Chapter 24 - Fear

The announcements kept coming, but one in particular, the only one he cared about, sounded much louder and more important than the previous announcements.

[The host has received the Legendary Weapon: Fragment of Death.]

[Fragment of Death: One of the fragments of the Death Eaters' invincible supreme weapon. As one of its fragments, it gains an ability from the weapon. Each time the weapon takes a life, it converts that death into negative energy and Death Mana].

Reading the entire message in front of him, the corners of Theo's lips couldn't help but lift slightly. 'I have received the reward for this event… The Death Fragment.' Stroking the weapon in his hands, he remembered that in the original novel, the protagonist had never received this weapon.

This was because, in the original novel, the ritual was completed by summoning the weapon to fight Alan, Arnold, and Luna. The battle was brutal, and the protagonists were barely able to win, thanks to the protagonist's Halo.

'But that wasn't the case now…' he thought, who not only prevented the summoning of the weapon with his power but also forced the ritual with his negative energy.

According to the description in the novel, the first being who wields the Death Shard will be its owner until death; if the owner dies, so does the weapon.

Thinking about it, Theos held back his laughter at the realization that he had obtained a weapon that even the protagonist had failed to obtain. His pride would not allow him to laugh in front of everyone.

They could consider him a killer, incredibly handsome, intelligent, a genius without equal… But never a clown.

As Theos walked away from the circle of blood with the sword, he saw all the dead bodies of several nobles, especially those of the hooded ones, completely dead.

But the dead kept coming back to attack Theos, roaring in all sorts of ways. "It's him, he took our treasure? Let's attack him!"

"Yes, let's kill him."

"The priority is to eat him down to his bones."

All of the hooded men forgot about their battles and instead rushed to Theo's in a frenzy of madness. Their rage and fury were noticeable even to the ever-indifferent Theos.

But he only smiled weakly. "Come then, be food for me, my new weapon! Your treasure!" he declared, adding to the madness of the hooded men.

Wielding the weapon, Theos leaped to close the distance between himself and his enemies, all in a state of rage, but still aware of the danger of death that loomed over them.

For the first time since they had entered, they felt the sensation of fear, the feeling of a primitive fear in their bodies…. The fear of death, of the physical and psychological torture that the young man in front of them was about to inflict on them.

*Whosh*

Theos' slashes cut like butter through the bodies of the hooded men, who were submerged in pain. He did not kill them instantly, but slowly, taking his time between each cut.

His elegance, his beautiful appearance, the blood that spilled on the battlefield, and especially the brutality of his attacks made every young noble feel fear and fascination.

And Theos? He felt satisfaction when he saw the many messages from the system.

[Host instills fear in enemies +100 negative energy].

[The host first causes its enemies to feel fear. +500 negative energy].

[Host instills fear in young nobles. +200 negative energy].

[The host instills fear in the main characters: Alan (the protagonist), Arnold, and Luna. + 4000 negative energy].

"Hmm… Luna?" Luna," Theos shook his head in confusion at Luna, who looked at him a little…. Startled.

Even though he was becoming more and more powerful, he didn't want to scare one of the people he cared about and had affection for. Therefore, he accelerated his killing speed without resorting to torture.

With each proclamation, Theos became stronger, as did his weapon, which absorbed the death of his enemies and converted it into negative energy and death mana, making him even more powerful.

In just a few minutes, all of the hooded men were on the ground, lifeless, with expressions of horror and suffering on their bodies until the end.

Stained with blood, Theos was at the epicenter of this carnage, and as the clear cause….

The nobles swallowed their spit hard. All the important people looked at the figure of the black-haired man.

However, he was not leading all the nobles, but rather his sister Nora, his fiancée Eleanor, and especially Luna.

Reassured that they were all safe, Theos sighed in relief, but also felt strange. "I should hate my sister, but I'm still fond of her? Even though I feel nothing for Eleanor, I don't feel hatred for her either," he concluded, then turned away.

He walked slowly and silently to the place where he had been before he started fighting. He didn't stop until he was in front of a table, a large table with a long white sheet covering everything underneath.

Listening to the deep breathing under the table, Theos bent down to grab the sheet and lift it.

"¡!" said a girl with teary honey eyes who watched Theos with concern. She could barely hold back her tears as she threw herself into his arms.

"There, there, nothing happened to me, see?" Theos reassured her, holding his beloved in his arms and gently stroking her hair.

She didn't answer, tears falling from her eyes and soaking Theos' bloodstained clothes. But she didn't care about the blood on his body or the dirt that stained his suit.

No, all she cared about was ….. "I'm glad you're okay," she said, biting her lip. For the first time, she felt true helplessness as she watched the person she loved the most face hundreds of dangers on the battlefield without being able to help him.

She had often regretted not being born with a skill, a way… …. But today, she hated herself for not having it. She felt anger and fear for losing the only person she loved with all her being.

Theos, as a Negative Mana user, felt all those emotions and said nothing, he couldn't do anything… For now.

At the same time, the barrier was slowly breaking down….

~