“He's alive.” Snowstorm confirms, one hand resting delicately against Darkness' neck. “But his heartbeat is slow. Whatever they stabbed into him put him to sleep.”

  “Who?” is all I need to ask. I turn my head to Evelyn. My expression must have scared her, because she yelps and jumps back. “Who?” I repeat.

  “C-commander Jensen! He was the one to capture him, remember?” Slowly she inches closer to me. Her eyes are worried, but cautious. “Abhor, are you…”

  “No, I'm not ok.” I interrupt her. I must look like an entirely different person to her. The lab coat I stole is almost entirely dark red now. I just rip it off and toss it to the side, not bothering to replace it with a new shirt.

  “Where does the Commander live?” I ask her.

  “Are you going to kill him?” She asks hesitantly.

  “No. I'm going to rip off his limbs and leave him to bleed out on his own.” I say coldly. Despite my overwhelming emotion, I feel a certain calm coming over me. Earlier, something else took control, when I lost myself in anger. Now, I'm thinking clearly. And one thought is in my head. “Now answer me.”

  “H-he lives on one of the 5 smaller mansions in the sky, approximately 2 miles up and to the east.” She hesitantly tells me.

  “Too bad for him I can fly.”

  Demishift

  “Get on my back.” I say, lowering myself down for her. The illusion is gone now. Snowstorm doesn't argue anything. He's mad too. I know it.

  Evelyn hesitates the same way she did when she first climb on. For a moment I feel worried. Did I harm our friendship over this? then I discard the thought.

  “Snowstorm, try to get him out of town. If he wakes up, explain the situation.” Then illusion mana coats my body, and I vanish into thin air.

  <{(0)}>

  Watching Abhor go I can't help but feel a sense of deep worry. His illusion mana even tricks my heat sense, which is impressive. However, is affinity to dark mana and time mana are clearly a step above. Speaking of the dark, Darkness is not conscious. Luckily there were no bindings on him at the moment, and my strength lets me lift him up over my back relatively easily. Carrying him out stealthily is the problem, but nothing a little illusion mana can't fix. I don't have the skill yet, but my knowledge affinity lets me use its branch affinities relatively easily. Knowledge affinity has mind, soul, illusion, and far more types within itself. It's known as one of the fundamental affinities, yet also one of the hardest to learn.

  Casting illusion mana over my own white frame as well ad Darkness' black one, I carry him towards the exit. Unfortunately, a few guards try to stand in my way, but they are only mid tier 2. Nothing an ice spear or 2 cant fix.

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level 50 -> 53}

  The levels don't help much at the moment but they are appreciated for sure. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about killing other sentient beings, however. On the one claw, it feels wrong to kill people who can think, love, and do good. On the other claw… Darkness and Smokewind. They killed Smokewind and left her corpse there to rot. They tortured and experimented on Darkness to the point I doubt he's the same dragon anymore.

  Then,

  BOOM!

  An explosion of both dark and metal mana from a powerful collision of forces up above. The dark mana was clearly Abhor, and clearly attack oriented. The Metal mana was likely the Commander, and defensive. The commander… he will die. Thinking that, I can't help but smile as humanoids scream and run in all directions.

  <{(0)}>

  We land on a large patch of grass in front of the mansion. The mansion itself was exactly how you would picture some pompous rich dickwad lived, able to look down on his civilians and laugh. The only building larger than this one was a literal castle a few miles higher, looking like a fusion between a medieval fortress and a power plant.

  This mansion, however, had a scent I recognized. The commander's scent. I grin. All across the grass were guards in MECHA suits. It's been a while since I've seen these things, and I recognize 1 in particular. Little springy legs. Time for a rematch.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  I set Evelyn down.

  “Stay here.” I tell her. “I don't want you caught in the crossfire.” She just nods and waits outside the gate.

  Demishift

  A demidragon with a trident waltzes right into the mansion. One mecha steps forward.

  “Halt, creature. You are tresspa-” It doesn't get further before the entire thing is caved in by a light stab. I barely put any force into it. Well, barely any relative force. I was rending these weaker models with a strength of 20. With a strength of 150, it's like hitting a sand castle.

  {Level up}

  {Level 50 -> 51}

  I was wondering when I would get a level. Just reaching level 50 clearly increased the experience requirement a lot.

  Immediately, the other mech suits get into battle positions. Then old springy shoots towards me at sonic speeds.

  Eternal pierce

  I pierce clean through it. I hear a scream of pain from the inside. I let the MECHA fall, then turn to the rest and grin.

  “Who's next?” Slowly I walk forward.

  “I am, abomination.” Comes a voice from behind the MECHA's. A figure I recognize.

  “Commander Jensen, so nice of you to join the party.” I grin wickedly. “You're the one I'm here for.”

  “You must be that lowly purple dragon from the mountain we raided. A shame you didn't die.” He frowns. “Let's change that, shall we?”

  “I'm going to enjoy this.” I growl out. Then I fall into my own shadow. Out I pop of his shadow, My trident cocked back for the strongest thrust I have ever thrown. The commander whips around, going from smug to shocked in an instant. He's tier 3, I can see now, but his speed is clearly lagging behind.

  Eternal Pierce

  I thrust forward with everything I have. For but a moment a trillion spears smash into the man, before all but one disappeared. Maximum damage. The commander’s skin transmutes into metal, but it matters not. over 10 million newtons of force slam into the man at over a thousand miles an hour. The explosion puts a hole through the entire mansion.

  BOOM!

  The commander is launched miles away off the platform, smashing into a distant mountain. The mountain now finds itself with a brand new crater in it.

  I dig my foot into the ground and energy explodes out. I shoot forward at top speed towards the mountain. The man was still getting his bearings when I descended upon him. He never had a chance.

  A trident impales him straight through his armor. I Look into his eyes. No smile is on my face anymore. I glare at him.

  “Nobody touches my family.” I growl out at him. “This is my revenge.”

  “go… fu-” The commander’s eyes go blank, and he slumps to the ground.

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level up}

  {Level 51 -> 57}

  I stare down at the corpse in front of me. At one point I remember someone telling me that revenge leaves one feeling empty. Those people are idiots. I feel amazing.

  Then, in the far distance, far far away in the mansion, I hear a woman scream. I freeze. Normally I would have ignored a human scream. But I know that sound. The crater gets deeper as I blast off at full speed toward the floating mansion. It takes less than 5 seconds to make it there.

  The mansion has already collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but rubble and crushed remains. However, at the top of the rubble is a man. A huge man. Measuring at 2 meters tall at least, with muscles on muscles, short black hair cut as if he were a soldier. 2 deep black eyes on a sharp face covered with scars. On his body, metallic futuristic armor with gold veins running through it.

  “So you did this.” The man says cooly, looking down at me. He hovers a few meters off the ground casually.

  “Tier 4…” I mutter to myself. This man in danger. If I fight him, I don't think I can win. What's that in his hand?

  In his hand is a round shape, dripping with a red substance… No.

  “I'm afraid you will have to die, just like this traitor.” He drops the object on the ground. It rolls up to my leg. I look down at it. Evelyn's decapitated head looks back up at me.

  Thump-thump

  “You…”Tears begin to run down my cheeks. My eyes have gone bloodshot.

  {Skill:[Locked] is attempting to unseal itself.}

  “Ill…” I begin to pant. My mana begins to pour out of myself, letting the world be flooded in darkness.

  Thump-thump.

  {Unsealing failed.}

  {Skill:[Locked] is attempting to unseal itself.}

  “ILL KILL YOU!” I roar, leaping forward faster than I ever have before. In one hand my trident blazes with black energy, and in my other, my mana claws form.

  <{(0)}>

  What is happening up there? I have no idea. Far above, the entire floating island up above has been shrouded in darkness. I rest at the bottom of a mountain, in my human form resting against the side of an unconscious Darkness. I couldn't be of use to this fight. I would just get in his way. I've only ever seen him so angry when these same people raided our home and killed Smokewind. I didn’t understand it then, but now, after feeling it, I understand it. I want to be up there, fighting too, but something tells me that the commander is dead already.

  Whoever Abhor is fighting, they’re stronger. I can feel it for certain. I can feel my instincts too. They tell me to run. That I'm in the territory of an apex predator, and that it's hunting me down.

  “Abhor…” I mutter, looking up at the cloud of darkness.

  “Win.”

  <{(0)}>

  {Skill unseal failed. Skill seal increased.}

  The heartbeat in my mind vanishes as I lunge at him. The trident makes contact with a blade. 2 blades shot out of his arm, one on each arm. My other arm shoots forward, aiming to gut him. He catches the arm in his hand, then squeezes. A sickening crack signals the breaking of my arm. I howl in pain, jumping back. I fall into my shadow, longing out of his, the same trick as with the Commander, but it doesn't work against this superhuman. The man whips his arm around, rending into my skin and scales. I cough blood. My blood has taken on a barely noticeable purple tint. I ignore it, focused on more important things.

  I attempt to stab again, but am thwarted by yet another block. The man swings, landing a blow in the center of my chest. I hear the cracking of my ribs and feel the explosion of basically every vital organ in my chest as I cough blood. The blow launches me away with more force than against commander Jensen. In less then a second I slam into a mountain.

  {Warning: User in critical state. Health:7%}

  I try to get to my feet but a powerful hand closes around my neck, lifting me into the air and beginning to squeeze.

  “You were the one who killed my Commanders?” The man sneers. “Pathetic. The man deserved to die after being slain by a mere tier 2 pile of trash.”

  “Bastard…” I manage to gasp out, glaring at him as slowly my neck is crushed.

  “Let my name be the last thing you hear.” The man grins. “I am Grand General Brennen. The true ruler of the United planes of Camica.” And with that…

  CRACK!

  {You have died.}