"AUOBE" Chapter 154. Too slow

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AN: OUT FOR AWAKENED

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Leo shook his head. Even if he did get a bit carried away during the fight, it didn't matter in the long run. Those people wanted to kill him, and even if he could have just escaped, doing so would possibly bring more issues later on. At least now, they knew not to mess with him. That, and he also managed to learn some stuff from crossing blades with them.

It's always about information in the end. He snorted and opened the link to his companion. Nyx... Listen, I know you're probably not the happiest right now, but can you follow them? I need to know where they live. I will take care of the corpse in the meantime instead.

'You're right. I'm far from happy,' Nyx bit back. 'But I also understand this is important. I will contact you once they stop... And when I come back, we will have a long talk about taking unnecessary risks."

Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want. Leo rolled his eyes. So what if he acted a bit rashly. In the end, he was in no real danger during the whole battle, and he had plenty of arguments to prove that. The feline, like always, worried a bit too much.

With their link closed once more and the group of Blessed Emissaries out of sight, he dropped from the roof onto the street below. For the time being, the area was still clear of any other Voidlings, so he should probably hurry. Who knew when Devour would decide to stop working and leave him without Essence...

First things first.

The blades upon his arms snapped out as soon as he approached the dead Trent. With a swift movement, he stabbed them deep into the beast's tough shell and pushed onward, cutting it off inch by inch. It took a bit longer than necessary as he didn't use any Essence for the process, but within a few minutes, he was left standing with a good chunk of the lifeform's Vetilim skin.

This should be enough, right? Leo furrowed his brow, only to grin when the System confirmed his thoughts. Great. To soulscape you go then. No time to mutate now.

At once, a weak flash consumed the cut-off skin, dragging it back to the depths of his soul. He grimaced at the additional weight. Apparently, a part of a creature more powerful than him was heavier than items that seemed bigger at first glance.

Interesting, gotta remember this for the future. He noted before his gaze once more settled on the massive corpse lying on the street. Hopefully, I'm not going to regret this.

With that thought in mind, Leo stabbed the Trent again, letting Devour activate at full power. It spread over the lifeform in an instant, taking every bit of remaining power inside its body.

The longer the process went on, the more he became worried that maybe his soul couldn't handle it after all the fighting. However, as soon as the corpse collapsed into dark dust, a brand new notification appeared in front of his eyes, washing away his worries.

Devour consumed: +7 Might, +2 Soul

Holy shit. Leo chuckled, glad that he didn't just leave the Trent for other Voidlings to consume. That's almost the same amount of points I get from my race. If only I could kill more of those things alone...

Even if he was the one to kill the Void Lifeform, it did not mean he could do it again. His shadows were powerful, but if it wasn't for the deep hole left by the other group, he could have never slain it. The Trent's skin on the outside was just too strong for him to deal with.

I need more firepower. Leo decided, reaching for the specks of Void affinity inside his soul. Shadows won't be enough soon. I have to figure this out, quick.

Leaving his affinities in peace for now, he gave the abandoned street one final glance before turning around. With his strength fully replenished, he climbed onto the nearest roof and hid in a shade so that no passing Voidlings could spot him. He didn't plan to go anywhere until Nyx called for him.

Might as well check the few notifications I missed.

Technique Shadow: Resonance obtained.

Shadow: Resonance (Novice)
A technique born out of the desire to connect with the world of shadows. Resonance allows the User to safely create a link with every shadow in a certain area. Those shadows might then be used to strengthen other techniques or scout the controlled location. Beware, this technique requires a lot of Essence to maintain.

Leo snorted upon reading the last part. Yeah, I already figured that out. Still, very useful technique. Need to get it to higher mastery fast, same with Creation. Now, what else do you have?

Fusion technique created: Shadow Emergence = Resonance + Eruption

Makes sense, I guess. Wonder if I can combine it with Creation. An entire battlefield of flying arrows could clear out the streets in a matter of seconds. Yet another thing to try out later.

Shadow: Eruption (Master)
The source of pain and hatred of the User's enemies. Eruption is now free of its bindings. No opponent is safe from the grasp of deadly shadows. Imagination is the limit.

Short and straight to the point, nice. Leo hummed, waving away the description. There was not much to see there. At this point, his own knowledge about the technique eclipsed anything the System could tell him.

Now for the icing on the cake.

Blink (Epic)
How is a blade supposed to reach its enemy if it isn't fast enough? How is it supposed to travel through the night if it's too slow to escape the light? Here is your answer.
Effects:
This skill grants the ability to move quickly in sudden bursts of speed combined with Essence. The efficiency of this skill improves with your Grace, Mind, and Soul.

To be honest, the description alone didn't explain the ability that well. Thankfully, Leo had also received the standard package of information on how to use this skill. Without it, Blink would have been more useless than Vital Strike...

From what he understood, for this skill to work, he had to fill his entire body with Essence and then push it all out at the same moment. In the meantime, he also had to control his form so that he wouldn't hit a wall or do a flip by mistake.

Overall, once mastered, it could become one of his most used abilities. Until then, he most likely wouldn't be able to move too far while using it. After all, the activation and movement had to happen in the same amount of time it took to blink, hence the name.

Still sounds simpler than Phantom Erasure. Leo thought with a click of his tongue before looking around. Ah, why not? It probably will be a while before Nyx calls for me.

Shrugging, he stood up and took a deep breath, Essence already filling his entire body. Slowly, he made sure it reached every single spot and spread equally all over. He didn't want the ability to misfire on the first try, not when he was out in the open.

Alright, a bit more power, choose a direction, prepare your body, and push. Leo recounted the steps, providing the ability with even more Essence as his body tensed. Then, just as the System taught him, he pushed all at once, releasing the gathered energy in a single burst.

His entire body sprung forward, and with a blink, he was gone, only to appear a bit away from his previous position.

Shit. He gasped, closing his mouth as bile gathered in his throat. He quickly swallowed it back with a grimace. That's... gonna take some time getting used to. It felt like someone tried to tear my body apart. And all of that for what? About two meters?

Even if he didn't have a measuring tape in his eyes, he could more or less tell how far he traveled during Blink. Although his first attempt wasn't too bad, considering the side effects of this skill, mastering it would likely take longer than he anticipated.

And so the list is getting even longer. He sighed, lying down on the roof. I guess sleep is for the wea-

'Leo! They have reached their base. It's a safe zone, a large one at that,' Nyx cut into his thoughts. 'Do you want to take a look? I'm a bit far, but the view is good.'

He quirked an eyebrow. Safe zone, you say? Sure, give me the feed.

The image in his left eye shifted at once, giving him a perfect view of a massive golden transparent dome and what was inside it. At first, he had to ensure Nyx's eyes weren't playing jokes on him. However, apart from some destruction cracked walls, and scorched ground, there was no mistaking the building in front of him.

Buckingham Palace? How the hell did they manage that?

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