Requiem Of A Failed Hero

The beginning of time and the materialization of planes is unknown to many, especially residents of the Therut world. Earth however, has postulated several theories; the big bang theory, the creation of the world by a certain Supreme God who heralded and is the deity of religion whom many come to know as Christianity, some even believe that the world is a vast flow of events that are linked together and participate in one another, there is no first cause and no creation of the universe, the universe has no beginning neither an end.

But one thing you find in common in all of these is the great force that manages the flow of events, many believe in that force as a concept such as nirvana, and some deitify the concept and collect a god, Ao. Chronos? Odin? Whatever name was given, it was an acknowledgment of what they did not know but think they knew.

The COSMIC WHEEL, unknown to what form it takes or even if it has a consciousness, but from time has been a force that drives everything, from the primordials who were the first of all creations, to the celestials, the fiends, humans, and demihumans.

All of these creations are documented in the COSMIC WHEEL although many know not this fact.

The COSMIC WHEEL documents all things, move all things, monitors all things, and never intervenes. However, it is said that the beings that were privileged to be born earlier were able to rob from it. A great deal of power is able to affect the world on a destructive level.

The Primordials, The Celestials, and The Fiends have that power, something native to them that originated from their existential ties to the COSMIC WHEEL.

A power that none like it can ever be found in another being, always exclusive to that certain being, it can be mistaken as the awakening for humans but in no way is that. Even the demihumans who have amazing abilities are not it.

Raith’s mind in a blink faded, he couldn’t grasp his consciousness and all of his body just fell to the asura’s command, his neck slipped into the asura’s hand.

Whooom

The sound was like a vibrating wind but nothing could be seen, the asura pulled his hand away from Raith’s neck but Raith was still immobile, his feet above the ground and his body, as though it was being held together by some invisible force. His pupils had sunk out of his eyes the moment he couldn’t hold onto his consciousness.

His pitiful figure stayed there, glued to the hair.

The asura took a step back and spread his leg apart, forwarding his hands as if he wanted to shoot a fireball out of them.

WHAM!

WHAM!

WHAM!!

Faster than the eyes could follow the asura drilled holes into Raith’s body, so deep and wide that the other side could be seen through the several perforations that instantly and simultaneously appeared on his head.

[You have died]

[Level Up]

[You have gained 3 stat points]

[Due to the title, you will be revived]

[You have died]

[Level Up]

[You have gained 2 stat points]

[Due to the title, you will be revived]

[You have died]

[You have gained 1 stat point]

[Due to the title, you will be revived]

[You have died]

[You have gained 1 stat point] ．

[Due to the title, you will be revived]

Raith in that same spot continued to die and revive over and over again, every time his wound healed, the asura would immediately drill holes into him. It was fast and instant and all he needed to do was assume that stance and throw his hand forward like he was throwing a fireball.

Picking up from where we left off about this power, they are often called many names although popular among higher beings, but mostly are called arts.

Skills

Magic

Art

These are the three main fundamentals of the existence of power, compared to the completely automatic process of skill, art involves the activation through one’s capabilities, that is it has been honed over the years by the user itself.

Shimsedon art, the power to be able to weave away a selected space so fast that it is as if there was never a prompt action was the kind of power that the asura possessed, every time he weaved away the space that Raith’s body was occupying. It was impossible to weave away large space at his level and the fact that he could even do it was thanks to the other skills that he had; space and gravity related skills.

Because skills are very automatic they cause a kind of familiarity with the muscles’ action senses, to put it plainly: muscle memory. And that helps in trying to carry out the art themselves.

Their muscles movement and memory are used to the action prompt of warping space or enduring the effect of gravity magic space and with training can bear the use of their own arts. That is why Asuras are known for their dedication to rigorous training and depth in martial art, although this one didn’t fancy martial art because it originated from humans.

He was instead dedicated to honing the skill that makes him a celestial which was his unique art.

Every celestial would always be found with skills that go in line with their unique art, because of muscle memory, or else they will always suffer tremendous recoil every time they use the art.

Egard-Hearl’s Shimsedon art was still not even at its strongest because of the state of his body, he initially could weave out an entire planet from the solar system, that was how powerful he was and wasn’t even considered one of the strongest not like Cor-Ellion.

But he was strong enough to kill Raith over and over again with a single and forward arm swing.

Raith repeated death was at this point not yielding any result and it was hard to get a grip on his consciousness. But because of his ability to interfere with the system something changed. Although it took a few more death to realize it.

The Ruler’s authority gave one the ability to interfere with the system in various but limited ways. Right from time Raith has always been able to hear the system’s voice even when he was dead such that he could tell that something had happened when he gets revived.

But this time it was different, it was as if he was in a dark pit and the only thing staring at him to the face was the abyss’s words.

[You have died]

[You have gained 1 stat point]

[Due to the title, you will be revived]

Immediately his body swipes up like a soul going to ascension and his mind drifts back to reality. Unluckily for him, he goes through the same pain and dies instantly, then returns to the pit again.

[You have died]

Raith frowned immediately, ‘Could this be Darker than black?’

zzzimmmm

The System’s appearance speed suddenly slowed down and paused.

Raith’s eyes widened.

‘What is going on?’ He wondered and looked around him. He was glowing blue like a dead soul and was the only light in the palpable darkness that surrounded him.

He notes one important thing which is that all this change suddenly came to be because he immediately guesses where this could be the moment he died, he had prepared for it but didn’t know it was going to work. All he just wanted to do was figure out where he was.

He chose darker than Black because it was an attribute that evolved from the darkness beyond death. And that name just sits right with where he kept finding himself every time the asura; Egard-Hearl killed him.

He puts his hand beneath his chin and carefully entered a deep thought before deciding on his next action.

By now he knew that this was the Darker Than Black for sure, but it still amazed him that the attribute is not just some kind of status that boost his passive skills, it is where his soul lies every time he dies and he is currently able to interfere because of the evolution of his subclass: child of death and his ruler’s authority.

‘And so if this is Darker than Black, what else can I do in this place? It’s supposed to be a sought of my domain right?’

[Congratulations]

[You have figured out the partial use of the attribute DARKER THAN BLACK]

[Since you are blessed by darkness, this should be easy]

[Attribute: DARKER THAN BLACK]

– A sub-reality plane that can only be reached through death, you can manipulate death itself using this plane.

– Manipulation lv.1 can only be possible once you obtain one of the ruler’s authority.

– Manipulation level will rise once you grasp your ruler skill.

– More Features will be unlocked once you obtain more ruler titles.

[Manipulation Level 1]

– You can choose to revive at a different location, 100m around where you died.

– You can choose to resurrect as a shadow entity, your body will be materialized 30 seconds – 1 minute after your resurrection.

– You can choose to delay resurrection and stay dead for as long as you want.

A wry grin spread across Raith’s face.

‘Like this couldn’t get any easier…’