As my head finally rested against my pillows, I quickly fell asleep. Being awake for about sixteen hours had depleted my stamina pretty far. I was ready for my soul to take a delightful trip to hell.
Sure enough, I opened my eyes and I was in front of the same black gate with the ominous words inscribed upon its surface. I strode through the double doors and a black and blue portal opened in front of me. As Dark stepped from it, the portal disappeared.
She nodded to me. "Are you ready, or do you have questions?"
I shrugged. "I'm ready. I want to go deeper and fight against tougher opponents.
She nodded. "Alright, let's go."
She opened her same portal again and I stepped in first. Once on the other side, I looked around. I was standing upon an invisible floating platform, once again.
Below me, the scenery was much different. There was a bubbling blackish liquid that contained the type of mana that filled me. The same mana that was meant to be painful to another soul. The mana of hell. The mana of despair. The mana of death.
There was a small island of ash that had been compacted into a solid, nearly perfect, circle. There were about forty people fighting upon the island. The weapons they used were far more specialized and some of them even used aura.
I looked over to Dark. "How are they using aura if they don't have any mana?"
She shrugged. "They have been in hell so long that they have learned to harness the mana here. It should have never been possible, but with time a determined person is always able to defy logic. Such a trick should be extremely easy for you since this mana is the sort you specialize in."
I nodded. "Okay, I will try it out."
I willed my trident to form in my hand. I attempted to form an aura from within my soul. The problem was that my soul was my body and could not spare any extra energy. I turned to my surroundings. I sensed the mana in the air. I sensed the mana in the black oozing liquid far down below.
My finger disappeared. I willed the blackish smoke that formed my left pointer finger to unravel into a strand. That strand snaked out towards the molten mana. Once it was touching the molten mana, It began to eat up the mana.
The stand became a string which quickly thickened even further to a cord of mana. That thick cord of mana traveled back up to my black ethereal body. My finger formed back again, and I could feel myself being strengthened greatly by a great excess of mana.
I felt a sudden pain well up from within the very fiber of my being. A power so refined, so great and it was running rampant through my soul like a fucking playground.
I doubled over onto the invisible platform. It felt like I couldn't breathe even though I did not need to. It felt like I was thirsty although I did not need water. It felt like I was hungry, but I was not. It felt too hot and too cold at the same time. It felt like my very skin had been flayed even though my body was made of mana from my soul.
My soul was trying to tell my body that there was something VERY wrong happening. I ignored the pain. I ignored the signs of imminent death. I embraced it. I made it a part of my very soul.
Upon my knees, I threw my head back and began to laugh. Defiance. Revenge. Relentlessness. I would not bow to anyone. I would become a god that surpassed all limits. A god of pure death. A god of vengeance. A god of sheer fucking will.
The pain did not disappear, instead, my very soul adjusted to it. I was telling it: "You had better not fucking reject this. This is mine. Take it or fucking die. You have no choice."
I slowly picked myself back up. Dark looked at me. She seemed disturbed. She sighed. "You know, that's not what I meant."
I shrugged. "Well, it fucking worked. What did I gain?"
She smiled. "You made a Mythic skill that is unique. You are now a god."
I smiled. I felt a thrill run within me. "Do I get a fucking name now?"
She nodded. "Let me bring you before him. This is a rare occurrence which he will want to see. He will want to understand your skill."
She made a portal. As she was about to step through it, someone appeared beside us. He was a flickering shadow. A form that did not exist. The form spoke. "Oh god who lurks in the dark, do not leave, for I am here."
His maddeningly flickering faceless head turned towards me and he smiled. Or a purple glowing slit opened where his mouth should have been and it slid into the shape of a smile. "You have created something that defies common sense. You have consumed a portion of my own very soul. My mana."
"Didn't you inject me with your mana though so it was something that I could do?"
"This mana is in my domain. It is still connected to me. Consuming it is the same as committing suicide. The point is, why haven't you?"
I shrugged. "I still feel pain."
His eyes began to glow purple and his glowing mouth and hellish features contorted into something of an interested face. "So, this skill of yours? Will you show it to me? Repeat the process again."
I nodded. "Sure."
I had excess mana in my soul, so I did not have to use any mana, I just sent a strand of mana down towards the bubbling black liquid below. I took that liquid, much more than before, and I drew it back up towards myself.
As the blackish mana formed back into my body, I felt increased pain, but it just made me more aware. More on edge. More intent upon my goals. I would do what I had resolved myself towards. I would fulfill those goals.
The god who oversees death began to laugh. It was a ghastly sound, like the sound of a jackal whose windpipes had been destroyed ten times over and reconstructed with the windpipe of an organ instrument.
He looked at my very soul. Even a mouse could have done that though. "You have created something very interesting. With this, you can absolve yourself from me. You can conquer whatever planets you would like without having to kill the god who injected his mana into that planet. You have increased your worth.
I have a new offer for you. You will be my weapon. You will help me conquer entire worlds. You will help me kill all of the gods. I will give you earth and whatever planets you desire after that. Beside me, you will be a god to be feared by all. What did you say?"
I shrugged. "I'm sorry. I will do what I have already promised you. I will kill the god who conquers and then return to earth."
The god who oversees death sighed. "If you ever change your mind. I will be here."
I nodded. "Can I go and take some of the souls down below?"
He glanced down at them. "Those are all weaklings. The drivel that doesn't even deserve to exist here."
He outstretched his hand. "I will consume their souls for having crossed my sight."
The thirty remaining souls fighting down below instantly vanished in a burst of smoke and flew up towards him in a condensed ball of pure black mana. He caught the mana and absorbed it.
He smiled even wider. "I like you. I will give you a better soul. I will take you down to the deepest circle of hell and you can choose who you want from that place. After tonight, you can do what you want when you are asleep. You are strong enough now."
He waved his hand and the three of us appeared in a small room. The mana was in a solid black form that seemed intensely condensed. The solid mana felt cold. The souls were fighting. There were eight of them. I could hardly see their moves.
I looked up towards him. "Am I supposed to kill one of them?"
He laughed. "Ah, that's funny. These souls could have been gods. They are more powerful than gods now. I keep them here because they are expendable soldiers when I need them. Souls that could have been gods, but failed. Souls who became stronger in hell with time. I will give you the one you want."
He waved his hand and every single one of them froze completely as though time for them stood still. There were two women and six men. I walked towards them to inspect them further.
Every single one of them held a long weapon. Most men had spears or swords, while one had a greataxe. The two women both had spears. Both of the women seemed to have extremely muscled physiques visible even under the armor they seemed to wear. The men had far greater physiques.
I moved to the men. I wanted someone with power. Someone unruly and cruel. Someone who stood out above the others. I looked at the man with the greataxe. He had nothing covering his head. His hair was long and wild. His face seemed to be controlled in rage. Even in hell. Here was a man I could understand. A man who could understand me.
I nodded. "This one."
I summoned my trident and drove it through him. He disappeared in a puff of black smoke and flew to me.
The god who oversees death sighed. "Good choice. You made a good decision by not picking the women. This was a test of that sort as well. I have lost a valuable soul with this, but I have gained you as a new god that will help me. I hope that we can do further business."
"Before you leave. I have a few questions. Do I get a name? Will the color of my mana change? How is the mana in a soulstone different from the mana in a soul?"
He nodded. "Good questions. The system will tell you what your new name is. Your mana will change when you undergo the test of true mana which should also happen when you wake up. The mana that is in your soulstone protects your soul. The mana that forms your very soul is the amount of power your existence holds. It is the amount of true power that you can use to bend reality. It is what makes you a true god. Any more questions? Ask her."
He pointed to Dark. "I have matters to attend to concerning your presence."
He vanished and the remaining seven continued to fight, unphased. Dark looked at me. "With this, you have become powerful. Do you have any more questions for me?"
"I do not."
"Then I will see you sometime soon. May your nights in the future be fruitful."
With that, she pressed her hand against my body made of mana. I felt myself being dispersed. Everything turned black. Suddenly, I could feel my own body again. I rolled over and opened my eyes.