Chereads / I Level Up by Killing Gods / Chapter 24 - Those who Failed.

Chapter 24 - Those who Failed.

The figure stepped closer, the shadows clinging to it like a second skin. It was human – or at least, had been once.

Now it was something far worse.

The man's face, gaunt and hollow, was stretched tight over his skull, his eyes sunken pits of black. His lips were cracked and bleeding, pulled back into a grin that showed sharp, bloody teeth.

Kael's heart raced as he gripped his sword hilt, his knuckles white on the black hilt. The whispers, which had been just a maddening hum before, were now clear as day, voices layered on top of each other in a sickening din.

*He's one of them.*

*You can't stop it.*

*You'll die here. Like the rest.*

The blood-stained snow at the figure's feet seemed to move, spreading out in dark, unnatural patterns that soaked into the ground like ink.

The Blight in the air grew thick, so thick Kael could taste it on his tongue—bitter and burning.

"You're not one of the Ravagers," Kael said, his voice low and cold. "What are you?"

The figure cocked its head, the grin growing wider. "Once, I was like you," it rasped, its voice empty and scraping against Kael's ears like shards of glass. "Lost. Fighting. But the Nexus... it change that. It feeds on your soul."

Kael's grip tightened.

"That doesn't answer my question."

The figure laughed, a sound with no warmth or humanity in it. "I'm what's left of those who fail," it said. "A fragment. A shadow. And soon... you'll join us."

"I planned to eat that fella, but I'll let it finish with you first. Too bad i might have weakened it," The voice continued.

The Blightborne behind Kael bellowed and charged, its massive claws outstretched. Kael spun just in time to parry, Aether'valis meeting the creature's bladed arm in a burst of sparks and black ichor.

Kael stumbled back, his boots crunching on the snow.

The twisted figure didn't move—didn't need to. It just stood there, watching, as if it was savoring Kael's struggle.

Kael ground his teeth, ignoring the Blight getting thicker in the air. He adjusted his stance, his mind racing. The Blightborne was strong, fast, but not invincible.

He could feel Aether'valis humming in his hands, hungry, as if the blade was urging him to strike.

> ◇ Aether'valis Seal 0.000006 percent unlocked.

"530," Kael whispered, charging forward.

He moved smoothly, precisely.

He ducked under the Blightborne's swinging arm, his blade biting deep into its side. Black ichor sprayed across the snow, but the creature barely reacted. It swung back at him and Kael just avoided it, the claws raking across his shoulder and through his coat.

Kael stumbled, pain flashing as warm blood trickled down his arm. The Blightborne roared again, and Kael had no choice but to call up his Blight Shield.

The dark aura burst to life around him, crackling with unstable energy. The next time the Blightborne struck, its claws bounced off the shield and sent it stumbling back. But the cost to Kael was immediate—he could feel the Blight in him twisting, clawing.

"You can't win," the figure whispered, its voice echoing.

Kael turned, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Watch me."

The Blightborne charged again, faster this time, its movements almost too fast to follow. Kael met it head-on, his blade whistling through the air.

The fight was brutal, wild.

The creature's claws ripped across his chest, opening deep gashes, but Kael kept going, every swing of Aether'valis taking chunks out of its body.

"545," Kael whispered, his muscles screaming as he swung wide.

The blade bit through the Blightborne's arm, cutting it off at the joint. The creature yowled, black ichor spilling from the wound, but it didn't fall.

Kael was gasping now, his vision fogging from exhaustion and blood loss. He could feel the Blight inside him growing stronger, its dark tentacles wrapping around his mind.

'Give in', the whispers whispered. 'Use it. Let it consume you.'

But Kael didn't give in.

"531," he snarled, summoning the last of his strength. He charged forward, his blade a blur as it stabbed the Blightborne's chest.

Aether'valis surged, a wave of dark energy radiating out. The creature convulsed, its body splitting apart as it disintegrated into ash.

Kael stumbled, barely staying upright. His body was covered in blood—some of it his, most of it not. He turned to face the figure, who was still standing still, its grin unwavering.

"Good," it said, clapping slowly. "But you've only prolonged the inevitable."

The blood-soaked snow around the figure began to bubble and rise, like wires. Kael braced himself, his hand on Aether'valis.

"What do you want?" he asked.

The figure cocked its head again. "You already know," it said. "The Nexus doesn't let anyone go untouched. It takes, and takes, and takes... until there's nothing left."

Kael's eyes narrowed. "I've survived it once, I'll do it again."

The figure laughed again, and Kael's skin crawled. "Maybe. But the blood..." It gestured to the snow at its feet.

"The blood remembers."

Before Kael could move, the blood surged forward, wrapping around his legs like living ropes. He swung Aether'valis at it, but the blade went through without effect. The tendrils squeezed tighter, pulling him to his knees.

The figure loomed over him now, its grin enormous. "You'll bleed for the Nexus," it whispered. "Just like the others."

Kael's vision blurred, the whispers in his mind reaching a deafening crescendo. But he wasn't done.

Not yet.

With a roar, Kael summoned all the Blight within him, channeling it into a surge of raw, absolute chaos. The wires recoiled, the figure staggering back as the dark aura around Kael flared violently.

He rose to his feet, his body trembling but his eyes fierce. "You're wrong," he said, his voice cold and steady. "I'm not like the rest."

Kael raised Aether'valis, the blade gleaming with dark power. The figure hissed, its grin faltering for the first time.

"No," it rasped, its voice trembling. "You can't—"

Kael didn't let it finish.

He swung the blade with all his strength, the edge cutting through the figure's neck in a single, decisive strike. Its head fell to the ground, the body collapsing into a pool of blood that quickly evaporated into steam.

Kael knew, it wasn't dead because it wasn't anything...this was not a battle of strength but of willpower.

The Nexus was never short of those who fail, who die trying.

So there would always be blood on the snow.

---

The whispers faded, leaving behind an eerie silence. Kael stood there, breathing heavily, his body covered in crimson. The snow beneath him was stained the same, the chill biting into his skin.

But his eyes... his eyes were hard, unyielding.

He glanced at the ruins around him, the crimson sky above.

...and he sighed.