'Your definition of fun is really twisted. Unless you're a masochist, of course," Nyx groaned o him, her form spttered on the ground.

  Who's pining now? Leo rolled on his back, his chest still heaving. And I'm not a masochist, thank you very much. I simply think this was more fun than sughtering Voidlings who couldn't even fight back. That's all there is to it.

  'If you say so,' she muttered, and going by her tone, she definitely didn't believe him. 'At least it worked,' she added, slowly raising to her feet. 'Take a look.'

  Despite knowing he could just cheotifications to firm that, Leo grimaced and picked up his ag body off the ground. He stabilized his wobbly limbs and only then sed the area, now absent of any shadows.

  Would you look at that...

  While the scorched and disfigured ground still remained, almost everything else ged. The heavy air, filled with violet vapor, was gone, letting sunlight fill the ex-Wastend just like any other part of the city.

  As for the deep glowing fissures that once produced the dark mist?

  Leo easily spotted them all over the area, their sizes and positions untouched. However, just like with the vapor, their stant light was missing, devoured by Nyx and him. Now, they stood empty and ed by darkness, just like any normal, useless hole.

  Well, nothing we do about the destru. Besides, Vetilim will take over this pce soon anyeople will fet a Tainted Wastend was even here.

  "I doubt we could have dohis three days ago," Leo noted out loud. "I swear, Devour was like a minute away from shutting down. I guess at least now we know our limits..."

  'Indeed,' Nyx nodded, sitting dowo him. 'Rewards?'

  He shrugged. "Sure. No time to waste. We have a few more pces to visit before nighttime."

  As Leo said that, he summohe System's interface. Like expected, it prepared a few notifications for him, but nothing too overwhelming.

  Tainted Wasteroyed. Void's influen Earth weakened. Distributing bonus experiend rewards to all tributors.

  gratutions! As the main tributor towards the destru of a Tainted Wastend, you have been awarded 1000 Ether and a Rare quality on.

  Do you wish to deliver the item to your Soul Well or the real world?

  Huh, no level up. Leo frowned. Disappointing but not really surprising. Maybe if the Wastend was a bit stronger... Oh, whatever, a thousaher is still nice. And a on... Alright, give it to me then, System. Real world, please.

  Like any other time, golden light erupted on the ground before him. This time, while still prig at his eyes, he didn't have to shield them and just watched as the System fis delivery.

  What do we have here...

  In pce of the golden dome now y a on unlike any other. For one, simir to an item Leo once found, this ooo, was half transparent, filled with a bllow. Then there was its unique appearance made up of two short, single-edged bdes without handles, yet still ected together by a .

  "Okay, that's a first," he murmured, stepping closer to the item. "Spectral Inscription? Maybe... Identify."

  Oh...

  Install: Bdes of ed Inferno (Rare):An install-type item crafted by a skilled Soul Smith. Often used by the Narzak recruits. Grants the user the ability to summon -scythes into their hands. The s extend to a limited length. After initial bonding, this item will provide the user with basiowledge of how to wield it.Active: Ignition - el Esseo the on to ig with Blood Fire.

  "-scythes?" Leo furrowed his brow, searg his memories for a mention of such a on. "The hell is that? I mean, the description sounds nice, but a scythe? Really? It definitely doesn't look like one."

  Nyx hummed.'This might not be its true form. Only one way to really find out if you use it. Do you think your soul hahe additional strain?'

  He nodded right away. "Yeah. With the assion and all those levels, it shouldn't be a problem. If anything happens, I always remove it."

  'Well then,' the feliepped away. 'Go on. Try it. I will be right here.'

  Narrowing his eyes at her, Leo snorted and picked up the weird item. A new notification instantly appeared, asking a question he had seen only once before with Touch of age.

  Do you wish to Install Bdes of ed Inferno into your soul? Install-Type items be removed any time you want.

  Do it.

  The item in his grasp exploded into splinters of hard, transparent light. For a moment, they just floated above his hand, but then, all at ohey dived towards his chest, sinking into it within seds.

  Leo flinched as the item passed the mythical barrier between his body and soul. The phantom weight nded on his shoulders as it settled somewhere he Spark of The Void, but it was far from enough t him down.

  Alright, wasn't too bad. Still have a pce for a bit more. He o Nyx, and she sighed visibly. "I told you it will be fine. I know my limits. Well, most of them anyway."

  When the felihrew him a deadpan look, Leo just huffed and raised his arms. "Anyway... Bdes of ed Inferno."

  A spark of power escaped his soul as the install item activated, eg to his Essence. Crimson liquid escaped his wrists , flowing out like a waterfall. Yet, just before it could reach the ground, the fluid energy fred brightly, blinding everyone around.

  Leo blinked out the white spots in his visions as, at the same time, a flow of knowledge, maed in short pieemories, entered his mind. They all presehe same thing: simple examples of how to use the oing in his hands.

  Initial bonding of Bdes of ed Inferno pleted.

  Iing.

  He g the bck s, tipped with just as dark bdes, ing out of his wrists. Like one of the memories showed, he sent a simple and into the on, and at ohe s pulled back, sinking into his skin.

  Very iing.

  Grabbing a , he spun it as fast as he could at his side before releasing it towards a boulder a few feet away. The bde sailed forward as its reach extended and, with a power he didn't expect from such a on, sunk a good few inches into the rock.

  "Not bad. Could be useful against a group of weaker oppos or if I want to kill something fre without using Essence. For close quarters, though?" Leo shook his head. "No ce. It's too unwieldy. Maybe a master of those could do more, but somehow, I doubt it win against a normal on. What do you think?"

  Nyx shrugged as best as a feline could. 'I know even less about ons than you do. If that's what your opinion about them, who am I tue... Although, didn't you fet about that active ability?'

  Leo cursed a a spark of Esseo his hands. Weak fmes instantly erupted across the on, lig at the s and bdes. Some even touched his skin, but the burning never came.

  Built-iance... Damn, I wish I still had my minions. Could have tested this on them.

  Letting out a heavy sigh, he dismissed the -scythes. Like he told Nyx, he could use them, but only in some particur sarios. An item like that could never bee his primary on.

  Maybe if the bdes had handles. He mused, picturing the adjustments in his head. Yeah, much better. Still a bit useless, sidering I have a better alternative... Though, I wonder what Blood Fire exactly means.

  With a shake of his head, Leo pushed this subject away for ter. A neon was really the st of his worries. He could work out its uses as he went. o sacrifice more time for it than necessary.

  "Not a bad m to start with," he summed up, turning to Nyx. "So, what do you want to do ? Ants and a bit of butchering or some information gathering? Your choice."

  The feliilted her head. 'Isn't the Soulli closer? I thought we would stop there on the way to the Ameists.'

  "We do that," Leo nodded. "But no, the church isn't on the way to the old trainyard. Check my memories if you want. Here, I even got one for you."

  Nyx blinked, her eyes gzing over for a short moment. 'Hmm, I suppose you're right. Let's get what you need from the Ameists first, then. We don't know how long it will take to search the tunnels.'

  "Now that I'm not scared to use Hunter's Pulse?" He said as they slowly left the sed Wastend behind. "An hour at most."

  'We will see about that,' she huffed and shot past him. 'Race you there!'

  Leo chuckled.

  Cheeky cat.

  Chaos65