Chapter 96 – The New Power of the Fragment of the Inner God
Alice threw the torch to the ground and raised her electrifying sword. The noise of the crickets grew louder as they began to charge towards them.
Damn it!
Alice ran towards the monsters, swinging her sword. A thin layer of energy seemed to trail behind it, crackling with sparks and striking the crickets. They screeched and scattered in different directions.
"Run!" The girl shouted as Luke extended his scarf to grab the torch. They sprinted, trying to escape the prison of trees.
Hearing the giant crickets crashing into the trees as they shrieked, they ran as fast as they could.
A cricket landed in front of Luke, and he struck it with his hammer.
Feels like hitting a mattress!
Swinging his hammer as the creature screamed, he drove the torch into the cricket's face while smashing its head with the hammer.
[You killed a Female Fly Cricket]
[+5 Soul Vestiges absorbed]
Wait! I earned Soul Vestiges! These monsters give 5?
[Soul Vestiges 90/100]
Alice dealt with two crickets while Anna and Gobby were taking on one, with Anna wielding her club.
"I got a sword card!" the red-haired girl shouted.
They resumed running as Anna tossed her club to Gobby and summoned her sword.
Dashing out of the tree prison, they tried to figure out where they were. Only darkness surrounded them, with the faint moonlight illuminating countless trees in every direction.
"There!" Anna pointed. "The sound of the sea."
The crickets stopped pursuing them, lingering in the sea of thin trees that formed a prison in the deep forest.
On high alert, they walked with their weapons in hand, following the sound of the waves. Luke had almost forgotten about the ocean, having grown accustomed to the calm shallow waters.
As quickly as they could, they reached the beach.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Creatures were walking along the beach. They were green with tails, resembling humanoid fish.
"Exceptional Novices…" Alice said.
"What now?" Anna asked, sword in hand.
"We fight them and then head to the dungeon... there are only five of them," she said.
"Only?"
Did she forget that we're human? The gods just keep throwing problems at us…
The fish-like creatures stood upright, scanning the area. Alice started sprinting across the sand towards one of them.
Anna and Gobby went for another. Luke, along with his trusty scarf, also charged, discarding the torch as he ran with his hammer towards the monster.
Throwing a knife to one end of the scarf, they attacked the humanoid fish. As Luke got close, the creature spun around and swung its tail at him. The scarf, using one of its hands, grabbed the tail and pulled the creature toward him. Taking advantage of this, Luke struck the monster with his hammer.
The fish monster leaped back. The scarf threw the knife, and Luke rushed in with his hammer. Blocking the creature's attacks, he maneuvered the scarf to strangle the monster.
Damn! It's not working; this guy's a fish, so strangling is useless.
Pushing the creature away, one end of the scarf grabbed the knife and stabbed it into one of the fish's gill slits, eliciting a scream of pain.
That even hurt me... Scarf, you're a bit bloodthirsty...
Seizing the opportunity, Luke struck the monster's face. The scarf held its arms, and Luke pushed the creature to the ground. As the scarf tightened its grip on the knife, it cut deeper into the monster while holding its arms to prevent it from injuring its owner.
[You killed a Man-Eater Fish]
[+5 Soul Vestiges absorbed]
[You claimed a card]
[Soul Vestiges 95/100]
Luke quickly read the card.
[Simple Water Boots
Description: Dark green boots made from the remains of a ravenous fish.
Effects: Swimming speed increased by 15%]
Removing his shoes and tossing them aside, he summoned his new boots.
It's not a sword, but my shoes weren't much use for running in a forest. These will do. My feet are killing me…
The girls finished off their monsters, and the other two man-eating fish began to charge at them.
Alice spun and sliced off one of the fish's arms. Anna and Gobby jumped on the other, with the goblin knocking it down as his mistress drove her sword through the creature's eye and into its brain.
These girls are monsters… my god.
They sighed in relief.
Luke and Anna sat on the ground, panting.
"I'm not eating these bipeds…" Alice commented.
"So, you would eat the crickets?" Luke asked.
"Of course not, they're disgusting too."
Don't stare at me, Gobby…
The sea began to stir. The trio watched as a large monster emerged, a four-armed version of the man-eater fish standing about three meters tall.
"An Exceptional Sinister," Alice said.
They stood up, facing the monster.
"Leave this one to me…"
Luke spoke, and they looked at him.
"Relax, I want to test something. Unfortunately, our recent days haven't given me the luxury of experimenting in battle. With you here, if anything goes wrong, I'll have backup."
The monster walked out of the water, advancing toward him. Extending the scarf and taking full control of it, Luke focused on using his mind to maneuver the scarf as naturally as if it were additional arms.
He quickly touched the back of his neck with one of the scarf's fingers.
[Fragment of the Inner God: Scarf of the Void]
Main Abilities:
(Fabric Hands): The scarf can transform its ends into hands that will assist you.(???): Discover on your own.(Mental Connection): Your fabric companion syncs with your mind, allowing you to control it as if it were part of your body.(???): Discover on your own.
Soul Vestiges (95/100)
Level: 2
[Skill Tree (Soul Points = 1):
[Fabric Hands]:
Clawed Hands (Locked)(???)Giant Hand (Locked)Add +2 Hands (Locked)Evolved Hands (Locked)(???)
[Transformation]:
Fabric Blade (Costs 1 Soul Point): The tip of the scarf can take the form of a blade.(???)Fabric Shield (Costs 1 Soul Point): The tip of the scarf can take the form of a shield.(???): Discover on your own.Giant Fabric Sword (Costs 2 Soul Points): The ends of the scarf unite to form a giant blade.(???)
[Mental Connection]:
(Unavailable at the Moment)
[Special Abilities]:
Prana Conduit (Costs 1 Soul Point): Strengthens the scarf with prana, allowing it to gain enough force to attack enemies, lift heavy objects, and serve other purposes.(???)
]]
Luke quickly reviewed his options and purchased a new ability.
[A new ability has been added to your Fragment of the Inner God.]
Seeing the boy dressed in black approaching, the muscular monster let out a fierce roar and charged toward him, ready to crush him. The boy, however, walked slowly, seemingly unconcerned.
The monster raised one of its powerful arms, aiming to strike the boy. As it brought its fist down, expecting a crushing impact, it was shocked to feel its hand stopped in mid-air. Looking down in disbelief, the monster saw its fist firmly held by a black, fabric hand.
Pain shot through the monster as it realized the black fabric was squeezing its hand with terrifying force. Desperate, it tried to punch with its other arm, but the other fabric hand intercepted the attack, blocking it effortlessly. The monster felt a sharp pain, as if it had struck something stronger than itself.
"AHHHHH!" the monster screamed as the black hand crushed its fist with increasing pressure. Suddenly, the hand moved like a whip, and the other black hand wrapped around the monster's neck, beginning to strangle it.
The monster tried to scream, but the firm grip on its throat choked off any sound. The hand holding its fist began to pull with relentless force, and with a grotesque snap, the monster's arm was torn off.
"AHHH!" the monster recoiled, screaming in agony and glaring at the boy with hatred.
Without hesitation, the boy started running toward the monster. The creature, now with three remaining arms, attempted to punch him with all its might, but the black fabric arms deflected each blow with ease.
"Ugh?" the monster grunted, confused and terrified.
It then leaped to attack the boy, but the boy dodged to the side, rolling on the ground with agility. He then stood up, now wielding a hammer in his hands, while the two black fabric arms hovered in the air, ready to strike. The monster, furious, began to run toward the boy, grabbing a giant rock from the beach.
"AHHHH!" the monster roared in anger, hurling the rock with all its strength.
The boy jumped to dodge, but the two black fabric arms caught the rock in mid-air, holding it firmly.
"Ugh?" The monster was once again shocked to see the rock intercepted.
With a violent motion, the rock was hurled back with devastating force. The monster barely dodged it at the last second. Without wasting time, the boy started running toward the monster again, and the creature, determined to crush him, ran back, kicking another rock with great speed. The impact shattered the rock into fragments that flew toward the boy. The black hands, however, defended against the attack, crushing the fragments with ease.
The boy and the monster stared at each other for a brief moment before one of the black hands, holding the remaining rock, crushed it into dust with a furious grip.
Without hesitation, the boy resumed his charge toward the monster, and the two prepared for their final clash.
The fabric arms began to strike again, delivering powerful punches that pushed the monster back with each impact. Each blow was filled with pain, forcing the monster to retreat further and further. The black hands came at once toward the monster's head, grabbing it and squeezing with growing intensity.
Suddenly, everything went dark for the monster. The pressure increased, and with a sickening, muffled sound, its head was crushed. The creature collapsed to the ground, defeated.
"Now I can officially say it—I've awakened my Aspect… I'm a Transmitter."
And I possess the 'Prana Conduit' ability in my fragment. Now this beauty is lethal.