The moment the words left the man, his spear vanished replaced by a terrifying black bow. The bow looked scary and haunting.
Its black colour was not the same black colour he was used to, no. This...was darker, blacker. It was black and something blacker and the same time, it didn't reflect light. On the contrary, it seemed to repel it.
By its very presence, the world around it seemed to dim. It was accompanied by an arrow which appeared out of nowhere in the guy's hands.
It was blue, glowing blue just like the glowing blue light emitted by the cracks in the surface of the bow and the similar thin cracks on Voidflare.
The black surface of the bow had darker cracks, and from them blinding glowing blue energy seeped out glowing.
Arion's sword was black, and it had cracks with blue energy seeped through the cracks, but the bow was darker, it had deeper and clearer cracks, and the blue light emitted from it was brighter too almost blinding, and yet the surrounding were dark.
Only it was bright.
The arrow too was made of the same blinding light, out of complete energy and nothing else, it seemed like it didn't have a physical body of its own too.
He was snapped back to reality only when he saw the man's hand raise to the string of his bow. A feeling of profound horror and dread gripped his very existence, the feeling was matched by only one thing. His meeting with the Moon goddess.
Was he going to die? So soon?
He looked down, and saw his sword.
Voidflare was still the same, in all its glory.
It was the same, a long, dark sword with a sleek, slightly curved blade with thin cracks of glowing blue energy, and most of all...the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Faint wisps of energy drift off the blade like smoke, just like when he first grasped it. The same wisps of energy drifted around the bow and arrow of his enemy too, at higher intensity on top of that.
But did he care? No he didn't.
Death was too common, everyone died. So he had walked it off the last time, and he was going to walk it off again if the situation asked for it.
He also felt much better, stronger and clearer when he looked at the sword. He suddenly remembered a certain part of his weapon's runes.
[Effect: Increases attack power and allows the user to channel energy through the blade, enhancing each strike.]
'Increases attack power, and I can also channel energy.'
There was nothing saying that the sword could absorb other's energy but he soon learnt it when he used to train with Ray and Ariel after he finished off the Iron Beast.
Gods, he hated that damned piece of iron. It seriously killed the chef, if only the chef were alive, he could have enjoyed feast before meeting that bitch Moon goddess.
But he missed Ray and Ariel more than he hated that abomination. What would Ray do in his situation? Surely that fiend had a way to survive this, hell he wouldn't be surprised if Ray killed this hooded bastard.
Sadly though Ray was not here, on the brighter side, he was here. In face he was the only person here against the hooded guy.
'If MC Ray can cook so can side character Ace-wait no Arion.'
With that thought, he shifted and let go of the stiff battle style of Brook and instead let his instincts and the faint pull of Voidflare guide him.
As he watched the man let the arrow loose, his mind became clearer, his body at ease and at the same time, at guard. Both of his hands held the sword tightly. The world suddenly felt slower and he could track the movements of the arrow.
He jumped to the side at the same time the man shot the arrow. By all logic and reason he should have dodged the arrow by a hair's breath but he didn't.
His jump was powerful enough to dodge the arrow and the arrow's direction while the man shot it was another reason the arrow shouldn't have been possible to hit him.
Yet, it changed its direction on its own and moved towards him in blinding speed. Bringing his trustful black sword up, he met the arrow with his sword. Their clash sent a shockwave through the hall which travelled even outside the spherical barrier.
Blue energy burst out from both the arrow and surprisingly from Voidflare. Arion knew his sword could absorb and use energy in a fight but the concept that it could possibly shoot beams of energy or something similar appeared only now.
However he didn't have time to dwell on it as another arrow was let loose by the man, forcing himself to move front and pushing himself to face the arrow, he withstood another shockwave when his sword clashed with the second arrow.
This time, he didn't let the shockwave to push him back instead he moved front and used the shockwave to burst himself front to face another arrow, this time though a sharp crimson red needle clashed into the down part of the tail of the bow disrupting the angle of its sharp head.
And yet, it moved and almost aligned its head to pierce Arion but was met instead with a beautiful black sword with faint energy surrounding it. Swatting the arrow down, Arion continued to move forward.
The next arrow came dangerously close but at the last moment, he shifted his whole weight sideways and dodged it.
This though made him leap in the direction he leaned to dodge the arrow.
Finally finding his footing, he was met with a problem. The unknown guy had launched another arrow which was dashing towards him at impossible speed but at the same time, the arrow he dodged turned and was now on its way to pierce him too.
He grit his teeth. It looked like the arrow would only stopped if they fell to the ground or crashed into anything to be clearer.
'Gods, I take it back. Only the main character can survive such atrocity.'
A quick plan formed in his head as he quickly brought the Voidflare up slashing the back of his right hand, just slightly but enough for blood to seep out.
Multiple blood needles shot at the arrow he had dodged half a second ago, and from the slash he gave himself, crimson red strings made of his blood shot out.
He was momentarily in disarray, his body reacting to the sudden blood loss but was quickly refilled by his Bonus.
He knew he couldn't bleed to death but knowing and actually experiencing the safety was two different things.
Still the feeling of blood loss was not good, at the very best-it was highly uncomfortable. Yet, it was worth it. He had taken care of both the arrow. One with the help of Blood needles and the other with the help of the blood that shot out of the slash in his arm.
The slash however was closing. Rebuild was doing its job well.
[Rebuild]
Allows the user's body to regenerate, gradually recovering from injuries.
His slash was closing but the blood was still floating above him acting like the sword dome except this one was more...possessive?
'Why can I sense so much hostile intent from it? Gods even I don't hate the Moon goddess this much.'
Launching himself front once again, he met another arrow with Voidflare and another was taken care by his blood floating above him.
'Ah, I should name this technique of mine after this.'
As he was heading more closer to his enemy, naturally it became harder for him to dodge the arrows which were already blindingly fast, now that he was himself rushing to the unknown guy with the speed provided by [Blessed] plus the fact that the arrows were shot closer to him than the previous second.
It was becoming impossible to dodge them.
Gritting his teeth, he slashed his sword at another arrow causing another shockwave, grimacing from the pain of the shockwave hitting his defenceless back for over the tenth time in this minute, he slashed his arm again to draw more blood outside.
There was now a handful blood floating above his head like a halo.
A perfect ring of blood hovered over his head, suspended in defiance of gravity. It didn't drip. It didn't fall. It simply existed—thin, precise, almost deliberate. The surface trembled faintly, as if alive, as if it could collapse at any moment… but never did.
Instead it only protected and attacked the others.
The red glow from it painted his face in something darker than shadow.
Arion jumped back panting, his shirt had long since been burnt unable to withstand the constant shockwaves. His black pants somehow held, even though they were burnt down to his knees, they held.
Blood shot from the halo as another arrow was pushed to the ground causing another shockwave, this one however was right below him. To the unknown man's suurprise, Arion stopped and jumped right when the shockwave pushed him off the ground and forced him into the air.
As his body flew up into the air, he saw the next change its trajectory towards his new position. He clicked his tongue, How did things turn out like this? He didn't know the shockwave would occur before it touched the ground, it seemed the halo above his head was more possessive than he thought.
Either ways, he was in the worst position, he was in the air, above any solid surface to help him push himself and didge himself. His attacks too would be much weaker as he didn't have a proper solid ground to put enough force behind his attack.
Taking a huge breath, he pierced his stomach with the Voidflare deep enough that the tip of the sword appeared from the other side. With the blood flowing out, he grit his teeth and let out a pained scream as he commanded the blood seeping out from the wound and more from inside to rush to his hands and form a bow.
Voidflare could have been dismissed but summoning it back would require at least a second and he didn't know if the energy he gave to his sword throughout the battle would be there when he summoned it again.
He didn't want to take a gamble. At the very least he won't die of blood loss and he could already feel blood returning to his body though albeit slowly due to the sword in his stomach. Though soon no blood was leaking out.
There was the Voidflare in his stomach, and around it all holes were closed by Rebuild.
Still, the bow was formed. It was crimson in colour, complete crimson, even the string was crimson. It glowed bright when he caught it.
Well, at least he replicated Ray's bow given in a complete different element and way. He summoned the Blood needle, this time the needle was larger, as big as an arrow.
It sucked more blood to be formed too, and as such his bonus had to work harder to refill his body, still the more blood it took to form the stronger it was.
Even though he stood on no solid surface, the arrow shot still rivalled the blue one.
Two arrows, one crimson red and the other blinding blue met causing another shockwave, Arion who was already in air was pushed more upwards as his back crashed into the upper barrier.
'Gods, have mercy on my back.'
The halo broke as it floated around his body ready to guard him, at the same time he summoned the Sword dome around him. But no arrow attacked him, bracing his legs for impact he grit his teeth and landed on the floor.
The pain was unimaginable but his bones did not break thankfully. Because of [Blessed] and again even if it did, [Rebuild] would take care of it sooner or later.
Right now however, he looked...good?
His black hair which was now long enough to reach his back neck, and below his ears from the side, his red eyes was now crimson and more darker and glowing. His pants were torn till his knees.
He was naked above waist, his toned muscles visible as there was nothing to hide them.
That was not mentioning the beautiful black sword with blue energy from its cracks resting in his pierced stomach. Around him the floating blood had returned to being a halo floating above his head.
And ten swords floating above him from all four sides, sharp parts of it facing outside while the hilt of the swords faced him. He looked like some lesser deity, like a proper Blessed.
"Interesting..." The man said. His voice holding a amused tone.
"What exactly is interesting." Arion asked as he grimaced pulling the long black sword out of his stomach.
Holding it in front of him, he saw the blood in the sword and the leaking blood merge with the halo on top. The wound began closing on itself with the help of [Rebuild].
"Which Blessed are you?...I....am curious." The man asked with his rusty voice, his red eyes shining with dark glee.
"Isn't it impolite to ask others name without introducing yourself first?" Arion asked however the chill running down his spine could not be ignored.
Arion felt his power increase the more he held the Voidflare, he suspected it was one of its abilities. To empower its user and itself with the energy it received from himself and the enemy.
"Ahhh..... I am not polite...Still...I don't remember asking your name."
Arion grit his teeth. 'Gods, oh wait they hate me...still, is he serious?'
"I meant it as a metaphor you idiot. Still maybe say something about yourself asshole!"
Arion suddenly paused. 'Wait what is a metaphor again? Damn I literally made an example of metaphor without knowing its meaning.'
There was no time to think about such things, still he thought and still, missed one thought. The main and the most important question.
Was the example even correct?
Pushing such thoughts back, he glared at the hooded man. As Arion felt the gaping hole close, he opened his mouth again.
"Who are you?" Arion asked.
"Ahhh, let me teach-you...some things. First do you know Blessed?" The man asked, Arion was silent for a long time then spoke.
"Well just what the public knows, extremely powerful and seen as the future gods." He said, as a rare moment, he watched in slight amusement and shock as the hooded figure nodded.
"Indeed...Blessed are blessed by gods, to finish a certain duty in life. They are...angels of gods who came down to fulfil the work of god."
Arion looked at him with surprise, then frowned. Blessed? But wasn't he hated? And hadn't he received his first Bonus before defying death? It was complicated.
"Wait, then what's my job?"
The man shook his head. "I don't know, according to..." He coughed violently clutching before he continued. "According to what I know, you don't know it. You will only know it at the moment of your death because you will finally see...the changes caused by you."
He coughed again, this time crimson liquid leaked from his mask.
"It...seems I can't stay for longer, ahhh...it's so hard...speaking for the first time after decades...is not exactly comfortable you know."
Arion's eye twitched as the swords around him stood still as if ready to strike, expecting a sudden attack, the halo above his head growing more crimson as was his bow becoming more crimson in colour.
"What now? Are you going to leave, without killing me?" Arion asked, his voice shaking as the blood bow turned into liquid blood merging with the halo of blood on top of its head.
"Ah, I am not here...to kill me, and again, I can't."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Young blessed, your father has returned and is outside the barrier waiting for any sign of danger to you and waiting to destroy the barrier." Again the guy coughed violently.
"Ah, you can tell me about yourself the next time but for now, hear this piece of advice."
Arion was suddenly more attentive than ever. "Just like Blessed, there are also...Cursed. Research on them but don't mention anything about it to anyone, it will get you killed at the very least."
"Remember, thirteenth...Blessed, Cursed..."
With that, a rift-black...portal appeared below the Unknown man's leg as he slowly fell in it, the barrier was suddenly no more.
The first thing everyone outside saw was a black rift in space disappearing as multiple swords pierced with along with crimson line of solid blood accompanied by a young teen slashing the empty air with a black long, curved sword with blue energy leaking outside it.
The figure of Arion looked...like a lesser deity.
And the whole fight between him and the Unknown guy lasted no less than two minutes.