Day 0 - Reckoning Part 3

The Oblivion building only has two floors, unlike Midnight Dawn's multi-floor structure at the center of a spacious park. However, the Oblivion building covers a fairly large area spanning an entire block. Surrounding the Oblivion building is a broad street, and beyond that street, there are big, wealthy mansions except in the front of the Oblivion building, where there is a large plaza that makes the Oblivion area look even larger than it already is. The section where Syvis resides and the location of the intense clash between Darx and Kase, resulting in significant structural damage, is in the left corner facing the plaza. However, now the confrontation shifted after Darx was surprised by an electrical attack and fell from the building's roof. Darx now finds himself in the middle of the street, with the plaza at his back surrounded by some of Oblivion's best adventurers.

Kase wears a confident smile despite a painful burn that extends from his right eye to his right ear, leaving burnt skin and hair on his handsome face Kase was proud of. Additionally, the blow he received on the lower left part of his back from the water sphere is causing considerable pain and hindering his movement. Despite these injuries, the assurance of having reinforcements gives Kase confidence that killing Darx will soon be a sure thing.

"I-Is that the boy from the cave?" Arthur spoke while standing beside Kase's right side, holding his greatsword with shock on his face, looking at Darx, "Kase, what's going on here? Why is that boy attacking the guild, and why does he look that way?"

"Who cares!" Diva, standing on Kase's left side, responded with a smile stretching from ear to ear. Her eyes emitted a bloodlust resembling that of a demented person, "Who cares about the motives or reasons of a person who is about to die? Let's just kill him!"

"I heard that the boy trapped in the cave portal returned to the city," Gin, who was still on the roof, said musedly with his fingers on his chin, "Without a doubt, something terrible happened to him in that portal. His demonic presence makes me think that a demonic entity of great power is possessing him. Still, why would he attack a guild all of a sudden? If he is a being with intelligence, he should have known that it was suicide."

"He saw me fucking his girlfriend and went crazy afterward," Kase responded without showing remorse and instead smiled slightly, making it seem like he was proud of what he had done.

"WAHAHAHA!" Diva laughed, hearing Kase's words.

"W-Wait you mean Syvis!?" Arthur said in surprise, turning to look at Kase.

"If I were you, I wouldn't take my eyes off the front," Kase responded, "And if you're done talking, why don't we just get this over with."

Arthur returned his gaze to the front, locking eyes with Darx. As a friend of Dante, Arthur had witnessed Dante's suffering, feeling responsible for the **** of a young adventurer under his care when Dante believed Darx had perished in the cave. Dante had only spoken positively of Darx, sharing their friendship and the good person he was. Seeing Darx now shrouded in demonic energy and knowing that he had to kill him gave Arthur no pleasure. On the contrary, facing the grim reality that he had to eliminate a friend's friend, especially someone who had suffered the betrayal of his girlfriend, weighed heavily on Arthur. Despite the emotional turmoil, Arthur was a man who prioritized duty over personal feelings, understanding the urgency of neutralizing someone emanating such dark demonic energy, especially after attacking his guild.

"I will lead the charge..." Arthur said with determination on his face.

"About time..." Diva responded while licking her katana.

Meanwhile, Darx was standing inside his water barrier, seemingly unfazed by the arrival of new adversaries, having four foes in front and one behind him. Still, his gaze keeps being fixed on Kase without any expression on his face. At the moment, Darx has a couple of broken ribs from the kick he received from Kase before the fight started, in addition to a stab wound in the shoulder and a cut on the right side of his stomach caused by Diva's katana.

Behind Darx, Celeste, returning from a party and clad in an elegant white dress unsuited for combat, maintained a cautious distance. Fortunately, she always wore rings on each hand, similar to Darx's, serving as a catalyst for her magical abilities. Despite this, she opted to stay back, awaiting Arthur's initiation of the battle, uncertain about the identity of the mysterious figure before her, enveloped in demonic energy.

The pivotal moment arrived, and Arthur surged forward, racing toward the rapidly rotating half-sphere of dark-purple water shielding Darx from external attacks. Concurrently, Gin began summoning two large bolts of blue electricity. In retaliation, Darx unleashed numerous water spheres from his protective barrier, hurtling at high speed against his enemies and intercepting Gin's electric bolts. Arthur, in response, was **** to use his greatsword as a shield to fend off the incoming water spheres. Meanwhile, Diva, displaying unparalleled agility, skillfully evaded all the water projectiles and closed in swiftly, her katana slashing through the water barrier without causing significant damage.

Soon after, Arthur raised his massive weapon, preparing for an attack, the moonlight gleaming off its razor-sharp edge. After noticing Arthur's action, Celeste used her support magic to strengthen Arthur's incoming attack.

"[Divine Empowerment]"

Celeste yelled while channeling divine energy, enveloping Arthur in a radiant aura.

This energy boosts Arthur's physical strength, making every strike more potent. With a powerful swing, Arthur unleashed his own skill, a devastating overhead strike aimed at the water barrier.

"[Rampant Cleave]"

With the powerful swing, Arthur unleashes a devastating vertical slash that cleaves through the air, destroying the ground and everything on its path, advancing relentlessly. The clash against the water barrier echoed through the night, strong enough to split the water barrier in two.

Celeste was sure that Artur would manage to destroy the water barrier, so as soon as she used her skill on Arthur, she used the same skill on Diva. As soon as the barrier was destroyed, Diva, with great speed and agility, entered the area inside what was the water barrier, thus preventing Darx from closing it before they could counterattack.

"You are dead!" Diva yelled with a crazy smile.

With deadly precision, Diva tried to cut Darx's neck with her katana, but to her surprise, Darx, who always carries his swords with him, already had them in his hands. Darx dodged the first attack aimed at his neck, but Diva quickly readjusted herself using her skill.

"[Dance Fury]"

Executing a dance of multiple slashes. Each strike executed rapidly and with lethal efficiency, with the characteristic that each slash seemed to undulate, making it challenging to predict or counter the onslaught. Diva felt confident about this skill, which almost no one had managed to evade, but to her surprise, Darx responded with his own skill. Despite his trance-like state, Darx demonstrated the ability to employ all his skills without any problem. In a countermove, Darx unleashed [Triple Slash], amplified by his [Dual Wield] ability, enabling him to execute two sets of [Triple Slash] simultaneously.

However, that wound wasn't sufficient to halt Diva. She never diverted her gaze from Darx, nor did the maniacal smile fade from her face. Undeterred by the severe wound on her chest, Diva launched another attack. This behavior is typical of Diva, as she enjoys combat more than anything else, dismissing all risks or consequences and focusing solely on the perverse pleasure derived from killing her enemies.

"Die!" Diva shouted, using her skill again, "[Dance Fury]."

Darx, devoid of expression on his face, retaliated with his skill. The collision of both swords produced sparks and generated small shockwaves with each clash, inflicting additional wounds on Diva's body. Meanwhile, in Darx's case, thanks to that [Harmonic Drain], Darx's shoulder and rib wounds were healed.

"[Menacing Roar]"

The confrontation between Darx and Diva only lasted a few seconds but was enough to leave her all bloodied with several deep cuts all over her body and close to losing her head if it weren't for Arthur's quick intervention. Arthur used his provoking skill, forcing Darx to divert his attention to him with a powerful and intimidating roar that echoed across the street. Immediately, Diva, who despite her injuries continued fighting, and Arthur, who was already within sword distance of Darx, simultaneously launched their skills against Darx.

"[Dance Fury]"

"[Rampant Cleave]"

That **** Darx to leap, attempting to evade both attacks, though he couldn't completely avoid the ****, sustaining some damage to his leg. While airborne, Darx extended his hand, preparing to unleash his dark beam against Arthur and Diva. However, at that crucial moment, Darx was unexpectedly stabbed in the back. Kase, who had been employing [Silent ****] from the start of the fight to render himself invisible, had patiently waited for the opportune moment to strike. With Darx in mid-air and focused on Arthur, Kase seized the chance to strike. Kase aimed for a lethal blow using [****][**** Blossom] in the stab, which would have been fatal if not for Darx's slight movement just before the dagger attack and the protective effect of the dark energy enveloping him, which acted as a shield, mitigating a considerable amount of the damage inflicted.

However, what Kase hadn't anticipated was that the effect of Arthur's provoke, which he assumed would be permanent, preventing Darx from counterattacking, was surprisingly only effective momentary. Darx had broken free from the effect, and upon sensing Kase, he thrust his sword backward through Kase's stomach in response to the stab in his back. Unfortunately for Darx, the Kase he attacked turned out to be only a copy, vanishing after the stab. It turned out that Kase was being really cautious.

Shortly after, Darx saw two huge bolts of electricity coming against him.

Gin, who remained on the roof of the guild, had no intention of allowing Darx time to recover. Amid the chaos, Darx conjured two water spears that materialized in his hands, launching them toward the electric bolts. As the water spears collided with the oncoming bolts of electricity, a dazzling display of magical energy unfolded in the air. The moment the two forces met, there was a brilliant burst of light accompanied by crackling sounds that resonated through the guild's surroundings. The water spears, now charged with the electrical energy from Gin's bolts, began to surge with increased power. The water spears, now imbued with electric magic, transformed into swirling cyclones of electrified water. Seeing the unanticipated turn of events, Gin widened his eyes in surprise. He hadn't anticipated that Darx's water magic would intercept his electricity. The electrified cyclones veered towards him with a newfound intensity, and in a split second, Gin had to jump from the roof to the street to avoid that powerful attack.

Upon falling to the ground, Arthur unleashed [Rampant Cleave], a devastating attack that obliterated the area where Darx landed. Darx managed to defend himself from most of the damage from that attack by creating a shield with the dark energy surrounding him, yet a few scratches appeared across his body.

Meanwhile, as this all was happening; Celeste was healing Diva, who was recovering from her injuries at a fast pace and would be ready to return to the fight soon.

Now, in the street, Gin looked at Darx and remarked with a smile, "It's about time I took things seriously."

Gin, the oldest son from a noble family, is an educated and courteous man with considerable wealth. Despite his eccentricities, he embodies the essence of a true gentleman. He doesn't need more money or cares about fame, considering being an adventurer a distraction—a hobby. Gin's high rank and naturally cautious personality have made him rarely find himself in a dangerous situation. Nevertheless, he has the confidence that if the need arises, he possesses the power to emerge victorious.

At that moment, Gin's body became enveloped in crackling electricity, his eyes glowing with a brilliant blue hue. It seemed as if Gin's very being was being infused with the power of electricity.

"[Thunderstride]," Gin said aloud as his body was enveloped by electricity.

Gin's best skill allows him to fuse with electricity, letting him move at a speed that is almost impossible to react to, and makes every one of his hits carry a powerful jolt of electricity that can also stun foes with each lightning-charged strike. It is the skill that made Gin one of the best members of Oblivion and which made Kase interested in having Gin as an ally.

One second, Darx was looking at Gin, who was a considerable distance away from him; the next second, Gin was in front of him with his fist a short distance from his face. Gin covered that distance in the blink of an eye, leaving a path of electricity in his wake. Darx couldn't defend himself from Gin's fast electric punch. The dark energy that enveloped Darx's body mitigated some of the electrical currents but not enough to mitigate all the damage. As soon as Darx wanted to counterattack with his sword, Gin was already behind him, giving him another hit on the back.

Darx tried to retaliate several times, but Gin dodged every attack effortlessly with his enhanced speed. Gin's lightning-fast strikes continued to rain down on Darx, each one staggering him further.

As if that were not enough, Arthur and Diva soon joined the fray, mercilessly attacking Darx, who could only dodge and parry the numerous attacks with his made-up shield made of dark energy. Meanwhile, Kase took advantage of every opportunity to try to deliver a fatal blow.

For a while, Darx had managed to avoid the most severe damage, yet the accumulated wounds on Darx's body were now more pronounced, and the situation seemed increasingly dire. The multitude of attacks stopped when Gin hit Darx in the chest, paralyzing him for an instant. Seizing the opportunity, Arthur unleashed one of his potent skills against Darx, who, defending himself with the dark energy shield, was forcefully propelled against the guild building's wall, which he went through, creating a big hole.

Kase and the rest stared at the hole in the wall, feeling confident of their victory. Darx was a formidable opponent who would win one-on-one, but against all of them, it would be impossible. At least, that's what they thought until Gin noticed something strange. Gin returned to his normal state without having canceled his skill.

"Ah, w-what's going on?" Gin asked, confused, looking at his body.

Arthur turned to see Gin, and seeing that he was in a normal state, he questioned his decision to cancel his skill when they hadn't finished the job yet, "Are you out of mana? Darx is a tough guy. We're not done yet."

"I-I didn't cancel the skill," Gin responded, panic showing on his face.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, confused, "Just turn it back on, then."

"I can't...," Gin said in a panic, "I-I can't feel my skill! What... W-What the hell is going on?"

"What? What do you mean?" Arthur asked, trying to understand what Gin was referring to.

At that precise moment, a noise similar to what Gin's skill makes was heard coming from the hole in the wall. When they turned to look into the dark depths of the hole in the wall, they only saw a pair of red piercing eyes. It sent a shiver down their spines. From the hole emerged Darx, walking slowly with a different appearance. Darx looked similar to Gin when he was using [Thunderstride] enveloped in electricity, almost seeming like Darx and electricity had merged together, with the difference that the electricity was a purple-black color similar to the color of all the skills that Darx had been using up until now.

"That's... my..." Gin muttered with terror in his expression.

"W-Why is he using, Gin-" Celeste was about to question me when suddenly her instincts detected danger behind her.

As Celeste turned her body, she found herself face to face with a woman made of purple-black water—Darx's water summon. The water summons arms resembling tentacles, lashing out at Celeste like whips. Unprepared for the sudden attack, Celeste failed to react in time. Fortunately, Arthur stepped forward and shielded her, bearing the onslaught of blows delivered by the water summon's tentacles. Meanwhile, Gin remained in shock, struggling to comprehend the unfolding events. In front of him was Darx using his skill, which he could no longer use. One second, Darx was far from him, and then, in a fraction of a second, Darx had closed the distance, his punch perilously close to Gin's face.

Diva managed to push Gin, who was going to receive the full blow, as he could not react.

"Snap out!" Diva yelled at Gin as she launched her attack against Darx.

Gin finally came out of his trance, and despite the shock he still felt, not understanding what had happened to him, he joined Diva in trying to attack Darx.

As these events unfolded, Kase, still maintaining his invisibility at a relative distance, observed the situation with growing disbelief. The confident smile that once adorned his face had faded away, watching Darx use Gin's skill. Kase couldn't believe what was happening. They were being pushed back. Diva and Gin were struggling against Darx's overwhelming speed and electric assaults. What confounded Kase even more was the inexplicable healing of Darx's wounds. All the damage they managed to cause to Darx was healing itself. It didn't make sense. The tide of the battle was shifting rapidly. Diva and Gin were facing imminent defeat, while Arthur and Celeste were preoccupied with the water summon that had a stupid attack power using not only her tentacle arms to attack but also all the water spells Darx had.

(What the hell is happening?) Kase thought with a look of disbelief on his face. (How is someone like Darx accomplishing this...? What the hell is he?)

At that exact moment, Kase noticed something that made him paralyzed with fear. When he saw Darx, he was looking back at him. In the middle of the fight Darx was having his eyes were fixed on Kase.

(Impossible!) Kase thought, feeling his heart speed up, (I'm using [Silent ****]. I'm invisible, soundless, and even my smell and presence are undetectable. How...?)

Kase's mind raced, searching for an answer. Thinking it was a coincidence, Kase moved from place to place, running in different directions. Kase felt fear like he had never known before, watching as Darx's gaze followed his every step. Paralyzed by shock, Kase stood still, grappling with the incomprehensible reality unfolding before him. By the time he snapped back to action, Diva and Gin lay defeated on the ground, and Darx had his arm outstretched, forming the same beam full of dark energy that he had been using, pointing at him.

(This doesn't make sense...) Kase thought for a second, feeling the fatigue of the combat. Then, full of questions and anger, Kase stared at Darx with an angry expression, (I won't lose to a nobody like him! I'm an S-RANK! OBLIVION'S NEXT GUILD MASTER! And he's trash! I'm going to win! I always win!)

Kase ran towards Darx with his dagger in hand, full of anger. Darx was about to unleash his attack when a gunshot was unexpectedly heard, and a bullet hit Darx in the forehead. The dark energy in Darx's hand disappeared, and he fell to the ground. Kase stopped, confused by what had happened, until Agnes emerged from the shadows with her gun in her hand.

"Are you stupid?" Agnes spoke, "What were you trying to achieve by charging head-on into an enemy? Aren't you an assassin? Act like one, and don't lose your temper like a stupid kid!"

"Why are you he-?" Kase asked in surprise.

"What am I doing here!?" Agnes finished Kase's question, "I'm still the guild master of Oblivion. Where else would I be?" Agnes walked to Kase, "You still have a long way to go to be worthy of leading Oblivion. Now tell me, what is going on?"

Before Kase could respond, they were both distracted by Darx standing up slowly from the ground. As he rose, the dark energy surrounding his body began to look strange, giving it an unsettling appearance of expansion and contraction pulsating with an irregular rhythm.

"I'm sure I hit him square in the forehead," Agnes spoke, "What the hell is he?"

All of a sudden, in an instant, the demonic energy around Darx intensified, and its growth reached a point that defied comprehension. The darkness seemed to expand exponentially, engulfing Darx in an otherworldly aura that transcended the boundaries of ordinary reality. The air itself felt heavy with the weight of an ominous presence as if the very essence of darkness had taken a tangible form. His mere existence seemed to defy the laws of nature, a manifestation of untamed darkness.

What Agnes and Kase didn't know was that time was against them. In Darx's encounter with the goddess [Imris], his demonic powers were sealed by the goddess and would have remained that way if it were not for the constant unfortunate and miserable situations that Darx faced one after another, bending his will and bringing him to a point where he felt alone and with no reason to continue. With each passing moment, the suppressed demonic power within Darx clawed at the weakening barriers, eager to break free. The unfolding events, the betrayal, the heartbreak, and the battles all played a role. The more time Darx spends in that state, the seal of the goddess will weaken more and more until Darx's true demonic power emerges.