Black String of Fate

Chapter 106: The Greatest Awakening (4)

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[Skills]:-

Limitless Ascension Foundational Arts ? Limitless Ascension Battle Arts (New):

The battle arts created by a genius that defies the norms of the world. Has the capability to use Aether instead of qi at the user's will. Since there hasn't been a precedent of using energy for battle arts, the potential of this art lies completely with the wielder.

Rating: Immeasurable

Mastery: Novice

Sub-skills: Aether Strike.

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The surroundings lit up with a blinding, white-gold light emitting from Xavier's sword. He himself was blinded by the light, but he knew in his heart where to thrust. He pushed ahead, concentrating this newfound energy called Aether on his blade even further.

He felt the flesh pierce through, and with what he had seen moments ago, he was sure that he had struck the heart. Reno was sure to die now, no matter what tricks he pulled.

"...Good riddance."

"Not so soon, regressor."

Before Xavier could even be shocked, he felt a punch to his gut so hard that he momentarily blanked out. He flew backward, crashing onto the wall over at the next room.

"You made this child accept my deal at just the right time, I should thank you, foolish regressor."

When Xavier reopened his eyes and looked at Reno, he could see the same person standing there, but his instincts screamed danger from him.

'What… is this? Reno, even in my past life, never gave off such a presence.'

He knew a little bit about Reno. Reno was a poor slum kid who took something called Artificial Rank Booster in his childhood. Such a thing boosted but also restricted him to the Expert rank, never being able to move beyond that, but it was a sweet deal to him considering that he thought his talent was trash.

Turns out, he had the Innate Gift of Thousand Faceless Shadows, an innate gift with boundless potential that he could never harness due to taking that rank booster. Ever since then, he had been trying various methods regardless of their morality, eventually ending up a member of Laplace.

But this… This wasn't something he recalled. The presence that Reno now gave off genuinely instilled fear into Xavier. All his life, he had never been afraid of anyone, to the point he thought he had become incapable of feeling fear.

'No… This fear is forced. This fear is being instilled in me. I can't feel fear, I've long forgotten what exactly is fear..'

"You… you're not human, so what are you?"

Xavier said with a grim voice as he looked into the now apathetic eyes of 'Reno'.

"Hmm, how amusing, regressor, you're not afraid. As a reward for amusing me, I shall answer your question.

I am Regaleth, the god of taboo. Laplace, that fake bastard brother of mine, somehow exerted his influence under the nose of the council gods, and I, the true god of taboo, was sealed away.

I should thank you, regressor. Lord $%&^$% foolishly further weakened the order of this world, allowing me to exert influence on only one person. I wanted to choose you, but I dared not, so I went with this guy…

Now, from the despair you just gave him of his weakness, he has finally surrendered his body! For so long I whispered to his insecurities from the shadows, but you, a rank one who overpowered a rank 4, was his last straw."

"...So you're a god stuck in the body of rank 4?"

"Hahaha, not for long. Such minor obstacles, like that rank booster's side effects, can't hinder me. Enough about me, what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna take a last stand, or run away? Oh, you're too prideful so might probably… Wait, why are you smiling?"

Regaleth realized that instead of a hint of fear, Xavier had a crazed smile on his face. He then began muttering in a low voice,

"A god? Live in the flesh? And weakened to rank 4? Right in front of me?...

…I can kill a god. I can call myself a godslayer. That sole title that stands higher than the dragonslayer, I can obtain it. His core, what kind of trait the core of a divine being would give me?…"

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Xavier then looked straight into the eyes of Regaleth with a sinister, predatory gaze. He declared out loud,

"Stay in the mortal realm if you have the guts, god of taboo. Surely you don't fear a mortal child…"

Regaleth looked at the killing intent present in Xavier's eyes with amusement, now realizing something he wondered for a long time.

'I see, it wasn't just talent… Azaroth saw himself in him. Just what are his machinations?

Well, I need to calm this arrogant child for now. This'll take a bit of effort.'

Regaleth summoned the shadow tentacles that belonged to Reno, but he went a step further. This time, there weren't just tens, but hundreds of them all being summoned from a single shadow.

Xavier nervously looked upon that sight as he prepared himself, but Regaleth wasn't done.

"Foolish child, I am a god. You're battling someone with millions of years of experience. Don't think I can't utilize these simple abilities that Reno possessed to its absolute perfection.

In fact, I can even do something like this. Witness, my divine symbol."

Regaleth then manifested some kind of foreign energy in his hands and made it take the shape of a dagger. The dagger then slowly became more real as Xavier could clearly see what it was. It was a small, obsidian knife with a blade made of fragile glass, it looked as if it'd break with a single touch.

"...Weapon Manifestation."

"Absolutely correct, this is Evershard, the eternal blade of taboo. And now, you will die a death deserving of a foolish mortal."

Xavier was snapped out of the reverie of being able to battle a god, he couldn't believe his eyes that this god had just pulled a feat he had spent his whole life and more to achieve, so casually, like it was no big deal.