The monotonous sound of the spell rang in his ear once more. What was once a sound of victory became a song of death.
[You have slain...]
The ashen sand below was dyed red with the blood of thousands of nightmare creatures. Six cores burned at tainted light, beating with the deathly song.
The battered mantle strained with even the slightest movement. A foreign moonlight decayed the very air around the silver sword in the man's hand.
[You have slain...]
The man held off tens of terrifying nightmare creatures with a horrifying efficiency. The blade in his hand was an extension of his body, not a trivial tool. The man possessed a skill that no mere sleeper should ever hold. For in his hands, the sword became a symbol of death. One which not even fallen creatures could resist.
[You have slain a Fallen Beast...]
[You have received...]
The man fought with a mechanical efficiency. There were no wasted movements, there were no mistakes, there was no mercy within his sword. All there was was will. The man's will was strong, it warped the very world around him. His strikes were slightly stronger than they should have been. He was slightly faster than he should have been. The strikes that hit him were less fatal than they should have been.
[You have slain...]
The man's mind was clouded, and so every thought he held was death. The man did not know if it had been days or weeks or even months; all he knew was murder.
[You have slain...]
[You have slain...]
The man's sword fell to his side as the cursed sun burned at the end of the horizon. As the sea fell into slumber once more, so did the endless assault upon the Ashen Barrow.
[You have slain...]
The man ignored the grotesque sound of his writhing heart as he dragged his tired body to the benevolent Soul Tree. The benevolent tree gifted him with its cursed ambrosia. The man ate it, having no choice but to. After all, they were the only things keeping him going, keeping him alive. And so he stood there motionless, at the base of the tree.
The sun had risen high in the sky before a faint light flickered in the man's dull eyes. His hands came crashing into the sides of his head, digging into his skull.
Pain.
The man screamed and struggled as his hands tore through his face, as his eyes exploded, as his jaw shattered, as he ripped the skin off of his bones.
Pain.
With one final pull, the man ripped his face off of his head. There was no skin, no flesh, no muscle; all that was left was bone. The man's arms fell limp to his side as he collapsed to the floor.
It was a miracle, that's all it could be described as, as his flesh began to regrow upon his face. It didn't take long for the man's face to grow back entirely, and when it did, there was intelligence within his eyes once more.
The man eventually stood up once more summoning his silver sword. The man began to practice his perfected swordsmanship to hopefully survive the next day.
----------------------------
I felt it. I felt my blood churn as warning, as a creature far beyond me began approaching this Ashen Barrow.
The starless sky had long overtaken the sun. The Dark Sea roared with an all-consuming hunger, one which devoured those far stronger than him. And yet the boy stood his ground upon the blooded ash.
The man's writhing heart beat with excitement, a excitement that wasn't his. His indomitable will began to sway, his thoughts became less whole. It almost felt like his brain wasn't entirely there anymore.
The Soul Devour could consume him, make him its eternal thrall, and yet it didn't. At this point, it wouldn't even take any effort on its part, the man could not resist it in his current state. Instead, it helped him. It stabilized him. The seed within the man's mind shook with fear for what was hidden under the Great Sea.
The Spell's voice rung in his ears, a voice that he could barely comprehend among the countless whispers.
[You may claim your second Legacy Relic]
"C-Cl… Claim," It was horrible. It felt like something was eating his voicebox, like he was being eaten from the inside out.
[You have received an Aspect Legacy Relic]
[You have received a Memory]
"Ghhhk!" The man fell on his knees as he threw up. And their laying on the floor was his voicebox covered in thousands of insects.
The man became hyperaware of everything happening within his own body. Hundreds of thousands of insects were devouring him from the inside. His heart beat hollow, his brain all but gone. And still the Soul Devour kept him alive with its profane might.
The waves of the Great Sea grew chaotic as a vile creature rose from its depths.
A bioluminescent mushroom, unmoving in the raging waves of the Dark Sea. The man's hollow heart beat with an ancient exultation as a siren's song bore from within his mind.
It was too fast, far too fast. I never had a chance.
A spear-like tentacle pierced his body with a speed that seemed to rival lightning. The tentacle wrapped around his lungs and ruptured them with an explosive force. Blood exploded from Keter's mouth as a spark of intelligence returned to his eyes.
The tentacle dragged him through the ashen sand, the abyssal water and eventually stopped in front of the bioluminescent bulb. And there, he meet it.
A vaguely humanoid face, its translucent eyes bore into his own. Its bestial armor covered all but small pieces of its body. Its seven spear-like tentacles carved into Keter's body in ways he didn't know were possible. Only now could Keter realize what this creature was: a jellyfish.
Keter gritted what was left of his teeth, as the jellyfish inspected him with interest.
'A Fallen Terror, I'm almost surprised. If anything I should be surprised it took this long to run into something I can't handle.' Keter began to choke and gasp, as one of the tentacles began to caress his heart. Water flooded into his mostly consumed lungs.
With the interlining of his stomach eaten the stomach acid began to melt its way through his mangled body. The water and acid crept their way into his bloodstream. Oxygen became scarce, and the flowing acid and water dealt untold amounts of damage to the rest of his body.
Keter didn't even know what was keeping him alive at this point. Was it the Soul Devour? Was it the ancient and corrupting whispers? Or maybe the sound of an ever-distant quill. But it did not matter to him, as Keter wouldn't allow himself to fall so soon.
And so with a shaking hand, Keter grasped two vials of shimmering golden liquid, So ancient so divine. The Nightmare responded to his call.
[You have acquired two drops of ichor. Do you wish to consume them?]
Keter could not answer his voice long since taken from him, and so his will answered for him.
[As you wish.]
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The next set of chps are going to be slow on coming out but longer. Writing this mini-arc is going to fun but hard to get right so please do be patient.
If you didn't already know Shadow Slave: The Holy Emperor has a crossover with Shadow Slave: A Visionary's Guide. and due to this chp being a bit too gory for the Shadow Slave discord we decided to make our own discord server so join if you feel like it.
Discord Link:https://discord.gg/skxVvWSca2