The convoy traveled towards Valhalla along with Ajax. Ajax chose to ignore the hostile stares of the guards and focused his attention on the mission. The path towards Valhalla was not a walk in the park. Based on the map he got and the information he gathered about the place, Valhalla was not a place just for anyone.
Valhalla is a place where gods and other beings stronger than gods reside; not only that, but the path was dangerous. They will have to travel for the next 30 days, enduring harsh weather, rough terrain, and the ever-changing temperatures of these lands.
Ajax had no problem with the sudden changes in temperature; after all, he had the Leviathan armor, which increased his resistance against such temperatures. However, the same cannot be said about the other guards; seeing Ajax not get bothered by the absurd changes only pissed them off further.
So far, they have been traveling for three days nonstop; the guards didn't need to sleep that often because they were also awakened.
On the fourth day, Ajax was meditating to increase his proficiency; it was in his nature to train. Ajax made sure to train his skills and body whenever he could, so his skills had improved.
[Void sense]
Previous rank: 2
Rank: 3
Proficiency: 18%
Effects: Enables the user to feel disturbances in space around him much better, enhances the user's senses, and gives him a radar range of 80 meters.
[Void wave]
Previous Rank: 2
Rank:3
Proficiency: 21%
Effects: Allows users to launch void waves and offers medium corrosion.
[Void manifestation]
Previous Rank: 1
Rank: 2
Proficiency: 9%
Effects: Allows user to manipulate and use the void,
[Creation manipulation]
Previous Rank: 1
Rank: 2
Effects: Allows user to manipulate and use creation itself
[Reality Armament]
Previous Rank: 0
Rank: 2
proficiency: 45%
Effects: Allows user to coat a body part with the power of the void and enhance it using creation, boosting that part.
While experimenting, Ajax realized that creation manipulation allowed him to deconstruct things and create things, but this greatly tires his mental capacity and his astral energy. This limits his progression a lot. Nonetheless, he was very satisfied with his improvements.
While he was at it, Ajax took out the cube he got from the armory and inspected it.
[???]
Type: consumable
Effect: Once consumed (broken down), the host has a chance to awaken a soul weapon.
'Soul weapon? System What's a soul weapon?' Ajax asked the system
[A soul weapon is a weapon made from the host's soul.]
"What does it do?" He asked again.
[A soul weapon can be summoned anytime and anywhere the host wants; not only that, but the initial strength of the weapon will depend on the host's soul, and it can get stronger as the host gains more strength.]
'Such a thing exists?' He thought. "System, how come I haven't seen anyone with a soul weapon?" He asked once more.
[Gaining a soul weapon is something that not anyone can do; it is said that soul weapons were made for gods and other such beings.]
"I see. If I consume this and I don't get a soul weapon, will it damage me?"
[No, but the user will not be able to try again; a soul weapon can only be unlocked once.]
"So its a one-time use," Ajax thought. After contemplating for a while, he decided to try it out and hope for the best.
[The host has consumed [???]
[Initializing... Initializing..]
Suddenly Ajax felt a dull pain, and slowly that dull pain became sharp and unbearable; he clutched his chest and gritted his teeth. Ajax's body felt like he was being burned from the inside out!
.
.
.
After a few minutes of suffering, it finally slowed down and subsided.
[Congratulations, Host has successfully unlocked its own soul weapon!]
[The soul weapon has been named: ruination]
[Ruination]
Type: Soul weapon
Rank: N/A
Stat bonus
+10,000 STR
+10,000 AGI
+10,000 DEF
+10,000 DEX
+10,000 ASTRAL ENERGY
Active Ability: Void Reaper (Allows weapons to absorb void and creation energy).
Active Ability: Dimensional cutter (allows weapon to pierce through dimensions)
Active Ability: Reality Warper (allows weapon to cut reality itself but requires massive amounts of energy)
Passive: Weapons can destroy and cut souls.
Ajax was stunned for a few minutes before coming back to his senses. He had acquired a soul weapon! something even some gods don't have! Ajax almost cried in joy after he received it, and he thanked Lady Luck for siding with him once more.
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.
.
They have been traveling for 2 weeks now. They have made some stops for the soldiers to rest, and when that happened, Ajax went to the jungle and checked his soul weapon.
While doing experiments with it, he discovered some things about it; while the weapon was indeed amazing, Ajax couldn't just use it all the time. The weapon required him to be stronger because whenever he wielded it, his body would start eroding due to the sheer power of the weapon. After some more testing, he came back to the camp to have dinner.
.
.
.
Two more days passed while the soldiers traveled; they were in a much worse state; most of them were sick and tired of the sudden changes in the environment. Ajax looked around, and sure enough, barely half of their forces can fight back an attack now.
If they were to be attacked now, they would surely lose a lot of soldiers. Ajax listened to the wind and the sound of marching; the air here was definitely better than on earth.
While meditating once more on top of the carriage, Ajax suddenly opened his eyes; he smelled something—something metallic—and it was blood. Ajax immediately jumped off the carriage and went towards the captain.
"Captain, I believe we have to be ready. The wind is stained with blood." He said.
The captain looked at him with the same hostility as the other and said in an arrogant tone, "Hah! be ready? They should fear us! were the cavalry of the clan Lifeblood! These poor peasants can't do anything against us- But before the captain could finish, his head fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Ajax's eyes widened, and he maximized his [Void Sense.] His radar immidiately sensed about 30 people, most of them around master to grandmaster rank, while a few were around semi-saint rank!
But that was not why Ajax was so worried; aside from the semi-saints, there was one saint among them, and they were approaching fast. The leader of the guards was already dead, and the morale of the soldiers was low; they were quite fucked.
Ajax immediately brandished the abyssal axe and prepared for battle; he coated his legs and arms with [Reality armament] Fortunately, his training paid off, and the new version of his previous armament was stronger and better; it also covered a lot more.
Ajax immidiately felt very light and strong; he sprinted fast and swiftly towards the approaching assassins and immediately took out three master rank individuals. The guards had already heard the commotion, so they formed a protective circle.
Ajax felt two grandmasters approaching him at high speed; however, he was much faster! He immediately casted two void waves and used [void manipulation] to form a thin line; when the enemies tried to dodge it, they were decapitated by the string of void.
'Another 2 down!' Ajax thought. He then shot 7 more void waves towards the enemies while flanking them; this surprise attack killed at least 5 grandmasters. The enemy finally focused their attention on him. Soon, multiple barrages of elemental attacks came for him.
Ajax used the Void Shield and blocked them out, leaving no trace. He then swiftly formed 3 small void needles using Void Manipulation and threw them towards the enemies.
The approaching Assasins didn't sense the needles and thought that Ajax only did that motion to retract his shield. The needles hit them, and it tore a hole through them. They fell face first, screaming in agony as their souls were also pierced.
The saint- and semi-saint-rank individuals saw this and were immediately surprised. Assassination required an individual to undergo a long series of tortures so they could get a huge boost in pain resistance, and to make three of them scream in pain wasn't something anyone could just do.
The saint-rank assassin immediately ordered a full-force attack on Ajax, and all the assassins approached him, including the saint-rank as well.
'Fuck!' Ajax cursed inside his head. He immediately used [Eternium] and sent out multiple Void waves in rapid succession, slowing down the enemy's advancement. He then sprinted towards the incapacitated ones and finished them for good.
Due to his absurd speed, most of the assassins can only see a blur passing by before falling headless on the ground. While going on a streak, Ajax felt a threat to his life, so he immediately formed a dome using the Void Shield, and sure enough, a giant golden sword struck the dome but failed to break it.
Ajax looked at the source of the attack and saw that it came from the semi-saints. There were about four semi-saints in their rank, and in the middle was a saint-rank individual. The battle was turning more grim by the second.
The guards were also slowly getting overwhelmed; Ajax had to move or else everyone would die! He used [haste], and his speed increased by twofold. He charged towards the enemy, and sure enough, they didn't expect him.
He killed the remaining grandmasters trying to break into the formation of the soldiers in an instant. The semi-saints' eyes widened, and they felt an enormous threat; they couldn't see Ajax's movement at all! The Saint was also in disbelief; he, a saint, could barely follow the brats' movement!
Ajax stared at the last five enemies in front of him; suddenly, a massive demonic aura stained the battlefield. The saint finally made a move; the saint had a demonic rank heritage; it was not going to be a walk in the park.
The aura of the saint also increased by leaps and bounds; Ajax felt the pressure crushing him, and he could barely move; he had no choice but to use that now.
Suddenly, a more terrifying aura covered the whole battlefield; even the saint's aura paled in comparison. Ajax held in his hand a massive scythe; the scythe was big, and its color was black with red lines moving like magma. His arms also started forming red lines. He didn't have much time; it was now or never.
The semi saints felt the overbearing aura and could barely move; the saint also felt very threatened and tried to escape; however, before he could run, the four semi saints suddenly exploded into bits and pieces. The saint looked at this with a horrified expression.
The saint immediately cast a skill, and the skill formed a massive formation. Anyone inside the formation will be restricted. The saint looked at Ajax, but to his surprise, he wasn't bound at all! in fact, the laws that tried binding Ajax were destroyed before they even reached him!
The saint panicked and used a mental skill to slow Ajax down, but that didn't work either. Soon, multiple sonic booms can be heard on the battlefield, and shockwaves can be felt. Ajax and the saint traded blows, but the saint could barely catch up.
The saint's weapon was long gone, and he just mindlessly cast AoE attacks, hoping to stop Ajax's advance. His body was starting to corrode, and he cursed at his contractor for sending him on a suicide mission!
Ajax wasn't doing any better; he was reaching his limit. The red marks now covered the entirety of his arm, and the pain was excruciating. Ajax stopped his advance and used [creation manipulation]. He formed chains that bound the saint.
The sudden halt was all he needed to end the fight; he cast [Reality Warper]. His scythe glowed white, and he also noticed that the edges of his scythe were distorting reality!
Ajax looked at the begging saint one more time before slicing down. Soon the begging stopped and was replaced with the sound of glass cracking. In front of Ajax was reality being cut; the scene in front of him looked like two pictures cut in the middle. (similar to the Vergil attack in the I am the Storm that is Approaching videos)
The mountain behind was also cut; soon enough, the pieces of reality started fixing themselves, and a deafening sound of explosion was heard. Ajax separated a mountain.