Chapter 29: Bottom Ash

The Demonling felt an intense, pulsing sting as blood poured from his face, neck and chest, but at the same time, a fiercely hot sensation ran through his body, empowering it tremendously even as he gasped in agony.

The Incarnate, no, Arlosse had been blessed with 10 additional points to each of his physical attributes – which didn’t include his Spirit Essence – and his body, which had already been anomalous, took especially kindly to the overwhelming burst of power that surged in him.

His bleeding slowed until it stopped, and then the wounds he had sustained, the torn skin from the first slash that had reached him, inched inward, attempting to mend themselves in real-time.

Arlosse shook.

He took long, deep breaths, attempting to relax himself, but his body refused to calm down. His instincts and nerves were rattled. Before the bliss that was the abundant strength in the form of attribute points, there had been the crippling fear brought on by sure and absolute death.

The Incarnate had nearly died at the hands of King Alabas.

However, at that moment, all his experience and the will he struggled to understand and reason through – his emotions towards this thing called authority, Kingship and all – allowed him to weather through Alabas’ assault.

Arlosse had been convinced that Alabas certainly wouldn’t go all out, but the attacks that came weren’t cheap strikes either.

The Demonling looked at the throne where the split flesh of the King lay on either of the two armrests, dripping with maggots and rotten bodily juices too thick to slide fast to the floor.

A horrible stench wafted out, but Arlosse was unbothered by it. His nose, or rather, his soul remembered worse.

Suddenly feeling both incredibly lithe and sturdy, Arlosse stood. The pain faded and he sensed that the torn skin on his face, neck and chest close up successfully, leaving a long scar that was nearly continuous.

Arlosse felt for it as he looked at the gleaming tablet which refused to rid itself from his sight. It kept flashing, telling him that from today onward, he would be known as the Hollow Demonling Arlosse.

“I finally have a name. Haha,” the Incarnate said, a funny, empty laugh escaping from his lips.

He indeed finally had a name, and the 30 attribute points – in total – he received, were because he had earned it.

It was a reward from Alabas for setting him free.

“Arlosse,” the Incarnate voiced.

At once, the meaning of the name came to him along with the nuanced intent that Alabas meant to convey when he declared it.

Bottom Ash.

At first glance, the name might have been insulting, considering that bottom ash was residue left behind after fuels like coal were burnt up. It had its uses, but still, a grander, heroic name would have been a lot more desirable for most.

Yet, Arlosse accepted the name immediately.

Alabas placed value on him.

Bottom ash was the incombustible matter. It couldn’t be tamed or consumed by fire. It had no value as fuel – that is, in the conventional sense – but it was one of several components needed to erect the stalwart shelters man hid in at night and when the weather was furious.

Arlosse couldn’t help but think that Alabas viewed him as that one soldier who was never used up in war. Instead of dominating the battlefield, fuelling the vicious hate brewed in war, he weathered through it and was destined for something greater.

What this ‘something greater’ was, Arlosse didn’t know, but he anticipated it.

Right then, the glowing tablet showed him something other than his reward for besting Alabas.

[Well done! You have matched ‘Alabas, Flying Reaper Sword’ against his renowned ‘Rending Windward Edge’!]

[You have received ‘Soaring Severance’!]

“Oh.”

Arlosse was taken by surprise.

“That’s right! I did beat him in that way, didn’t I?”

It had taken the Demonling a few seconds to recall that just now, he hadn’t just defeated Alabas. He had beaten him with his own Kanva. By storing the Rending Windward Edge slashes in his vault, and then sending one of them back at the King, he had quickly ended the battle.

To acquire Kanva, the Incarnate had to beat an enemy in the same respect the Kanva they used empowered, and Arlosse had done just that!

Now, he had received his own version of Rending Windward Edge, Soaring Severance.

Arlosse beamed.

He would have liked to immediately take a look at this new Kanva, but he decided that he owed Alabas one last show of courtesy first.

Gazing intently at Alabas’ corpse, he walked towards it after picking up the Valiant Subject’s Ward and storing it in the Hermetic Vault.

He drew close to Alabas’ throne and the candlestand, and once again, Arlosse was astonished when the glowing tablet suddenly urged:

[You are within range of the Rare Far Ji (Unique Quality)]

[Find its source and pay a fitting price to claim it for yourself]

The Incarnate wore a dubious look and then looked at the flickering candle so close to him.

“Right. This is another Far Ji. A Rare one this time. But I thought only one Far Ji was allowed per person. Could I actually…?” he said skeptically and then shook his head. “I used up all my Incarnation Points. I can’t find out anyway.”

He couldn’t pay the price for the Far Ji right now, even if he could get it.

Despite saying this, Arlosse looked longingly at the candle, which was apparently the source of the Unique Quality, and then he forced himself to turn towards King Alabas’ corpse.

“Thank you,” he said with a little bow. “I might not have found a satisfying answer to my conflict, but at least I met a different kind of King to the one I’m used to. You acknowledged me.”

Indeed, Arlosse felt this way.

King Alabas felt more kingly than the one he had known in his past life.

Of course, the Incarnate disagreed with Alabas’ strained mentality, likely born from rage and guilt, but he did glean something significant from it.

‘A soldier’s only concern is who they will raise their sword for and for what purpose.’

This phrase stuck with Arlosse and he would not soon forget it.

Right as he gave a last intent gaze at Alabas…

[You have successfully defeated King Alabas and put him to rest honorably]

[You have freed the accursed family driven to ruin by lapses in judgment and atrocious, vile ambition. You have survived the consequences of their chaotic reign]

[Your actions are being judged…]

[You have been awarded 10 Incarnation Points!]

[You have cleared the FIRST FLOOR, the Ruins of the Deserted King, Alabas!]

[You will be transported to the ‘Isolated Foyer of New Beginnings’ shortly]

Arlosse’s eyes shone.

He attempted to comprehend each of the messages before him, but that turned out to be impossible in a short time.

He did understand, however, that he had just acquired 10 Incarnation Points, and was about to leave this floor soon.

Thus, spurned by these two thoughts, he dived towards the flickering candle by the throne and…