Phew... it took a great deal of control not to devour Akira's sweet innocence right there and then. Her body was still not fully recovered, and my Nephalem lust is a bit much for a human girl, even a healthy one.
So that was a treat for another day.
As for the present,
I was standing inside a C-rank dungeon, the air thick with the smell of damp earth and something vaguely metallic. The cavern was dimly lit by glowing fungi that cast long, distorted shadows on the walls.
I was alone this time, and I came to test my new power.
ROAR!
A massive beast, a creature of rock and rage, charged towards me. A Gravel Hound. Its body was covered in thick, stony plates, and its maw was filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
It was a C-rank monster. A decent challenge for a party of skilled adventurers. For me? Child's play.
However, this time I didn't plan to use any of my regular skills on the monster. Instead, I wanted to test something new.
I inhaled, my chest expanding as I placed my right hand on the hilt of my black katana. The world seemed to slow down, the Gravel Hound's charge stretching into an eternity.
Then I spoke.
"Feast Upon the Fallen Heavens, Amaterasu."
Instantly, a terrifying pressure erupted from me. The very air around me seemed to warp, the light from the glowing fungi bending and distorting. The Gravel Hound, mid-charge, froze, its eyes wide with a primal fear it couldn't comprehend.
My black katana was now enveloped in a sphere of pure, black flames. Not red, not orange, but a void-like blackness that seemed to absorb the light around it. The flames didn't crackle or roar; they were silent, a hole in the fabric of reality.
'Incredible...' I thought, a thrill of excitement running through me. This was the power of this katana.
Amaterasu—that's the name of this katana.
After weeks of meditating, I finally connected with its spirit, or at least its will.
The katana was not just a tool. It was a partner. A living weapon with its own consciousness, its own desires. And its desire was to consume.
It sensed the 'devour' skill I possess and resonated with it, acknowledging me as its wielder.
It gave its name to me and the chant to awaken its true power, to manifest its black flame. A flame that does not burn, but devours.
I stepped forward, the black flames licking along the blade like living shadows. The Gravel Hound finally broke its paralysis, but instead of charging me again, it tried to flee, its stony legs scrabbling against the cavern floor. But it was too late.
I raised my left hand, where a chain of crackling black energy materialized out of thin air. It wasn't just any chain—thick, heavy links ending in a razor-sharp, spear-like tip forged from the same devouring void as Amaterasu's flames, pulsing with malevolent hunger. The weapon responded to my will instantly, the spirit of the katana and my own power working as one.
A savage grin split my face.
With a flick of my wrist, I launched it forward. The chain flew across the dimly lit cavern, tearing through the air like a streak of black lightning.
The spear blade slammed straight into the Gravel Hound's heavily armored chest, shattering its stony plates like thin glass and burying itself deep into the creature's core. The beast let out an agonizing, reverberating screech of pain.
A savage grin split my face.
"GET OVER HERE!"
My roar echoed off the cavern walls as the sheer force of the pull yanked the massive, multi-ton stone beast clean off the ground. The Gravel Hound flew helplessly through the air toward me, flailing wildly, its eyes wide with absolute terror.
As the beast sailed into my reach, I didn't hesitate. I swung Amaterasu in a smooth, brutal arc, sending a wave of silence and black flames to meet it mid-air.
There was no explosion, no spray of blood.
The second the black fire made contact with the airborne monster, the flame flared open like a ravenous maw. The Gravel Hound didn't just get sliced—it was completely erased. The stone armor, the flesh, the bone, even its horrified screech were swallowed whole into the dark void of the blade.
By the time I pulled the dark chain back into nothingness, the hound was gone. Zero trace.
The silence that followed was almost holy. No crumbling stones, no dying roars, no echo of a monster that had existed only moments ago. Just the faint, satisfied hum of Amaterasu in my grip and the soft pulse of new soul energy settling into my core.
[C-Rank Gravel Hound Devoured]
[Amaterasu has consumed the devoured status and transferred it into soul energy]
[Current Soul Energy: 13.7%]
Unlike my regular Devour skill, Amaterasu didn't share. It took everything—body, essence, even the pathetic little mana crystal the hound would've dropped—and converted it into this pure soul energy. In exchange, it gave me something far more potent.
Soul Energy.
And it's different from mana. I can feel it. A deeper, more profound energy that resonates with my Nephalem nature. It was the fuel for this terrifying new power. The currency of destruction.
Fuel for the void itself. The more I fed the blade, the longer I could keep the black flames active, the wider their reach, and the more terrifying their hunger became.
And best of all? Amaterasu could evolve.
I could already feel it—a faint, eager pulse from the katana, like a living thing licking its lips after its first real meal. This partnership was only getting started.
I exhaled slowly and glanced deeper into the twisting cavern. The glowing fungi had retreated even further from where the black flames had touched, leaving patches of absolute darkness along the walls. Good. The dungeon itself was learning to fear me.
"Next," I said softly.
Two more Gravel Hounds emerged from a side tunnel, drawn by the earlier commotion. They were slightly bigger than the first, their rocky hides scarred from previous battles. Probably a mated pair. They snarled in unison, low and rumbling, cautious after sensing whatever remained of their packmate's presence.
I didn't even bother with the full chant this time.
I simply let a thin layer of black flame coat Amaterasu's edge and raised my left hand again.
"Get over here."
For some reason, Amaterasu's spirit enjoyed this phrase. Like its favorite move or something.
The chain launched twice in rapid succession—thunk-thunk—piercing both beasts through their thick chests before they could even flinch. I yanked hard, slamming the two monsters together mid-air with a brutal crash of stone on stone. Then I stepped in, Amaterasu flashing in a wide, elegant arc.
The black flames surged hungrily.
Both hounds were devoured in a single sweeping motion, their combined forms collapsing into swirling darkness that poured into the blade. The soul energy counter in my mind ticked up smoothly.
[Current Soul Energy: 21.4%]
A low, satisfied chuckle escaped my throat. The synergy between the chain and the flames was even smoother than I'd hoped. A brutal signature move, fused with a weapon that erased existence itself... It was almost unfair.
Almost.
I kept moving, deeper into the dungeon. Every step felt lighter, every shadow more obedient. By the time I reached the next chamber, my body was humming with restrained power. Part of me wanted to keep going—to find the dungeon boss and see just how much soul energy I could wring out of this place.
However, I knew that using this power too recklessly could draw the wrong kind of attention.
The monsters devoured by Amaterasu's flames didn't just die; they were erased. Not even their ashes remained. That kind of disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed by whatever system governed this world, or by the powers that manipulated it from behind the scenes.
Worse, the dungeon itself may mutate and adapt to my power, creating stronger monsters, or it could simply collapse under the strain.
And in a world where its economy runs on dungeons and monster cores, making them disappear wasn't just bad business—it was an invitation for investigation.
Still, the allure was intoxicating.
"I think that's enough for testing," I murmured to myself, extinguishing the black flames with a thought. Amaterasu hummed with discontent, a faint craving for more echoing in my mind. I patted the hilt gently. "Patience, my friend. We'll have our fun soon enough."
I turned to leave, my steps echoing through the now-silent cavern.
But as I approached the dungeon exit, a chilling awareness washed over me. I wasn't alone.
It wasn't a monster. This was different. A focused, predatory intelligence, watching from just beyond the veil of the dungeon's exit. Waiting. Patient.
A human.
I slowed my pace, my senses sharpening. I could feel their presence—a familiar, unwelcome signature of mana and intent. They were good at hiding, but not good enough to hide from me.
I stepped out of the dungeon's entrance and, to my surprise, someone was waiting for me.
A man in a black suit.
He stood there, motionless, a perfect statue carved from darkness and professionalism. His face was plain, unremarkable, the kind you'd forget the second you looked away. But his eyes... they were anything but. They were pale gray, like storm clouds before a downpour, and they held a stillness that was more unnerving than any overt threat.
He didn't have any weapons that I could see, but he didn't need any. His posture, the way he stood with a relaxed readiness that screamed of lethality, told me everything I needed to know.
"Greetings, Miss Pendragon," he said, his voice as bland as his features. "My name is Smith. I represent... interested parties."
I raised an eyebrow, my hand resting casually on the hilt of Amaterasu. The blade pulsed with a faint, eager hunger.
"Get to the point, Smith," I said, my voice flat. "I'm a busy woman."
"Of course," he said, giving a slight, deferential nod that didn't fool me for a second. "We've been observing your recent activities. Your... unique skill set."
"Unique skill set?" I let a small, humorless smile touch my lips. "Is that what you're calling it these days?"
"We prefer the term 'asset'," he replied smoothly. "And we believe you would be a valuable one. To the right organization."
"What organization?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.
"That information is... need-to-know," he said. "But I can assure you, the benefits would be substantial. Resources, protection, information. All the things a person like you needs to thrive in this... complicated world."
He didn't wait for me to reply. He just pulled out a black card from his jacket pocket and held it out. There was nothing on it but a single, stylized symbol in silver—a coiled serpent eating its own tail.
My blood ran cold.
'Impossible.'
The Ouroboros.
"We'll be happy to discuss this further, should you choose to accept our invitation. Just tap the card and think of us. We'll find you," he said, as he placed the card on a small rock near the dungeon entrance. "Consider our offer carefully. We don't make it often."
And with that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees as if he'd never been there. The only proof of his existence was the black card lying on the rock, a serpent eating its own tail.
"Are they the same organization as the Red Baron or a different one?" I thought, my mind racing.
This changes everything.
"No point in thinking about it now; my focus is on the academy and Ron's first wish."