{Notification!! Danger Extreme}
[Combat Analysis Initiated:
Target: Captain Aric
Threat Level: SSS
Recommendation: Retreat]
"You've killed six of my men so you'll have to die here," Aric's voice carried authority earned through countless battles. His eyes narrowed as he studied Kriel. "But more than that... you've corrupted their marks."
Kriel's violet eyes pulsed with dark energy. "They were weak. Unworthy of their power so I took it."
[Current Status:
Level: 31
Class: Void Walker
Title: Mark Eater
Void Energy: 4,721/5,000]
Aric's attacks instantaneously blazed without warning—a combination of fire and wind that turned the alley into an inferno. Normal flesh would have been incinerated instantly.
"Shadow Flesh," Kriel whispered. His body became semi-transparent, allowing the flames to pass through him. But Aric was already moving, his Light Mark activating to enhance his speed to supernatural levels.
A fist enhanced by four marks slammed into Kriel's chest before he could fully solidify.
[Critical Damage Sustained
Health: 2,341/4,000
Pain Conversion Active]
Kriel crashed through a stone wall, blood spraying from his mouth. Each point of damage fed the void within him, but it wasn't enough. Not yet.
"You're different from normal Markless," Aric observed, his Shield Mark pulsing. "What are you tell me aleast before you die".
Instead of answering, Kriel activated Void Domain. The temperature dropped as darkness flooded the area. Shadows rose like living things, reaching for Aric with hungry tendrils.
"Impressive," Aric admitted, creating barriers of light. "But ultimately futile."
All four marks activated simultaneously, creating a symphony of power that made reality itself tremble.
[Warning: Power Convergence Detected
Enemy Preparing Ultimate Attack]
"Sacred Art: Heaven's Wrath!"
The combined energy erupted like a miniature sun, vaporizing Kriel's shadow tendrils and threatening to erase him from existence.
But something was different this time. As the light approached, Kriel felt the void within him respond—not with power, but with hunger.
[Evolution Path: Discovered
Requirements Not Met
Current Progress: 47%]
The attack hit him full force. Pain beyond imagining coursed through his body as divine light attempted to purify the darkness within him. But instead of burning away, the void seemed to deepen.
Kriel crashed to the ground, his body smoking but intact. Every cell screamed in agony, yet he could feel himself changing—growing stronger.
"Impossible," Aric breathed. "You should be dead."
Kriel rose slowly, shadows coiling around him like living armor. "I am what your precious system fears most, Captain. The darkness that devours your light."
Aric's eyes widened in realization as he took a step back. "You're not just a Markless anymore; you're something else entirely."
"Yes," Kriel hissed, shadows swirling around him like a tempest. "And I'm here to consume everything you hold dear."
His counterattack was brutal but ultimately futile against Aric's mastery over his marks; his power was too refined. After a fierce exchange that left the alley in ruins, Kriel found himself pinned against a wall, Aric's blazing hand at his throat.
"Your potential is wasted," Aric said almost sadly. "With proper guidance, you could have been—"
"Save your pity," Kriel spat defiantly, struggling against the grip tightening around his throat. "I choose what I become."
[Emergency System Override
Void Resonance: Maximum
Warning: Permanent Changes Detected]
The shadows around them pulsed as Kriel activated every ability he had left—not to win; he knew he couldn't defeat Aric—not yet. But he could survive.
"You think you can intimidate me with your darkness?" Aric challenged, his voice steady despite the chaos surrounding them.
Kriel smirked through gritted teeth. "Intimidation? No, Captain—this is evolution."
The explosion of void energy that followed left both combatants staggering. When the darkness cleared, Kriel was gone, leaving only wisps of shadow behind.
Aric stood in the ruined alley, his marks dimming as he stared at where his opponent had been. "Alert the Temple," he commanded the air with an edge of urgency in his voice. "We have a Void Walker."
Miles away, Kriel emerged from the shadows, his body wracked with pain but his spirit unbroken. The battle had shown him something crucial—a path to power beyond what the system intended.
[New Quest Available:
Title: Evolution's Edge
Objective: Discover the True Nature of Void Energy
Reward: ???]
He looked down at his hands, watching void energy curl beneath his skin like living smoke. The encounter with Aric had changed something fundamental within him.
"This isn't the end," he whispered to himself as he clenched his fists tightly. The energy felt alive—an extension of his will and hunger for more power.
As he moved deeper into the night, Kriel recalled Aric's words about guidance and potential wasted. "Guidance?" he scoffed softly as he walked through darkened streets filled with shadows that seemed to whisper secrets of their own.
"I don't need anyone's guidance," he declared fiercely to himself as he navigated through Ethren Village's winding alleys filled with echoes of past tormentors and unfulfilled dreams.
The void hungered within him for more than just survival; it craved dominance and recognition—a chance to show the world what true power looked like.