"AUOBE" Chapter 264. Forging alliances

<< Chapter 263 | Chapter 265 >>

AN: OUT FOR AWAKENED

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“This power…” Naz’Tor muttered, shaking off his shock. “How in the name of… It shouldn’t be possible… What’s in your hand… The pure destruction… The corruptive aura… The feeling of hunger… It’s pure Void. There’s no mistaking that. How?”

“Ruination,” Leo corrected. “That’s what the System calls it. For now, it’s just a minor affinity, but well… I’ve had it for quite some time now.”

Naz’Tor’s upper body trembled. “This doesn’t make any sense. No one has ever wielded an aspect like this before. Why would it change now? Why you? No! Wait! Don’t answer that. First, just tell me, what is the quality ranking of this trait?”

That’s not the question I expected. He furrowed his brow. Why did the System’s assigned quality even matter? Still, he decided to answer. “Void. That’s all. No idea where that falls the ranking.”

Naz’Tor laughed, but it lacked its usual warmness. It sounded hollow. “Because Void quality doesn’t exist, or at least I have never heard of it. What you possess is something more than unique, possibly stronger than divine. There’s no doubt about that.”

Yeah, I figured as much myself. No normal affinity should be able to kill Voidlings on the same level as me in one attack while destroying my body at the same time. And then there are its other abilities…

Leo shook his head as the memory of the transformed Blessed Emissary flashed in his head. “You asked me how I got it. The truth is th—“

“Stop!” Naz’Tor shouted, jumping up. “Don’t say anything yet. Wait!”

The merchant ran around the counter and through the door behind it. Leo blinked, unsure what had just happened. Moments later, the light in the entire shop dimmed a bit as green spiderwebs began to spread over the walls. They slowly claimed every surface before flashing once.

He waited for something else to happen but nothing did. The spiderwebs remained, bathing the entire shop in a soft glow. Like always, he tried to Identify this new phenomenon, only for the skill to fail again.

“Just what the hell is going on?” he mumbled, his body tense, ready to spring up at a moment’s notice. As much as he trusted Naz’Tor, that trust only ran so deep before it ran out.

“There! Much better,” the merchant exclaimed as he stepped back into the main part of the shop. “Sorry about that, kid. While I doubt anyone could have been listening in before, I wanted to make sure.”

Leo’s shoulders sagged, the tension draining out of him. He very much preferred this Naz’Tor to the all-serious version of him from a few minutes ago. However, with the subject of Ruination hanging above their heads, that could change again soon.

“What is this?” he asked instead, gesturing to the glowing spiderwebs. “Some kind of protection system?”

The merchant nodded, returning to his seat. “A highly advanced security ward. I paid a fortune to set it up, but in times like those, it sure proves its worth. You never know when someone decides to listen to you from a world away.”

“That’s possible?”

Naz’Tor huffed. “Of course it is. Some creatures out there specialize in spying on others. I had the displeasure of meeting a few of them. Creepy bunch, I tell you.”

Leo grimaced. “Great… Professional stalkers, that’s what I was missing in my life. Can you even hide from them?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much, kid, at least not yet. Stealth abilities—passive and active ones—and items are usually enough to make their job difficult. It’s much harder to spy on a person than a limited area. My shop, being what it is, draws some unwanted attention.”

That made a lot of sense in hindsight. Naz’Tor called himself a top merchant in his faction, so he had to be somewhat famous in the Void. As for Leo, he was just an unknown from Earth. Sure, he possessed Nikra’s shard and wielded Ruination, but almost nobody knew about that. Until the word spread, he should be safe from those stalkers.

Or so he hoped.

“But let’s forget about those nuisances,” the merchant continued. “You have a story for me, and I would like to hear it. Please, give me your hand.”

Leo stiffened at the sudden request and glanced at the tentacle extended toward him. Nyx stirred in his lap, also eying Naz’Tor warily. Still, he was already committed—to back off now would be foolish.

Here goes nothing. He took a deep breath and laid his palm upon the tentacle. To his surprise, a System notification instantly appeared in front of him.

Naz’Tor of the Merchant faction offers you a System-binding Vow of Silence. Everything said and done between you two in the next 2 hours will remain a secret unless both sides agree otherwise.

Do you accept?

Huh? Vow of Silence? He looked up at the merchant, quirking an eyebrow. “That’s a skill or what?”

“One granted by my job. Very useful in certain situations.”

“Like this one,” Leo muttered, giving the notification his full attention again. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.

With that, he gave the System his consent and instantly felt a pull on his Essence. It dived out without his input, sinking into the merchant’s tentacle. At the same time, a gray energy escaped out of the alien’s limb and entered his palm. It flowed down to his soul, where it settled, waiting.

Vow of Silence is now active. Time Left: 1:59:55

So this is it. Leo gulped, leaning back into his chair. “Looks like it’s my turn… What do you know about Nikra?”

That got Naz’Tor’s attention. “A powerful but dead ancient goddess. One of the six Old Ones. Some say she was at least partially responsible for the start of the Outbreak cycle. Whether that’s true, nobody knows for sure. Not that many survivors even care or know about the Old Ones. Their time had long since passed. Only Geron is somewhat active through his people.”

Leo held back a wince. “Yeah… that’s not entirely accurate. I don’t know much about the other four”—true enough—“But Nikra? She might have died, but not without leaving a few pieces of herself behind.”

“You found one.” Naz’Tor immediately caught on. “So she is how you gained this power.”

He nodded. “She was the Old One of Darkness and Void. I have a shard of her living inside me. The System made it into mutation.”

“Now things are finally starting to make sense,” the merchant muttered. “I have been wracking my brain, trying to understand why Geron would bother with such an insignificant planet. Now I understand… It’s all because of you.”

Leo cracked a forced smile. “When you put it like that, it does sound bad.”

Naz’Tor chuckled. “No worries, kid. I meant nothing by that. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to hear more about this power of yours. How exactly did you get this power? And why do you need the Seeds of Divinity for it?”

This time, Leo hesitated only for a second before retelling his short but quite complicated story. He had to leave out some stuff—for example, the merchant didn’t need to learn about his conversation with Nikra—but overall, Naz’Tor now knew only a bit less than Lily did.

He needed allies, and for now, only the alien before him proved to be a good candidate. However, his meeting with the System would have to remain a secret for the time being.

“As for why do I need the Seeds of Divinity?” Leo said as he neared the end of his story. “Ruination is killing me with every use. My body and soul can’t handle it. Even the System warned me.”

“And the seeds can stabilize and strengthen you,” Naz’Tor summed up. “I understand. They had been used in a similar way before, but usually, a single seed is enough. For you to need at least three…”

“That’s what the System told me in the warning. I don’t plan to ignore it.”

The merchant groaned. “Yes, yes, I get it. Trust me, kid, I do. But you want to hunt godlings. Alone!”

Leo frowned. “Is it really that difficult?” The System wouldn’t have presented it as an option if it were impossible—or so he thought.

“For someone experienced? Someone stronger than you? No. Once Void Gates open wide enough, God Slayers treat it like a sport—competing to see who can kill more godlings in the new universe.”

“But there is a chance, right?” he prodded.

Naz’Tor sighed. “There is, but it won’t be easy. Most universal gods are somewhere around the D to C rank. You can barely match the weakest of them. One wrong move, and you’re dead.”

Leo snorted. “Like that’s something new. I’ve been dancing with death since the Outbreak began. What is one more?”

“There is no convincing you against it, is there?” The merchant stated more than asked.

Nonetheless, he nodded again. “I have to do this. Ruination is too powerful to give up.”

Naz’Tor’s tentacles went limp as he slumped in his chair. “Fine, kid. I will help you, but we’re doing this my way. Understood?”

“Got it.”

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