Ascension: Online

"What's wrong, Kaze-kun?" Hina-nee asked, coming back with the other two girls in tow after realizing I discovered something.

I stood up from my crouched position and let the others see for themselves.

"Go on. Look at the sign on the altar."

Hina-nee bent down where I just was and brushed away some of the dust that had accumulated, probably from the massive undead witch falling down earlier. After reading what it said, her eyes widened as well.

"Three arrows, one bow. Three kills, one killer. Three witches, one king."

"Witches… that's the thing we just took down," I said. "That means… there are two more in this place that we have to kill?"

"I'm assuming so," Hina-nee placed her finger on her chin in thought. "But what about the 'one king'…?"

"Probably the final boss," Furuwa finished. "This Vault is clearly different from the ones we've done so far. Rather than various trials we have to complete, we have to take down foes before facing the ultimate challenge — the boss. If anything, this feels more like an actual game than the other ones."

"It would be great if we had an AI guiding us, like the other two…" I muttered in disdain.

And as if on cue, said AI suddenly spoke, distorted voice echoing across the silent chambers of the Vault of Torture.

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[T̕ria̶l of ͘Rang͝e͘ ͡— Co͟m̡pl͠et͏e͡.̶]

"Trial of Range? Is that what he said?" I asked the other girls.

"Yeah, I think so," Hina-nee replied. "Since the Witch you just took down mainly used her ranged projectile attack, I suppose that makes sense."

"So then… what's next?" Furuwa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"… Fufufu."

Nadeshiko giggled and set off without waiting for the rest of us, as if having figured something out.

"Where are you-" I began, but she was already gone. With a sigh, I followed after her. Furuwa and Hina-nee did the same.

*****

"Nadeshiko… where, exactly, are you leading us?" I asked as she casually jumped over a rotating log impaled with needles.

"Fufu~ just follow me."

I was dubious, but any doubt I had was soon erased as we arrived at another scarlet tower, just like the one we had seen earlier. Within it was another corpse hanging upside-down. This one, however, didn't have long, sharp fingernails, but instead normal fingers… as normal as a skeleton can be, anyway.

I tried using Inspect on it, but it didn't work. Apparently, right now, it was still 'dead' or something. Once we got closer, it would 'revive', thus allowing me to use Inspect properly.

"Okay, Nadeshiko, same plan. Ready?"

"Mkay~" She nodded innocently, apparently happy to be working with me, and leaped over to the tower, landing right in front of the massive corpse. The other two girls got back as they were underleveled, and I leaped in after Nadeshiko.

Immediately, the undead body sprang to life. But this time, instead of a high-pitched, ear-splitting scream, it was a roar — a battle roar.

"GRAHHH!"

While coarse and violent, it was still clearly a female's voice, though thoroughly distorted. It pulled a greatsword out of its own back and cut the rope holding it, before getting back up to its feet with heavy footsteps that shook the entire cavern.

"Tch…" I quickly ran a quick Inspect on the creature:

[Name: Tortured Witch]

[Race: Undead]

[Level: 50]

[STR: 750]

[AGI: 50]

[INT: 0]

[DEX: 300]

[MAG: 0]

[LUC: 0]

'Shit… this guy's stats are even more crazy than the last. Though it only has an AGI stat of 50, so perhaps…'

Sliding between its legs right before it could cleave down at me, I retreated behind the altar. Naturally, the Witch turned around, confused at how it didn't kill me there. I smirked tauntingly.

"ROAR!" It unleashed an earthshaking battle cry, causing me to lose my footing and accidentally trip on nothing.

"Ngh… my legs feel weak…?"

Luckily, I wasn't alone. Nadeshiko leaped out from cover once again and aimed straight for the creature's neck with her scythe, but-

"…!"

Nadeshiko's eyes widened as her massive weapon was unable to cut through the creature's seemingly hollow neck and had instead got caught on the bones.

"Nadeshiko!" I cried, but it was too late.

"Mmngh-!" She was flung away by the massive Witch, smashing into a wall and falling to the floor, unconscious. Taking a hit from a creature of 750 STR… it was enough to knock anyone out.

In that moment, I felt as if my soul — my very being — was shattered. My mind went blank for a moment, and time seemed to slow down.

All I felt was emptiness. Pure, raw emptiness, just like when Hina-nee had been slain.

Without even realizing it myself, I had begun to actually care about Nadeshiko. Her horrible past, her unwanted future... none of it should be any of my concern. And yet, despite me pushing her away over and over again, she still stuck by my side, willing to do anything for me.

And soon, the emptiness in my heart was replaced — by seething anger.

I gritted my teeth and pulled out Dokujin from my boots.

"Well, it's been a while since I've gotten this mad, but…"

I cracked my knuckles and rotated my head around my neck.

"… You've done it this time."

'Vanishing Steps.'

In an instant, I turned invisible, confusing the Witch momentarily. The first thing I did was take Nadeshiko's body out of here, since I didn't want to accidentally harm her. The other two girls offered to help, but I silenced them with a glare.

Sorry, but… this one is mine.

Dashing back to the tower, I leaped up into the air right as my invisibility ran out. With a gleam of darkness and raw hatred in my eyes, I used the most powerful move I had.

"Advanced Umbromancy Art — The Dragon's Shadow."

Immediately, a tornado erupted out of the ground and swallowed the monster whole, but I wasn't done just yet.

'Blade Barrage!'

I crossed my arms as eight large explosive knives formed in my hands, fitting into the sockets between my fingers. Then, with a satisfying spin, I launched all eight of the knives directly onto the Witch's body. After a brief delay, they exploded at once combined with The Dragon's Shadow's darkness pummel from above, staggering the creature.

It didn't much damage at all, but that was fine. For a stagger was all I needed.

Dashing through my own tornado, I spun Dokujin around in my hands and stabbed it straight into the creature's single glowing green eye, the only sign of life on its body.

"GRAHHHH!"

It roared in fury and shook my off, but I managed to stick the landing before immediately going back in again.

"If you think that's all I have… you're in for a big surprise."

Snapping my fingers, I let the Corruption do its work.

The creature screamed in agony as my poison spread all around its undead body, coating its bones with a glowing green fluid that seemed to sap the Witch of its consciousness and bring it under my control.

"Good… it's working." I smirked like an evil killer, almost like Nadeshiko when she went on those killing sprees. "Your name is 'Tortured Witch', right? Then… allow me to show you REAL torture."

I lifted my hand up into the air, and in response, the Witch did the same, groaning softly as it raised its own greatsword the size of Nadeshiko high up into the sky to mimic my actions.

And then, I pounded my own chest as hard as I could.

Naturally, the creature did the same.

"GRAHHHH!"

The massive Monster thrust its own enormous greatsword deep through its own skeletal body, shattering all the bones immediately while roaring in agony. The blow was so powerful that it sent a shockwave rippling out all around as the body was pinned against the back wall of one of the many hills in the cavern, bones breaking apart and crumbling away to nothingness.

The girls just stared on, slack-jawed, as the massive Monster brutally killed itself. Before they knew it, only the sword remained, stabbed into the wall.

All of the sweet dark essence that was generated by the bones flowed into my body, providing me with a tremendous amount of EXP.

[Obtained Monster Crystal (Tier X) x1.]

[Level Up!]

[Lv. 44 -> Lv. 50.]

[You received 60 SP and 30 AP.]

Tier X, huh? All I had to do was find its weakness, that's all.

I prepared to head back to regroup with the girls and check on Nadeshiko, but as I made a move to do so, I was suddenly hit with a surge of energy through my veins that prevented me from doing anything other than sitting down.

"Ngh… what is this…"

As I was forced into a cross-legged sitting position, I shut my eyes tightly to ease the energy flow. It was then that I remembered — Level 50. This meant I was breaking through.

"Kaze-kun!"

"Kaze!"

Hina-nee and Furuwa, carrying Nadeshiko, hurriedly came over to check on me, but I didn't bother with them. This was more important right now.

I could feel the energy within my body accelerating, the Essence increasing in both quantity and quality.

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"Hah…. HAH!"

The acceleration hit its peak and stopped as my eyes snapped back open. I was drenched in sweat, despite the process only lasting a few seconds at most.

"This… power…"

I glanced down at my hands, where a flame of black and blue now lay, matching my hair and eye color respectively.

Without even realizing it, the corners of my lips turned up in a smile.