Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

“Do you like it? I hope it's okay, I brought my house plant.” Mina commented with a grin. For Jiu Yuu Ying, everything fell into place, remembering how he found this intruder in the first place. Now the shadow knew why she had revealed herself...

The piercing roar of the beast was ear-shattering and forced the cat girl to cover her ears in pain. She had also squinched her eyes shut for just a moment. What she witnessed upon opening that reminded her of those stories Seth liked to tell sometimes about the universe and black holes.

All the darkness in the cavern that surrounded her, like a thick soup, was sucked into a single place, concentrating into a black matter. Where the darkness was peeled away, only light was left, turning the cavern into a brightly lit hall with a single black dot in the center.

The black sphere was like a hole in the fabric of reality. Then, flowing slowly like tar, it began taking a roughly human shape. Roughly human, meaning a tall, slender torso with a set of arms, legs, and a knob that could be called a head. Every part was angular and sharp like a crystal or a shard of broken glass.

A cold shiver ran down the assassin's back. There was no sign of light to be found, only pure, refined darkness. Now, even Mina believed it had rid itself of the disease, but the aura it was giving off was even worse.

<Ding! In the presence of Jiu Yuu Ying, all shadows bow in reverence. Any skill and spells of dark or shadow nature are weakened by 99%>

The creature she was facing was like the ruler of shadows, and Mina could feel her control of the element slipping away from her. Forget the power of her spells, she doubted she would be able to cast in its presence.

“I will rip you apart and devour your soul. Then I will take care of this weed,” it said, incensed. The voice sounded sharp and incredibly piercing. One moment it was still in the center of the cavern, the next moment it was already upon Mina, sharp claws like shards of black crystals descending upon her.

Ting! There was the sound of something breaking as <Last Straw> activated, negating the fatal attack. At that moment, Mina had been unable to react but was saved by the enchantment of her armor in the nick of time.

The sharp, black claws had been stopped right before her eyes. Mina was shocked, but instead of falling into a panic, her thoughts became clear, cold, and calculated. The mind of an assassin forged through hundreds of close encounters and near-death experiences.

Danger had become rare since she became a part of Minas Mar, but her instincts were never gone, only hibernating. Her eyes focused on the clear claw only inches away from her face, then her body moved, and muscle memory kicked in. Asclepius' Needle struck forward like an angry viper, striking the incredibly hard body of darkness.

“I see you have a body now, let's see how durable it is...” the cat assassin mumbled. At that moment, various auras began surrounding her body. She activated the blessings of Sekhmet and Menhit, which not only increased her attack power but gave all her attacks the plague effect.

Overshadowing both was the aura of primordial savagery and wrath as she activated the Blessing of Andras and <Primal Rage>. At the same time, her mind stayed cold and calculating thanks to the Blessing of Eligos and <Strategist's Mentality>. The ultimate combo for physical combat offered by her Couple of Darkness Set.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Even Jiu Yuu Ying halted when it felt the overwhelming demonic presence surrounding its prey. But Mina was not done yet, as a domain of dark twilight expanded from her. <Nyx> returned the darkness of night to the cavern.

“Haha, are you truly trying to fight me in the dark? This changes nothing,” the shadow creature mocked derisively. Of course, there was no point in blinding darkness itself with the twilight of night, but that was not the point. Jiu Yuu Ying attacked, but his target had vanished.

“It changes everything,” Mina whispered in its ear, before the Shard of Biting Ice painted a gleaming welt across the shoulder that looked like a hole in reality. The blade stayed imperceptible; the only evidence of the attack was the weld created by the blade.

In the night, or the domain of Nyx, the trait of the 'Nightwalker' allowed her to meld into the shadows. In this domain, with the addition of the Ring of Gygges, her presence became undetectable, as she could stay in stealth, even when attacking.

Ting! Ting! Ting! Jiu Yuu Ying was covered in attacks. Although they left little more than scratches, the beast's perception couldn't grasp the assassin hiding in the night. Mina had no chance in a direct confrontation, but she was not a warrior. She specialized in not facing opponents directly.

The version she had seen in the shadow realm already had such a high level that she was unable to see anything but its name. This thing was even stronger. Her only advantage before was that she was technically immune to attacks of darkness or shadows. Now the creature was attacking physically, and it was overwhelmingly better than her.

This was why she had to take advantage of its inexperience in physical combat and get in as much damage as possible. While her physical power was rising thanks to <Primal Rage> , she also used <Shadow Drain> to steal mana and stamina from the beast.

“Stop hiding!” the shadow man screeched in frustration. The shadow could only flail its claws aimlessly, unable to perceive or predict her attacks. Jiu Yuu Ying suddenly froze, as if hit by a stun. It was the same phenomenon as before when the clouds of shadows stopped churning.

<Ding! Elufsiv the Esurient is feasting on the target's Mana. Magic and Skills are blocked for 10 seconds.>

<Backstab>! <Fatal Hit!> <Ambush!> <Assassinate!> <Critical Hit!> <Death from Above>! <Death from Below>! <Executioner's Grace>! <Umbral Assault>! <Slaughter Stike>! <Cowardly Strike>! <Vital Pierce>! <Eclipse Edge>!---

<Cool Down Reset>!

<Backstab>! <Fatal Hit!> <Ambush!> <Assassinate!> <Critical Hit!> <Death from Above>! <Death from Below>! <Executioner's Grace>! <Umbral Assault>! <Slaughter Stike>! <Cowardly Strike>! <Vital Pierce>! <Eclipse Edge>!---

<Ding! Target has suffered Mental Disruption. Target had been stunned.>

Minas used the stunned state to continue layering heavy hits on the disabled foe, when she heard a notification she had only seen a couple of times in the past.

<Ding! target has drawn the attention of the <Offspring of Darkness>, Target was affected by Oizys of Pain and Distress.>

The <Offspring of Darkness> had triggered. Jiu Yuu Ying shivered, and it looked like a glitch in reality. The stun duration had run out, and Mina expected it to go on a rampage like earlier. Roaring and screaming, threatening and flailing, but it had become incredibly still.

Jiu Yuu Ying suddenly lifted its head, looking straight at her, and it felt like two searing hot fire-forks were driven into her skull. This was no longer the look of anger or superiority, but white-hot hatred felt by a creature that could bend the fringes of reality.

<Cursed Frost>!

Feeling a little panicked, she used the skill of her Shard of Biting Ice. The pure black creature was instantly encased in a sarcophagus of cursed ice, which would drain its vitality. For the fraction of a second, she hesitated, but ultimately dropped the idea of trying to kill it herself.

Up to this point, she thought she had a chance. That notion was gone. In that moment, she had felt like it could see her, and that was the moment she decided to opt out. Leaving Jiu Yuu Ying pinned like that, Mina used the chance to get out of there. Using <Invisibility>, <Intangibility>, and the <Fairy Step> of her boots, Mina fled the scene.