued their march from portal to portal.

Their liege didn't have to intervene, he was just walking through the burning streets of the city that was created by Relictomb.

Nostalgic memories that Ashborn cherished were getting clearer when he was walking in these burning streets, remembering his successor was maybe the only happy memory that he had from a past life. (Well, bruh now I'm sad...)

"My liege, we are ready to clear the next floor." Marshall Beru appeared next to Ashborn and informed him.

"We shall start clearing the next floor." With that said his soldiers returned to his shadow and waited for their liege to use the portal.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

25. This was the count of floors that Ashborn managed to clear in a short amount of time.

Right now he is on the 50th floor of demon castle, or the 25th floor of this Relictomb. There had to be Vulcan the ruler of the lower floors in the Demon Castle.

But current circumstances were different, he already defeated Vulcan in the previous Relictomb. What Relictomb will come up now?

New boss? or already existing one, but floor different.

"So it's Metus? How did Relictomb change its abilities then?" Said Ashborn and looked at the skeleton figure in front of him.

Metus was a powerful demon that could summon the undead. now, will it just summon more dolls?

Metus pointed his hand at Ashborn who only stared at the skeleton. Soon something raise from the ground, hundreds of undead came out.

'Those aren't actual undead. Just creation of Relictomb.' Thought Ashborn.

He materialized his one-handed black sword from his shadow and quickly he appeared near Metus and slashed in the middle of the skeleton's chest.

Metus couldn't even command his soldiers when he just fell down on the ground and looking at his other half. His undead army also started falling.

Ashborn wanted to take a fragment that was in Metus's body, but Beru came out and did this before him.

"My liege, you shouldn't touch this lowly creature." Beru took out a fragment and while on kneels offered it to his liege.

Ashborn felt awkward and just toot it without any words.

"Should there be also crystal? why can't I feel it..." Ashborn wondered if there is a crystal that managed Relictomb.

"My king, there possibility that you destroyed it while attacking this lowly creature." Alacryan servant told Ashborn. (Still without name T^T)

"This is the second Relictomb. there are two more, I shall clear them after I visit Dicathen. " Said Ashborn.

For his time being in Relictombs, he of course already knew that time goes differently in Relictombs because of Aether. (Monarchs can feel changes in time and space. It's even mentioned in the latest chapter of Solo Leveling.)

"My liege, shouldn't we hurry and clear Relictombs before lowly creatures do it?" Beru just wanted to fight and came up with some reason to make his liege continue clearing Relictombs.

"They won't be able to, Vritras won't let them enter. Besides I'm not in hurry, when I had to hurry I was late. So I shall do everything calmly." Ashborn said and some sadness could be felt in the air.

"This lowly creature apologizes for making you sad, my liege."

"Forget it, I want to go back for now. Besides, it's time to finish my work in the guild."

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I finished this Arc, way before I anticipated. Well, I plan to do more in Alacryan in the future. (Caera fans please wait.)

Right now we are going back to Dicathen. TO OUR FAMILY.

Cya.