Both Alicar and Josh were fighting the Progenitor.

Their swords were a blur in the distance. I could hear constant clashes between their metallic blades, producing a piercing screeching sound. They moved around, trying to get through the Progenitor's defence; however, they weren't making any ground at all. The Progenitor easily danced around, blocking every single one of their attacks.

Every once in a while, they'd be forced to leap back in order to dodge the Progenitor's attacks. They had no choice but to constantly keep up the pressure; if they gave him even the slightest opening, he'd be able to go onto the offensive.

If he were to go on the offensive, there would be no way to stop him.

What could I do?

I couldn't see an opening for myself. If anything, I'd be getting in the way of the two skilled swordsmen. I needed to try to get some cheap shots in, chipping away at the monster. However, he seemed to be covering every single angle, and even Elanor wasn't able to hit him.

Suddenly, my vision went black.

[Soul of Devouring Hope]

!#&#$^&%$^?

What was happening?

Was this my power?

All of a sudden, my vision came back.

!#&$%^*$???

What...

The sight I saw shocked me to my core.

A thick black aura surrounded everything around me. Everyone was on the floor, unconscious. The only thing that was still standing was the Second Progenitor. There was some presence that made me feel uncomfortable, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from.

Slowly, I took a step forward. For some reason, the Progenitor was frozen still.

No.

Everything was frozen.

It was like time had been stopped.

I looked around... nothing was moving.

I continued to make my way forwards. But suddenly, my legs felt as if they were being chained down. I was losing my strength. I was tired. My vision was getting blurry again.

What...

******

-

[Shadow Reality]

<Experience> 9999999999999999/0 (READY)

-

[!(#$&^%&*$ Path Rewards]

Level 26: Soul Mark Stre$(#*%&$#%(ETE===

Level 67: So($*%&$*#(ength Increase+

Level 8: Soul Mark Streng!(*$%&*($___

Level 2119: Soul!($#*$%#*(ncrease+??

Level 30: Message from [???] ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE=== ===COMPLETE===

[Next Pag????????e]

-

I felt my knees hit the hard, jagged ground. For some reason, I couldn't feel any of the strength I used to have. I noticed that there was some blood coming out of the tip of my knee. Even the rock had managed to cut through my skin. Usually, such a small injury would never be enough to hurt me.

It hurt. A level of pain I hadn't felt in a long time.

It was slightly tangy, spicy... a burning feeling.

What...?

I didn't understand anything that was happening.

Suddenly, I heard a voice.

[Oliver~ this is a message to you, from me~]

[I wonder if you can recognise my voice. I don't really know how this system works, either. Ehe, it's pretty fun to think about this.]

[Anyways, if you are hearing this message, you must have unlocked your Shadow Hunter System.]

[You're still far from becoming strong enough to see me again, but I believe in you. There was nothing that could ever break you, so I doubt anything this world can throw at you would be enough.]

[Well, I'm not going to waste this chance just to drop some exposition. I miss you, you know? It's lonely up here. Being at the top, it's a feeling that everyone wants... but once you actually get up here, you feel empty.]

[You understand, don't you?]

[Anyways, whether you end up a hero or a villain, I don't care.]

[You're my brother, and I'm interested to see what you become.]

[Come find me soon~]

!(*&^$&*%(#

!(*&^$&*%(#

!(*&^$&*%(#

What... was that voice? It felt so familiar. I still couldn't figure it out. It was the same voice that talked to me in my dreams. Who was it?

Slowly picking myself up from the ground, I looked around again. Nothing had changed. The Progenitor was still frozen in place and everyone was still lying on the ground, unmoving.

My entire body felt heavy like I was dragging a weight behind me. However, I still had enough strength to move. Placing one foot in front of the other, I made my way closer to the Progenitor. Raising [Mayuri-Luc-Ei], I swung with all my strength. The blade slashed into the vampire's body, yet he still didn't move.

Again, I raised my sword and swung. It cut into the vampire's flesh, however, even the blood didn't leak out. I could see the red liquid in his wound, but it stayed inside, like dried paint.

Ah, why do I feel so tired?

My arms were like jelly; I struggled to even raise my sword up again. My legs were heavy like something was pushing me into the ground.

However, with all my strength, I swung again, cutting into the vampire's body. Using the momentum from the movement, I swung it again, slashing into the vampire. My arms were now in pain. Why was I so tired... I didn't understand. It was like trying to pull a shovel through clay.

I assumed that it must have been something related to this ability.

All of a sudden, my sword fell to the ground. A sharp clanging sound filled the area. After bouncing around a little, it stabilised on the ground, a few centimetres away from my feet. I tried to bend down and pick it up; however, as I wrapped my fingers around the handle, I couldn't put any strength into my arm.

Ah. I didn't even have enough strength to pick up the sword again.

Slowly, I struggled to even keep my eyes open.

Everything was heavy.

Eventually, I fell to the ground. My legs had given up. Taking quick short breaths, my vision began to smaller and smaller. The cold stone floor rubbed against my skin. I tasted a subtle sandy flavour in my mouth.

Eventually, I completely ran out of strength.

It all went dark.

​ ***

[Help me... William]