He truly didn't know what he was doing.
It beca apparent to Brandon that his elents were bottlenecked.
Unlike the others who could continue improving their elents, reaching tiers and such, it wasn't an option available to him at all.
This ant that no matter how strong he got, he could never assimilate with any of his elents, nor could he learn how to conjure a zone.
Then what was he supposed to do?
Simple.
Force it.
"Sovereign of Creation."
He muttered under his breath.
As if it had sohow read his thoughts, the Sovereign of Creation skill quickly got to work.
[Curse Assimilation]
∟ Fully assimilate with the Curse Affinity.
∟ Complete access to all the Curse skills.
No.
This wasn't it.
This wasn't what he wanted at all.
But it was as if the system was pushing him towards the curse affinity.
There was no other choice.
He had to make do with what he had.
——————————
[Special Affinities]
∟[Curse]
∟ [Cursed Threads]: Complete Mastery
∟ [Cursed Flas]: Complete Mastery
∟ [Mark of Despair]: null
∟ [Abyssal Chains]: null
∟ [Soul Drain]: null
∟ [Binding Vow]: null
——————————
***
The scenery suddenly shifted.
Purple flas enraptured the sky, gradually creating an isolated barrier.
But Brandon didn't care.
"Haha."
As if he had no control with his thoughts whatsoever, he stifled a laugh.
His ink–black hair fluttered, as black blazing flas wrapped his entire figure.
His buff skills were active.
[Accelerated Cognition]
[Mana Burst]
[Aeolus Blessing]
But despite all that, he hadn't managed to beat Lumian.
He had tried and tried to fully utilize [Mana Disruption].
But there was no point.
Lumian was a swordsman.
Magic wasn't his forte.
Most probably.
And the purple flas around him?
Brandon was unable to disrupt its mana.
But in the first place…
The flas.
It didn't feel like it ca from mana at all.
As if the power was derived from sothing else.
Sothing oddly familiar.
A Wraith's power.
But Lumian totally felt human.
The Wraith back then was sohow different compared to Lumian.
And he wasn't a Wraithbound.
Brandon was sure of it.
Then…
"A human with the powers of a Wraith."
He smiled.
"Interesting."
Fucking interesting.
"I'll fucking kill you."
Swoosh—!
With no regards to the change in scenery, Brandon kicked the ground and ran as if he was walking in the air.
And he was.
"Aeolus Blessing."
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!
Several swords pierced through the air from behind him, heading towards Lumian.
Alia's power.
"I want it."
He muttered under his breath.
"Sovereign of Creation."
He tried creating her skill.
"...."
And yet nothing happened.
As if the system denied his request.
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue.
"Fucking useless."
Cursing, Brandon extended his hand forward. There, he could see Lumian parrying Alia's blade with ease.
Tzz—
He blinked forward and appeared before Lumian. Lumian's eyes flicked towards him in an instant.
Boom—!
Lumian's blade t Brandon's fist, wrapped around black blazing flas. He felt the sharp tip of the blade, grazing his knuckles slightly.
Clenching his left fist, black chains sprouted from the ground and lood in the air like snakes, coiling around Lumian's leg.
At that mont, Brandon felt a surge of power surged within him like never before. His wounds started healing, and his strength gradually increased.
But Lumian didn't slow down at all.
No.
It seed like he was even faster than befo—
Slash—
A blade swung down towards Lumian. But at that mont, Lumian suddenly vanished and appeared behind Brandon.
"Shit."
Clang—!
Lumian swung sideways, aiming at Brandon's back. But imdiately, Alia repelled the blade and a magic sword that floated in the air swung towards Lumian.
But it was then when Lumian disappeared once again.
Fast.
Too fast.
***
"Reports say of a suspicious man, leaving the city."
Belle began her debriefing. A round table situated in the middle. All of the officers she had appointed for her task force sat in their respective seats.
Unfortunately, Evelyn Cessna was unavailable. For reasons unknown, no one could reach her, not even the Field Marshals.
To avoid alerting the suspect, they had only inford officials and gate guards of the man's description.
And to their surprise, the descriptions matched.
Navy blue hair, red eyes, and a scar on his eyebrow.
Due to the potential danger, they were instructed not to instigate or arouse the man's suspicions. Their orders were clear: report imdiately upon sighting him.
They were only told to report, as soon as they caught sight of him.
And today was that day.
"General Locke."
An officer suddenly called out to her.
Ivan Albarn.
An S ranker to replace Evelyn. They needed an S ranker to ensure the mission's success.
Ivan wasn't part of the Imperial Army. But Belle had the authority to appoint anyone she deed necessary for the mission.
Or rather, a subjugation.
This was a hunt.
Dead or alive.
Belle turned to face Ivan with a serious expression.
"Yes, Sir Ivan?"
"We've received a report from the eastern gate. A man matching the description was seen leaving the city an hour ago."
A murmur spread through the room as the officers exchanged glances. Belle raised a hand to silence them.
"This is our chance. We need to move quickly and decisively."
She unfolded a map on the table, tracing a path with her finger.
"The eastern gate leads to the forest. We'll split into two groups. One will follow the main path, and the other will circle around to cut him off."
"I'll lead the main group."
Ivan nodded.
After all, he was the strongest present. Belle and her group should only serve to cut off the exit to ensure their safety.
Belle t his gaze and pursed her lips.
"Good. I'll take the second group. Rember, our priority is to capture him alive if possible, but we cannot afford to let him escape. Stay alert and report any sightings imdiately."
The officers stood up at that mont with serious expressions..
They moved swiftly to prepare, checking their weapons and gear.
Belle watched them with a mix of pride and concern in her heart. This mission was critical, and failure was not an option.
As they headed out, Belle's mind raced with the details of the mission.
The suspect's unusual appearance and the fact that he had eluded them for so long suggested he was no ordinary man.
Of course, he wasn't.
The fact that he was leaving the city without any proper reasoning had more or less confird their conjectures.
He was one of the illegal immigrants.
An invader.
Ti passed and they reached the edge of the city.
"Let's move out."
Belle commanded.
The groups split off imdiately, moving swiftly and silently throughout the night.
Belle's group took the longer route, cutting through the dense underbrush.
The forest was eerily quiet. The only sounds that ensued were their muffled footsteps and the rustle of leaves.
After what felt like hours, they reached a clearing.
Belle raised a hand to signal a halt.
She dismounted and approached the edge of the clearing, scanning the area.
"Any sign of him?"
She whispered to one of her officers.
The officer shook his head.
"Not yet, General."
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