Chương 714: The Reaper’s Choice

"This is where you found that kraken," Cadmus said.

"Now we just need to kill the bastard and hope the system drops an item." Ahead of them, an entire city lay drowned beneath the sea. Only the tips of the tallest buildings broke the surface, forming a natural maze of ruins, shattered concrete, and submerged corridors. Anne studied the view with a frown.

"We can't take the ship into... the city." She was right. Taking the ship into that maze would be extremely dangerous. The kraken knew every passage, every flooded alley, every escape route. If it chased the ship in there, it could damage it, trap it, or drag it under before they had a chance to react.

"Leaving you here alone is also out of the question," Luke said.

"Stalkers keep showing up." The group put together a simple plan. Dangerous, likely to go wrong, and therefore exactly the kind Luke somehow always ended up stuck with. Luke went alone. He jumped into the water, summoned his Flying Fish mount, and shot toward the flooded city, leaving the others behind. It took hours to find traces of the kraken. A few more to get close without dying. Even longer to piss it off enough to surface.

"Shit!" Luke leaped onto the top of another building just as a tentacle crushed the spot where he had been standing. Others came from different sides, trying to grab him, surround him, drag him into the water. If he climbed too high and got out of reach, the monster would sink and vanish. So Luke had to stay right on the edge: close enough to be bait, far enough to stay alive.

He threw himself onto a slanted roof, sprinted across the slick surface while the kraken circled the structure below, and when another tentacle burst up, he dropped low and slid under it by inches. In the same motion, he drove a knife into the creature's flesh. The blade flashed. A second later, it exploded. The tentacle snapped away in a violent spasm, and the muffled roar that rolled up from the water made the ruins tremble.

"That's it," Luke taunted.

"Come get me." He kept running, jumping from building to building, leading the monster out of the maze. When he finally reached open water, Angie appeared above the waves and hurled her spear. The ship waited some distance away, safe enough for now. The kraken's presence, at least, had driven the stalkers off. Charlie came in right behind her, skimming low over the sea on wings of fire before landing on top of a ruin.

Anne ran across the waves using the special boots she had received after completing the last beacon.

"If it destroys our ship, we're screwed," Luke reminded them as the kraken roared in front of them. Then he threw himself into the water. This time, he was evening the odds. A deep roar echoed from beneath the sea. Even the real kraken seemed to hesitate for a moment when another monster emerged into its territory: Luke's Spectral Beast. A spectral kraken. The two creatures stared each other down. The real one was much larger, older, and more brutal, but even so, it drew back slightly before that presence.

Not for long. Then it attacked.

"Now it's our turn!" Luke raised his hand. [Maelstrom Dominion activated] The Spectral Beast whipped its tentacles violently, creating a massive whirlpool that began dragging the enemy kraken toward the center. The two beasts collided in the churning water, tentacles coiling, crushing, each one fighting to claim the sea around it. Luke supported from a distance, throwing explosive knives at the enemy kraken whenever an opening appeared.

On the surface, the two giants thrashed as if the entire sea were too small to contain their fight. The real kraken slammed its tentacles into the water and released a powerful wave, forcing the Spectral Beast back. The instant it advanced to finish the attack, Angie aimed her spear. [Lightning Verdict] A dark cloud formed above the creature. The bolt came down a heartbeat later, brutal and precise, striking the kraken with enough force to make the monster let out a shrill cry.

The smell of burned flesh rose from the wound, and the beast froze for a brief moment, seized by the shock. Charlie attacked next. [Arcane Power Punch] The impact tore open another gap, and Luke took advantage without hesitation. By the time the kraken started moving again, the Spectral Beast had already launched itself onto it, locking it from behind like a fighter applying a monstrous chokehold. The group pounced on the opening. Anne charged across the waves and activated her legendary maid skill.

Her blade cut with clean precision, severing one of the creature's tentacles. Dark blood spread through the water. Angie dove next, driving her spear into the kraken's body and activating her level 90 Light Cleric skill. [Lance Drill (Ultra-Rare)]: The cleric fuses the power of [Mana Drill] with [Light] and anchors it to the tip of her spear. The spinning drill becomes a radiant point of condensed holy mana, rotating with surgical precision while emitting an intense golden glow.

Upon striking the target, the radiant drill penetrates and spins violently, piercing armor, scales, and magical protections. The light burns the wound from the inside, hindering regeneration, weakening spells, and leaving behind a burning mark of purification. The kraken felt it immediately. The drill of light tore through its flesh as Angie pushed the spear deeper. Right after, she activated the power of her [Spirit Tool].

Red fire flared around the weapon, carrying the power of the vampire Count and wounding the creature even further. Even though it was smaller, Luke's kraken stayed latched onto the larger monster, pinning it as best it could. [Leviathan's Embrace activated] The grip turned brutal. The Spectral Beast crushed the enemy kraken and began dragging it down while Angie kept drilling into it. Tentacles were cut away.

Charlie, Luke, and Anne attacked every time the creature tried to fight back, wearing it down piece by piece. Luke's beast bit, crushed, and sank the enemy, refusing to let go. The dark water was lit by the golden glow of Angie's wings as she attacked without stopping. The kraken released one final roar and tried to charge them with everything it had left. But it was already too late.

[Angie has slain a Juvenile Sunken Kraken - Lvl 142] [An item has been added to your inventory] Angie's Class [Storm Valkyrie] reached Level 111! [Angie has reached Level 109! Archangel (Rank D)] (+16 to all attributes, +40 Free Points.) Angie's 2nd Class [Cleric of the Radiant Dawn] reached Level 103! Angie's 2nd Class [Cleric of the Radiant Dawn reached Level 104! Your class [Shadow Phantom Reaper] has reached Level 110! (+30 Lethality, +24 Agility, +23 Perception, +22 Intelligence, +18 Wisdom, +13 Willpower, +10 Dexterity, +20 Free Points) [You have unlocked a new class skill] [You have reached Level 107! Half-Demon (Rank D)] (+8 bonus points to all attributes, +20 free points) Your second class [Arcane Spellcaster] has reached Level 104! (+40 Intelligence, +31 Wisdom, +22 Perception, +19 Willpower, +10 Agility, +8 Dexterity, +7 Vitality, +25 Free Points.) Charlotte Vespertilio's 2nd Class [Black Ember Ascendant] reached Level 104! (+36 Strength, +24 Intelligence, +20 Endurance, +18 Vitality, +16 Agility, +12 Willpower, +9 Perception, +20 Free Points.) [Charlotte Vespertilio has reached Level 103! Vampire (Rank D)] Charlotte Vespertilio's 2nd Class [Black Ember Ascendant] reached Level 105! (+36 Strength, +24 Intelligence, +20 Endurance, +18 Vitality, +16 Agility, +12 Willpower, +9 Perception, +20 Free Points.) Charlotte Vespertilio's Class [Royal Blood Knight] reached Level 107! (+28 Strength, +27 Lethality, +24 Vitality, +21 Agility, +18 Toughness, +15 Perception, +12 Willpower, +28 Free Points.) When the fight ended, Luke's Spectral Beast had already been destroyed, its power completely spent. The group returned to the ship in silence, exhausted. Luke dropped onto the deck, rain falling over him." I can't believe that plan actually worked."" We killed a... big... monster," Anne said, still staring at the sea. A stalker climbed onto the deck at that exact moment. Charlie cut off its head before it could take two steps." We don't even get one moment to breathe, do we?" Charlie snapped." You are wounded... Lord Luke," Anne said." I'm fine," he said, looking at the injury. Thanks to his magical blood, he wasn't bleeding out, though the wound was still there. Anne reached out to heal him." Don't worry, Anne. Save your mana..." The moment he touched her, a shock sparked between them. [Convert Anne Grimhart (Porcelain Doll) into a Servant of the Dark Lord?]"Hm...?" She stared at her own screen. Luke immediately focused, making the option vanish. Anne looked confused." My system screen... opened on its own." He rose from the deck, covering the moment by helping her to her feet. What the hell was that? I didn't mean to activate the bloodline skill. He looked at his hand. There was blood on it. When he had touched his wound, he had smeared himself with his own blood. I must've touched Anne and met the requirement to activate the skill. The group quickly went back on alert, since more stalkers could still come. Luke watched Anne talking with Charlie. Anne didn't notice. It happened too fast. But would it actually work on her? The skill hadn't flagged her as half-human, so it was almost certainly possible. Unlike Allison, who was half-dragon and, because of her human side, couldn't be converted into a servant. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Putting that aside, he liked Anne as a friend, but she was tied to a very particular family, and they definitely wouldn't appreciate their princess becoming someone else's servant. When he touched Angie's shoulder, he transferred the item he had received from the kraken to her system. Luke had received the reward because he was the master, but it was obvious the item wasn't meant for him. [Sunken Royal Guard Breastplate (Legendary)]: A breastplate crafted for a female wearer, modeled after the armor once worn by the ancient Sunken Royal Guards, but adapted for a Valkyrie. The similarity remained: both were warriors dedicated to protecting their king. Enchantments: [Mana Repair (Rare)]: The breastplate can be repaired even while being worn, as long as the user feeds it mana. [Eyes of the Deep (Rare)]: The user can see in the dark underwater, through fog, heavy rain, and murky water. [Pressure of the Depths (Ultra-Rare)]: Makes the body heavy, allowing the user to create impact when jumping, similar to the pressure of the sea. [Underwater Echo (Ultra-Rare)]: The breastplate emits an echolocation pulse underwater that is visible only to its user. For a brief moment, the outlines of everything within the user's perception range become visible, even in dark water. Useful for reading the environment and identifying hidden shapes beneath the surface. Information: Rarity: Legendary Rank: D Type: Equipment Bonus: +500 Toughness, +500 Vitality Requirement: Lvl 100+ in any Warrior Class. The breastplate appeared on Angie's body. It was dark, elegant, and very clearly made for battle." The bonus stats are excellent," she said." That breastplate is doing a heroic job showing off her chest," Artemis said." It looks a little like what the Royal Guards wore back when I was king, but it didn't have that design," Cadmus said." I assume it was adapted for her species." They returned to the kraken's body, but found no core. That was a shame for Luke. He had wanted to use his beast's ability and compare what skills a second kraken would unlock compared to the first. After that, the ship left those stormy waters behind. Hours later, after the fights against the stalkers and the kraken, they were having lunch under the harsh light of noon. The waters were still restless, but no longer as violent." Nothing special left to do now," Luke said." We completed our objective. All that's left is to wait for the final challenge to begin."" All that time circling the archipelago... Days of it," Charlie said, laying her head on the table. The plate beside her was already empty." She's right," Artemis said." It took longer to get here than it did to solve the problem." Luke looked at the group." Want to go see the Kataleya city?"" The city where we got swallowed by a leviathan?" Artemis asked." No chance, Luke. I vote against it."" I also vote against it," the others said almost at the same time." Okay. I'm outvoted." In the end, they decided to return to the Main Island, the massive island where the Citadel stood. The system didn't call it the Main Island for nothing. It sat right at the center of that region, and for now, it was the best place to wait. Wherever the Stage 3 final challenge ended up being, starting from the middle of the map would make it easier to move in any direction. In the laboratory, Luke went back to studying the young tree born from his legendary seed. As he observed it, he opened the system interface and clicked on the notification for his new skill. My first skill from this new class. [Shadow Hunt Domain (Legendary)]: The user spreads a circular shadow across the battlefield, creating hunting grounds where darkness bends to his presence. Within this domain, any enemy who tries to flee feels space distort, as though the edge is always farther away than it should be. Every step toward the exit seems to cover less distance. Every attempt to escape only deepens the feeling of being trapped in an arena built for the hunt. While inside the domain, the user becomes nearly undetectable, merging with the shadows as a natural part of the territory. To enemies, there is no visible pursuer, only the growing certainty that something is moving in the dark. This is not a battlefield. It is a hunting ground, and the shadow has already chosen its prey. [Wall Shadow (Rare)]: Using the power of [Shadow Dive], the user can project his shadow as a dark silhouette across walls, ceilings, or vertical surfaces. In this state, he no longer crawls slowly across the floor like an ordinary shadow, but runs across surfaces like a two-dimensional presence, moving with far greater speed, fluidity, and freedom. The skill allows him to cross corridors, scale structures, move around obstacles, and pursue targets from unexpected angles, as if the user had become a living stain sliding along the walls. Where there is surface and shadow, there is a path. [Shadow Phantom Reaper Dance (Legendary)]: A deadly evolution of Demonic Blade Dance, transforming the old blade dance into a shadowy execution style. While active, the user moves with far greater speed, fluidity, and precision, launching rapid and devastating attacks with two blades. His cuts become more lethal, opening deep wounds and maintaining constant pressure through continuous bleeding damage. The dance also improves his defense, allowing him to block, dodge, and reposition more efficiently while maintaining offensive momentum. (Secondary Effect: Reaper's Mimic): Upon activating the second effect, a dancing shadow made of pure darkness appears beside the user, copying his movements with supernatural precision. Unlike the previous version, the mimic does not merely deal partial impact: it replicates attacks with real force, making every sequence of strikes land as though two reapers were attacking at the same time. Its presence confuses enemies, distorting perception, distance, and the direction of attacks, making it difficult to tell which blade belongs to the user and which belongs to the shadow. (Third Effect: Phantom Transposition): The user can instantly swap positions with the Reaper's Mimic, using the shadow as a transposition point during the dance. This exchange allows him to escape attacks, slip through defenses, strike from behind, change the angle of pressure, or turn a defensive movement into a sudden execution. While the enemy tries to track the real body, the shadow may have already taken its place. And by the time he understands the switch, the blade has already fallen. [Shadow Passage (Ultra-Rare)]: The user manifests a hole made of shadow over a surface, whether on the floor, a wall, a ceiling, or another solid structure, allowing passage to the other side without actually destroying or piercing the material. The passage does not open a physical hole. It creates a temporary crossing through shadow, leaving the structure intact after use. This difference makes the skill extremely valuable for infiltration, escape, and silent movement, allowing passage through locked doors, walls, floors, cells, barriers, and sealed rooms without obvious signs of forced entry. It is not simply becoming shadow. It is turning the surface itself into an exit. Where there was a wall, darkness finds a way. [Grave Weight (Legendary)]: Each cut from the Reaper carries the silent chill of a grave. When his strikes hit an enemy, they leave shadowy marks that accumulate across the victim's body, gradually increasing a sensation of weight, slowness, and exhaustion. The more cuts the target receives, the harder it becomes to move, react, flee, or keep up with the Reaper's rhythm, as if invisible chains were dragging their limbs down. The skill turns accumulated damage into a sentence: first the enemy loses speed, then space, then the chance to escape. When the weight becomes unbearable, the prey is no longer fighting the Reaper. It is merely being guided toward its own end. Cut after cut, the grave grows heavier... until the neck is ready for the guillotine. Sitting in his chair, Luke made his choice." I'm going to win this event, Elizabeth Moon. And then you're going to tell me why you disappeared." Anne piloted the ship back toward the Citadel. Over the past few weeks, she had gained a few levels in her class, but it wasn't on her mind as much as it should have been. Part of her just wanted the event to end already. She was worried about Erza. Still, she wouldn't get in her friends' way. She would do everything she could to help them until the end. Angie stayed beside her in the early hours before dawn, guarding against anything that might try to board the ship." What are you?" Anne asked. The red-haired woman was mysterious, like a well full of stars. She didn't seem like just someone with wings. There was something different about her, something Anne could feel in a strange way. Being near Angie was... odd. Maybe because Anne was only a soul inside an artificial body, she could sense it after spending so much time beside her." You're not just some woman... who can grow wings." Angie watched her calmly." And what do you think I am?" Anne looked away. Angie's eyes were strange too. Staring into them felt like staring at the night sky, a sky packed with stars. It wasn't something physical or truly visible. It was a feeling." I'm Angelica," Angie said, smiling." Yeah."" I'm Luke." Anne paused for a moment." Are you?"" I'm you."" Are... you?" That was strange." You can't tell when I'm lying, can you, doll?" Angie asked, still smiling." Your bloodline can't understand me."" You knew... I knew?"" I like understanding things. Figuring things out. That's all I'm going to tell you about that."" Are you going to... tell me what you are?"" You're smart. You've already figured it out. The question is, are you going to tell anyone?" Anne shrugged." I don't have a reason to. But are there more of you out there?" Angie remained silent for a few seconds before answering." Every time a new universe is integrated, a piece of the place I came from gets integrated with it. It's accessed through the Midnight Tutorial. In every universe, the system placed those pieces there. Saving a fragment of the place I came from." That was how the special tutorial that appeared once per universe worked. Anne knew about it because of her family. It was one of the reasons she and Erza had been sent there: to receive the title. A special, coveted title possessed by only a small handful of beings. One group per universe." But I wonder," Angie continued." Were you lucky enough to find the exact piece where a living angel still existed? Others might be out there. They may have escaped from earlier pieces. But knowing my race... if that had happened, at least one of us would've tried to become a god and start conquering universes. With the knowledge we had about the system, it should have happened. Unless..." She looked into Anne's eyes." I don't care about the others. What I keep thinking about is something else. What was strong enough to spread through the place I came from and kill everyone there? And is it still out there? Because if I got out of that sealed universe, why wouldn't that thing get out too, eventually?" The Main Island, where the Citadel stood, had also been invaded by the sea. When they reached it, only the highest part of the city still remained above water. Even so, event participants continued going there, and the city still functioned in its own improvised way. The ship anchored at a makeshift port. The flooded streets were crowded with vessels. It looked like every participant still left in the event had come to the same conclusion: anchor at the Citadel and wait. Charlie and Anne stayed on the ship while Luke walked through the streets with Angie. The city was strangely lively. Some kind of drinking contest or festival was happening there, and for a few minutes, it was almost possible to forget that in a few days, all of them would have to compete for first place in the event." What are you hoping to find here, my lord? Besides trouble," Angie asked." The fastest way to get cores is to buy them. Trade for them. And I also wanted to check—" Something jumped toward him. Luke drew a kukri on reflex. A burp came right after. The person in front of him, holding a mug of booze, blinked and stared at him." Hooded Guy?"" Triss?" It was the Amazon woman." We've got to stop running into each other when I'm drunk," she said, laughing." Small world, huh?" They talked for almost an hour. After that, Luke brought her back to his ship. The Amazon woman wasn't the only person he knew in the Citadel." Marten's here. Doung and Randall too," Triss said, sitting on top of a barrel on the deck." All of you made it to Stage 3. Who would've thought."" You thought we wouldn't?"" That's not it. I just thought you would've chosen to leave."" After that vampire chaos? I couldn't let this event steal my shine." Triss stood on the edge of the ship." I'll be right back. I'm going to tell my crew their captain wasn't kidnapped." With a leap, she dropped into the water and started walking across it. Artemis watched her leave." I just hope the final challenge isn't, 'Surprise, boring battle royale again. You're all screwed.'" A day had passed since Luke arrived at the Citadel. Plenty of people had cores to trade. The problem was the price. No one gave a damn about gold anymore. At this stage of the event, ordinary wealth barely mattered. The participants had accumulated enough treasure and coins that shiny things had stopped impressing them. What they wanted now was anything that could improve their chances in the final challenge. Should I use healing potions as currency? It was the kind of thing almost no one would refuse. Luke could focus and produce several before the deadline. The problem was obvious: he would be handing valuable potions to his own opponents. I need to reach at least 400 Spectral Beast cores before the final challenge. It'll get stronger, and it'll give me a new skill too. He and Charlie walked through an isolated area of the Citadel. Some parts of the city had been cut off by the water, forming almost abandoned districts between ruins and flooded passages. It was a good place to train away from curious eyes." I'm ready, Master Luke." The space was wide enough, safe enough, and far enough from anyone who might interfere." Are you really sure?" Luke asked." Yes." Charlie was going to use her level 95 vampire skill. [Vampiric Beast I (Ancient)]: The purity of the Vespertilio Bloodline is strong in this vampire. At every opportunity, this vampire has yielded to the Path of the Vampiric Beast, showing her intention to embrace this power. Common Vampiric Beasts are distorted forms of vampires. The most powerful among them may acquire unique monstrous forms, depending on the vampire and her feeding. A Vespertilio is capable of surpassing a Vampiric Beast by walking evolutionary paths even they cannot. Going beyond the limit. At the cost of 80 Blood Energy, the vampire partially acquires the powers of a common Vampiric Beast, and her body undergoes several changes. Her skin becomes extremely white and corpse-like, covered in red veins. Wounds open across her body, though they do not cause damage. Her ears become pointed, her teeth sharpen, and her face becomes more monstrous. To activate this power, the vampire must devour her completely filled [Blood Orb]. In this state, all passive vampire abilities are pushed to their maximum. [Vampiric Claws] are automatically activated. [Vampiric Leap] can be used at no cost, along with [Vampiric Softfall I] and [Vampiric Strength I]. She may only use powers from the class corrupted by her vampiric blood. But be warned: power has a price. The longer she yields to the beast, the more her sanity will be at risk. A small price to pay. May you devour all who stand in your way. May your bloodline prevail.