—Asher Frostblade's perspective.
—Moments before.
From one moment to the next, my entire view went dark.
"What do we have here?"
It was a female voice that brought me out of that darkness.
"Where... am I?"
Floating in a completely dark place, I looked around, but there was nothing. I couldn't even move; I was floating in a completely dark place.
What the hell is this place? Where did that voice come from? Where am I? How did I get here?
The questions came over me. The darkness around me didn't bother me, but I didn't know where I was or how I got here. Above all, who spoke? It was a soft voice, a woman's voice, but there was nothing.
Then the voice from before spoke again.
"You are inside the Oz of darkness."
The inside... of the Oz of darkness.
What was the point of that? But what confused me most was who was speaking. Then that same voice spoke again.
"This place is dominated by me. It is a world apart from reality."
A world apart, what do you mean and how did I get here?
I wanted to speak, but I felt something that prevented me from doing so. It's as if I had something in my throat that prevented me from speaking. I wanted to know who owns the voice, to know if this is real or not.
It made me wonder who the voice was, what I am doing in this place. I thought I was trying to use the Oz power of darkness and manifest it only to kill the grade 6 monster, but now I am in this isolated place unable to speak.
"Come on, you're not scared, are you?"
Then the voice whispered right next to my ear. I felt a shiver run through my whole body.
I wanted to turn to see who the hell was talking, but I couldn't. Was I feeling scared, like that voice said?
Then I tried to speak, but first I tried to quiet my mind as much as possible and calm down. Maybe I really was feeling fear.
"Who...?" Then I was able to utter a single word.
"Who? If you keep this up, come on, talk to me. I've been waiting for someone to talk to me for ten thousand years."
What the hell was that? Ten thousand years? What does he mean?
"Who... are you?" Then I managed to speak better.
Still, I felt a weight that kept me from speaking. It was like being in front of such a strong being.
"Great, I'm glad you're talking to me. Then I'll answer your question: my name is Isabella Roberner and I was one of the companions of the idiot named Encrid."
"..."
I knew right away that Encrid was definitely an idiot.
"What... am I doing here?"
I could barely utter a few words at that instant. My head felt fuzzy from the information that mysterious voice just gave me.
"What are you doing here...? Well, you came in here yourself. I didn't bring you here."
That answered my question. Maybe I entered of my own free will, and as this strange voice mentioned before, this place really is inside the Oz of darkness, so that answered my questions.
So how do I get out of here? But I also need the power of the Oz of darkness.
"Now answer me my questions."
"..."
I waited for him to say something and then he spoke.
"Who are you, how did you find me and why are you trying to use my power? You are weak."
I felt a little angry at the last words, but that was true.
"My name is Asher Frostblade, successor of Encrid, and I found you in a temple."
"I see. So why do you want my... wait, successor?"
I fell silent and waited for the voice to say something.
"Whistling."
Then a human figure began to appear right in front of me. First it took human form, and then a tall woman with black hair and dark eyes appeared right in front of me. Her appearance was so beautiful that I could compare her to a model.
"You say you're that idiot's successor."
"Yes, but why are you...?"
"It's nothing. You want my power, don't you?"
Then she omitted his words and got straight to the point.
"That's right, I need it."
"Tell me one thing, the idiot is with you, isn't he?"
"..."
"Yes..."
"Then let's make a promise. I lend you my power and you set me free."
"When you say free...?"
I was in doubt at that point, but I kept listening to what she was proposing.
"I mean I can be in your mind, just like with the idiot."
So I got it right. As far as I know, there is no problem. What Isabella is saying is that I can do what Encrid usually does: talk to me and be able to have a human form.
I thought it through, I wasn't losing anything. Besides, seeing well, she seems to agree if I am too. I need her power to get out of the dungeon, so I was not losing anything.
Then I made up my mind and spoke.
"Okay."
"Great, now you can use my power, but since you're weak, I'll just lend it to you until you accomplish your goal."
"Okay."
Isabella then reached out her hand and pointed her finger right at my head.
"Wait..."
Then I felt a stream of mana enter my body. My vision was slowly blurring, but I could feel a huge mana coursing through my whole body. It was so much mana that I felt like I would explode at any moment.
Then my vision blurred.
"Burst!"
It was then that I heard explosions. I quickly opened my eyes and found myself right where I was before. It was at the moment when the monster jumped into the sky. I then followed it with my eyes and realized that Encrid was close to the monster's sight.
"So will you use me, yes or no?"
Isabella's voice echoed in my head. That's when I felt her holding something in my right hand. Then I looked and saw that I was holding the big Oz in my hand, but quickly the blade part fell to the ground. It was so heavy that I had to hold it with both hands.
"You'd better hurry."
Then, clenching the Oz tightly and grinding my teeth, I picked it up and swung it upward. That's when a thin curtain of dark mana appeared. It looked like a thin, dark wall reaching up to the clouds. Then everything split in half: the sky, the clouds parted and the ground split in two.
"Raaaaawr-rrrrrRRRRRREEEEEEGGHH!"
Both of the monster's arms were severed, letting out a piercing scream in the process. The attack fizzled out, revealing the sky and ground split in half. The clouds parted, revealing a straight line. The ground looked like a long but thin pipe.
"This...this is incredible."
A single movement could leave this destruction in its wake. I couldn't even imagine all the power this weapon could unleash.
It was unbelievable, but I left the thoughts and looked at the monster. It was roaring loudly as I looked at its severed arms. Blood was pouring like water from its wounds. Then it looked at me and I felt a little uncomfortable.
"Stay ready, here it comes."
Quickly a wave of wind shook the place where the monster was. At that very moment, it appeared right in front of me, showing its big teeth as its mouth opened right in front of me.
I quickly raised the Oz with all my might and swung it at the monster at a half-tilted angle, coming close to horizontal.
"Drip."
Again, a dark curtain in the shape of a straight wall, thin and tall, cut the monster in two pieces. Instantly, blood splattered everywhere. My entire body was covered in blood as the two halves of the large monster fell to the ground, causing a loud thud.
"Shit..." Was the only thing I said.
In fact, I didn't care about the monster's death and didn't even look at the others. The only thing I observed was the incredible power it had unleashed. It was even greater than the first attack when I slashed the monster's arms.
I had been speechless.
"Well, then that's it."
Isabella spoke and the Oz disappeared from my hands, vanishing in a curtain of dark mana and heading to my arm, where the second tattoo appeared.
"I guess I only enjoyed it for a few seconds."
"Then you have to keep your word, Asher Frostblade."
"Yeah, I know that much."
Finally, the monster died.
"Thud."
"Rumbling."
Then the ground began to shake and out of the ground emerged a door, just like the others. This one began to glow with a blue glow and the mana gathered, forming a blue-colored layer of mana, just like the other teleportation doors.
"That's the way out."
I was relieved to be done with it all. There were no deaths or anything like that.
But the feeling of great power I experienced for a few seconds was the most incredible thing I had ever felt.
***
—Change of scene.
Finally, I looked at the sunlight. Then I watched Encrid come out of the teleportation door. Strangely, the door appeared right in front of the dungeon. Oddly, no one said a word as we exited.
"I think I'll go back to being a tattoo..."
Quickly, Encrid's body began to turn into dark mana. As usual, Encrid disappeared and then Isabella's voice echoed the instant Encrid vanished.
"Did you miss me, you idiot?"
"Uh..."
"..."
I felt a small pain in my head. Then the two of them started talking.
"How did you...?"
"Come on, you missed me, didn't you, you idiot?"
"What the hell did you do?" those words were directed at me.
"Sigh."
I sighed lightly and then looked at the group walking out the door.
"I guess you won't be joining me anymore."
"Hey, what are you talking about? I don't know what's going on in there, but still, I'll follow you. I agreed to accompany you until you get the ten knight achievements, remember?"
Alicia spoke and looked discouraged.
In fact, I felt guilty for bringing them with me. They entered this dungeon because of me and were even in danger. It was all a mess, and all because of bringing them with me.
"But because of me, you guys..."
"Don't worry. I said I would follow you of my own free will, and if I die, it won't be your fault."
I sighed lightly and then looked at Clara.
For some reason, she was looking at me in a strange way. I remembered the time when we were about to face the monster; she looked at me in a very peculiar way. I guessed that she had not lost her memories of the temple.
"I will follow you too..." she replied, but there was something in her words that I could not identify.
"Me too, after all I am a gentleman," Dim said.
"..."
This idiot did the least anything in there; he shouldn't even have come.
The feeling of being back outside and not inside the dungeon calmed me down, but my journey in search of the ten knight achievements is still missing.
"What's the next step?"
"I'm not sure. First we have to go claim my achievement."
I still didn't know where to go, I was a little confused.
Then Isabella's voice spoke.
"Hey idiot, have you even trained your successor? And why is he playing at being a knight?"
"Why should I answer you? You're only here on a small promise."
They were still arguing, although I was curious what they were before, but I didn't want to get into their story.
This time I got some great information. Isabella is obviously from the dark ages, but the moment she said "ten thousand years," that means the dark ages were more than ten thousand years ago.
I got some great information and was slowly uncovering the past of this world: the war with the seven gods, the seven weapons of calamity, the guardians created by Encrid and now the year or thereabouts of the time when the dark age happened, an era that seems unknown at present.
I had gained great information, but that was still little. I still had yet to become stronger and find out everything about this world.
"Then it's time for us to go claim your achievement."
We started walking, and yet, I was still deep in my thoughts.
I'm only just discovering the history of this world.
I am still weak, of that I am very sure. The past is slowly coming back.
"Though it's strange that my memories of my past life haven't appeared."
It was a strange thing. In fact, I haven't had any memories of my past life again for a while now, though I didn't mind and in fact wanted to get rid of those memories.
"So, will you answer...? Come on, I know you missed me, you idiot."
"I already said no."
"Come on, come on, why are you like this, you idiot?"
"Stop calling me an idiot, and you, I don't know why you let this annoying woman out."
"..."
These two definitely don't get along. Especially since now the pain in my head is bigger. Now it's two voices in my head.
It's a little uncomfortable, but I think I'll slowly get used to it.....