Chapter 365 - The Power of Bonds (Patreon)

After passing through a dark corridor, Solany was leaning her back on a wall while being out of breath. She had been running excessively. The place was some sort of old manor in a building style she had never seen before but that wasn't the problem, the problem was something else.

She gingerly moved her head past the corner, to see if he was following. Her heart was racing and she was sweating bullets. There was a bleeding wound on her back. When she saw nothing in the hall, she sighed a breath of relief and tried to look for an exit.

Her heart jumped in her chest while she shrieked. There was a man in front of her.

A burned man with a disfigured face, wearing a red-and-green-striped sweater and brown fedora. On his right hand, was a metal claw with knives for fingers.

This man was a living nightmare.

“Come to Freddy.”

She got slashed. The pain was very… biting. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first and it wouldn't be the last.

Solany woke up screaming, this time she was in a cabin in the woods.

Every time she got killed, she was sent somewhere else. Every time she did, her mind teetered ever closer to oblivion.

If this keeps up, I’ll die for real… I have to get out of this place!

Solany cursed her foolishness which landed her in this cursed realm in the first place.

Avel and Marvin were fighting and Marvin had the upper hand. As Avel kept losing ground, his mental defenses would weaken. Solany took the opportunity when it presented itself to dive into Avel’s protected psyche. Her intuition told her there was more to this Avel than meets the eye.

After infiltrating the mind defenses that were akin to a fortress, Solany thought she had finally arrived at the inner sanctum, the place where she could extract all secrets, where all a person’s being was laid bare. She thought she would find a treasure here.

Instead, she found herself floating in a jet-black darkness.

“Welcome~”

The voice came as if whispered next to her ears.

Oh no! This is a trap!

“What a rare guest. The first ever to come here, in fact. Please, enjoy my utmost hospitality,” the voice of Avel resounded.

The next thing she knew, she was placed in an enclosed mini-realm where a hunter was searching for her.

Such as the burned knives-hand earlier, or the man who menacingly stood at the door now. This person was wearing a hockey mask and had a hatchet.

“AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!”

Solany ran for her life.

If this was the real world, Solany wouldn't be afraid of the man. She was a Pathseeker. Even though fighting wasn't her forte, she was still a Level 3 that no ordinary man could defeat.

However, in this place, she was unable to do all that. Her physical prowess was that of an ordinary person’s.

Therefore, like before, Jason made short work of her.

Solany woke up again, in a different setting, a different scenario, facing a different hunter.

She had faced a bloodsucking count, a creature created by Victor Frankenstein, a raven-haired woman whose hair covered her entire face, a robed man with a ghost mask, a red-haired murderous doll, an unsettling clown, a chainsaw man, a werewolf, and many many more monstrosities.

Each encounter with them left a scar on Solany's psyche. If she wasn't an exceptional mind Pathseeker she would have lost her mind already. Then again, if she wasn't an exceptional mind Pathseeker, she couldn't have entered this place. Therefore she was a victim of her own excellence.

Solany wondered what kind of sadistic man would harbor such inhuman beings inside his head.

That kind of man most definitely wasn't sane; his mind was littered with the stuff of nightmares.

And she was swimming in it.

***

Two men, with different personalities, clashed like oil and water.

Meanwhile, they too each used oil and water, further emphasizing their incompatibility with one another.

They currently had a punching match, Marvin who was brought to this battlefield naked, had now used his oil ability to make a waistcloth and covered his privates.

The surprise effect of the ambush had begun to fade from Marvin and he began to fight better.

“Guhh…”

Viers got hit.

“Guess I truly can't match you in output,” Viers wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

On the other hand, any damage he dealt to Marvin was negated by the tattoo-like markings on his body. Some had disappeared, thanks to the ambush and follow-ups. However, Viers still had to injure Marvin a lot more before he started taking damage.

The privilege of this wealthy kid was insanely high. The tattoo magical protection would bankrupt a baron or two but Duke Lucan gave it to Marvin free of charge.

“You can't match me in anything! Arte - Peak Oil!”

Marvin slammed the ground, creating cracks all over. From those cracks golden oil gushed forth, transforming the terrain. Giving an oil user like him a boost of power.

“My oil defeats both your water and lightning!”

Viers moved upwards so he wouldn't get drenched in oil by going upwards, stepping on platforms of solid water he created. He also must deal with a powered-up version of Marvin’s Golden Armament Arte.

Since Futon was away, dealing with the extra that Marvin created, Viers hadn't actually used lightning but Marvin still thought he was a water-lightning Pathseeker. Viers didn't blame him; he didn't show any soul abilities either.

Not that could be perceived anyway.

Using his sharp eyes and soul sense, he was able to prevent Marvin from landing a clean hit despite the other having more power and speed.

Futon and Faiya were coming to assist him after defeating their respective opponent but Marvin opened a block that suddenly appeared on his palm. From it, three lesser dragons appeared. These ones were at the peak of Rank 3.

Viers couldn't afford to deal with them along with Marvin so he bound Marvin with a whip of water and dragged him away, leaving his two familiars to deal with Marvin’s familiars. It was two against three, but with those two elemental combinations, it should be winnable.

He had to keep Dia on reserve.

“Lesser dragons, not a true dragon like Croix’s. Obsessed with dragons cause you failed to hatch your bonded egg? Trying to obtain some sort of eligibility? That’s just sad, man.”

“Silence! How dare you look down on me!”

They both traded blows. The fact he was not crushing Fatty with impunity despite being stronger rubbed Marvin the wrong way, making him increasingly angry. Meanwhile, Viers analyzed the situation.

Even though he had deprived Marvin of most of his magical tools, Viers didn't know the extent of his capability or what relics he might throw at Viers. Such as the Divine Weapon; whether the Dark Moon Greatsword was currently in his possession or not was uncertain.

That was why Dia was in reserve, to deal with something of that caliber. She was the only one who could. He didn't count the recently recovered Clarissa as an asset. Viers also had Arsène ready as the second safety net. In case of something happening, his reviveable body-double would tank it.

“I’ve had enough of this farce! This ends now! Starfang, consume them!!”

“Here it comes! Dia!”

Viers was ready for the sword. That sword would have cut through all of his defenses. Dia’s foremost concern was to contain that thing; Viers’ instruction was crystal clear.

The materialized sword pulsed terrifyingly. Viers hallucinated that he was looked down on by a void wolf as big as the sky. He was shaken off from that vision when the whole Biome seemed to be coming alive, power was flooding everywhere, rising from the ground. Gigantic roots and vines entangled the broadsword and wrestled it from Marvin’s hands.

“What!?”

Marvin did try to resist but the adversary had proven too strong. He thought a Level 5 was interfering, which wasn't that far off. Dia in her Biome could go toe-to-toe with one for a time. She was not as strong as the divine tier but as a Biome Master in the Biome, she could do extraordinary things.

The surge of energy from the Divine Weapon that carried the power above that of Level 5’s spread throughout the earth, diffusing the destructive potential. Hundreds of meters away, a giant sunflower burst from the inside. Many areas in the pocket dimension experienced similar devastating events. This hurt the Biome but it was a price they prepared to pay.

With his Spear of Leonidas still undergoing upgrades from Izabella, Viers wasn't so eager to cross blades with a Divine Weapon.

Starfang was now covered with plant tendrils. Marvin tried to take it back but Viers blocked his way, kicking him away from that dangerous weapon.

“No more fancy sword from you!” Viers enacted an overhead water slash. The blade of water was inches away from Marvin’s head. After activating the Divine Weapon, even someone like Marvin was exhausted and presented an opening. His shield activation was slower than before.

“Insolence!”

A shockwave spread out from Marvin, Viers felt it passing him by. His water sword was unable to cut Marvin because it fell apart like normal water.

An object resembling an armillary sphere with rings of light floated a few inches above Marvin’s left hand.

“It’s over!”

On his right, he got a golden mace that he swung on Viers. Viers tried to conjure a shield, but something was interfering. The Arte failed to appear and Viers got a broken arm as a result.

“...A jamming artifact.”

“Heh,” Marvin smiled smugly. “Except me, no other person can use Victa in front of me. This is the power of the Ruler’s Globe! In this area, I alone reign supreme!”

Like he said, Viers had trouble using his Victa. That meant no attack, defense, or speed Artes. Only his Unreality Field was somewhat usable. Since the other party couldn't surpass Marvin’s speed, the fate of those subject to the Ruler’s Globe was almost certainly death.

“Come to me, Futon!”

Futon flew to Viers and Clarissa flew away from Viers. Viers needed the cloud elemental so Clarissa understood her role. She had to deal with the lesser dragons with Faiya. Viers didn't want to overtax the recovering soul against a strong opponent like Marvin but tag-teaming Rank 3s with Faiya should be just a light exercise.

The cloud elemental seemingly dived into Viers’ chest and disappeared. Marvin didn't know what that was all about but he didn't care and brandished his mace again.

There was a flicker of lightning and Marvin hit the air.

“What sorcery is this!?”

“The power of bonds,” Viers replied serenely. The lightning he shot out from his palm was anything but. “Look upon it and be in awe of its greatness!”

Marvin’s ability jamming item was specifically tailored towards humans because only humans of all the myriad races utilized Victa for their Artes.

Viers could use lightning because it wasn't actually his lightning but Futon’s.

Viers only directed it.

In Valkut, Viers witnessed and experienced the Silver Legion’s Army of One where multiple users shared their power with each other.

Viers replicated that technique with limited success. He could only do it with Futon and Faiya, beings that originated from his soul. Dia sulked for a few days when she found out she couldn't.

Viers called this Arte—Stand By Me.