Pain exploded all over his body, soul, and mind. A fire spread everywhere, burning through his muscles, Essence, and even thoughts. Nothing remained safe as the System's power cimed his entire being, twisting and shaping it into something more.

  The disfort in his soul settled first, the average pool of Essence previously avaible to him expanding inte ke. It might have been almost empty due to what had happeoday, but that would ge soon. Now, only the power in his grasp and its potential mattered.

  The mind was the sed to vanish the fmes of despair. His thoughts were once more his own, ae more pain still ing, Leo cimed the driver's seat again. Uhe soul, his mind didn't ge. Yet he instantly khat even with his Essence reserves growing much stronger, he could still trol them.

  At st, his body also began to rex, the burning pain fading into an annoying ache. Evehe process still took more time than any other. His senses returo the new normal first, the stant blurriness disappearing from his vision. Just a moment ter, his muscles also started listening to his ands, this time without the screaming.

  Fug hell. Leo cleared his throat, trying to get his motor funs under trol. Never again. This was way too much power at onot that I pin.

  He really couldn't. Already, as he gazed upon the world around him, it seemed so much different than just a few minutes ago. Just by gng at a simple cra a wall, he could list every siail about it. Hell, with his night vision, he even saw a bit of what was i.

  Simir stuff happeo all his other senses, or at least those he could test at the moment. The sheer amount of information they now provided almost overwhelmed him, yet somehow, his mind processed it all. Maybe there was more to that attribute than just Essence trol.

  Alright. Notifications. I know you are there, so e. Better deal with yht away.

  gratution! Your Vision asded past the Mortal Tier (50). Fourth Supernatural tier obtained.

  Thanks to your Vision asding to the Supernatural Tier, your Voidborn iance is now fully active. From now on, your body passively detects Void Essend absorbs it if possible. Your strength will now grow at all times, slowly bringing you closer to the level.

  This is it. Just like Huold me, it finally happened. Not that Leo had any idea how effective the passive growth was. He didn't really feel like he was abs anything, and any attempt at sensing this process failed.

  Must be because I'm tired and my reserves are dry as hell. At least I hope so. He cluded, putting the issue away for ter. As long as it made him stronger over time, he didn't o know how it worked. Let's see... Still a few more to gh.

  gratution! Yht asded past the Mortal Tier (50). Fifth Supernatural tier obtained.

  There were no fanfares or special abilities for asding Might, only a simple notification. A bit of disappoi stirred within him, but Leo quickly squashed it. sidering how shit the day was, he should be grateful that he survived.

  Still w on that. He sighed, letting the final notification appear.

  Due to achieving the first assion with all your attributes, a special title has been granted.

  Perfect Bance:A special title awarded to all those who reached full first assion without advang to the ier before doing so. May your pilrs always remain in bance.Effects:All Effectiveness: +5%. Hostile Identify will fail if the enemy hasn't asded to the Supernatural Tier at least once.

  Title Perfect Bance assimited into Nikra's Legacy. Effects bined.

  Huh. Leo blinked a few times, making sure his improved vision wasn't pying jokes on him. ill the same... Guess my issue with Identify solved itself. Nice.

  With that, the st notification faded aushing him bato the real world. A world that had already taken so much from him. A world that would keep taking as long as he let it. No more.

  I will be better. He shut his eyes, familiar faces fshing in his mind. For Nick. For Ava. For Adam. For myself... Adapt or die again.

  Not moving from his spot on Nyx's back, he cleared his head, letting his body rex. If the feline minded, she didn't show it and just trotted onward, still keeping him safe with her tails. Maybe she knew he his moment; maybe she didn't.

  Leo was grateful anyway.

  Yet as time passed and the sun almost vanished behind the horizon, Nyx finally spoke up. 'We are close now. Do you want to...'

  He slipped off her back, shaking his head. "Nah... I o rest, maybe up a bit. They wait until tomorrow." He patted her side. "e o's find a pce to sleep nearby."

  "A bit rge, but I'm not pining," Leo mused, sweeping his gaze across the hall they had just entered. Like the few warehouses in the area, somehow, this building also withstood the trial of the Void. At least it did oside; the inside was a pletely different case.

  While usually every building just had some of Vetilim ing its interior, this pce took it to another level. Huge maes that once were part of a produ line y in pieces, the Void's living matter entering them through every hole and crack. As a result, this entire pce ged into some kind of a grotesque sculpture exhibition.

  As long as they don't wake up to attack us, we're good. I've seen scarier shit. Leed, turning away from the maes. He headed for the oy er and dropped o Nyx.

  "Still 't believe those fuckers just ran out when they saw us," he said. "I get being scared of us and not attag. But giving up their hideout? Really?"

  The feline harrumphed, switg to lie on her side. 'Good for them. Killing them might not help us anymore, but I won't say no to a free meal.'

  Of course, you wouldn't. Leo rolled his eyes, leaning against a wall. "Say... Could you show me what happened when I... you know?"

  'Went on a rampage?' Nyx asked, and he nodded. 'I , but are you sure it's a good idea? Don't you want tet about that?'

  A heavy sigh left his lips. "If I want to move on, I o face it first... Besides, I want to know how I eveed so many Nightmares. I'm so much stronger now, and I still doubt I do it again. Not without Ruthless Efficy."

  She slumped. 'As you wish. Whenever you're ready.'

  Leo took a deep breath and nodded. "Do it."

  At once, his world shifted, colors ging until they settled on an image he remembered well.

  The front of ReachHope's building, with Nightmares and other Voidlings surrounding it from each side.

  For now, it still stood strong, yet that quickly ged when the memory began. Tendrils of shadows burst out of every single wall, transf them into slices of Swiss cheese. A wave of pained howls followed right after, their source obvious as the building slowly colpsed.

  Some Nightmares mao escape the ruins, while others didn't have as much luck after aendril tched onto them. Finally, the colpse ended, silening the area as both Nyx and all the Voidlings watched the dust settle.

  The break didn't st long.

  A memory of Leo dashed out of the dark cloud, most of his body covered in shadows. With his appearahe Voidlings moved into a, but some were too slow to react.

  The bloodlust-driven Leo pounced onto them and cut their bodies into pieces as the shadows copied his every move. His sheer speed and amount of trolled affinity should have been impossible, a Nyx saw it all.

  On and on it went, as memory-Leo prowled among the Nightmares with a ferocity unmatched by any other Voidling. With each sed, more and more shadows stuck to his body, creating an armor that slowly made him rger than a on the field.

  heless, oftentimes, a Nightmare mao get past his defenses and rip a k of flesh and blood out of him. The shadow-cd Leo didn't seem to care and tio fight like a berserker, regaining what he lost with each kill.

  It reached a point where Scouters' air bullets did nothing to the dark armor, and they had to join Collectors on the front. A wrong choiake as the moment they got close to him, shadow tendrils burst out of his back, killing and dev the Nightmares on the spot.

  How did those things have enough power to do that with a siack? He didn't know, but he wao find out. Soon.

  When it became apparent there could be only one winner in this fight, the memory cut out, flinging Leo back to reality.

  He winced, massaging his head.

  "What the hell was that?"

  SpoilerEarly chapter today!

  Read 20 chapters ahead of RR now.

  Slowly getting closer to 4 chapters per week:

  48/125 Active Patreons

  Discord: Land of Chaos

  [colpse]