Chapter 373: Path of Obsession

Prime Nexus now showed Axel his complete Nexus Panel on a mental command....

Name: Axel Nomrad

Age: 18

Species: (Half-Demon)

Primary Aspect: Runecaster

Secondary Aspect: Chaosblood (Active)

Seeker’s Path: Initial-2nd Phase

Core Saturation: 10%

Bloodline: Demon

Primary Stats -

Strength: 1700(2550)

Agility: 1700(2550)

Vitality: 1700(2550)

Stamina: 1700(2550)

Endurance: 1700(2550)

Mind: 1700(2550)

Mana Reserves: 1700>/1700(2550/2550)

Demonic Energy: 2000(3000)

Unallocated stats: 0

Titles>>

Demon of Obsession: When you work towards something that you are obsessed with, the world Will would be less inclined to work against you or restrict you.

(1) 1% + all stats when working for something you are obsessed with, while the Chaosblood aspect is inactive

(2) 10% + all stats when working for something you are obsessed with, while the Chaosblood aspect is active

(3) You can harness all of your accumulated Obsession to use it as a fuel to activate the transformation of the Demon of Eternal Obsession. All stats increased up to 150% and dramatically enhanced the current bloodline abilities by permanently burning through your obsessive emotions.

Absolute Runecaster: The Runic symbols themselves are innately subservient to your existence.

(1) Understanding of runes increased by 200%

(2) Proficiency in Rune Engraving by 200%

(3) Apollyon Ashborn 200% comprehension and 200% efficiency on all rune-related abilities and effects.

The Cursed One(non-aspectual)-(Locked): As the one who has defeated the blessed one of this world, and as the one destined to oppose all the favored ones of this world, you have earned this title from the world will.

Skills >>

Objective Obsession (Active): You can use extreme obsession to improve upon almost anything about yourself or any process or work by forcing the world to stop suppressing you on those factors for a brief period of time. It works by temporarily burning your emotions of obsession.

Emotional Sense (passive): Upon the activation of your second aspect, you have a vague surface-level emotional Sense of others.

Partial Demon Transformation(Active): As a half-demon, you can tap into a fragment of the true power of the demon bloodline. You can use all the chaosblood aspect-related titles and skills with great ease in this form. This form can only be maintained as long as you have Demonic Energy reserves.

Runic Swordsman (passive): You are highly adept and skilled with runic sword artefacts.

(1) 10% increase in attack power

(2) Sword Sense = you have an innate understanding of your own created Runic Swords.

Mutated Runic Eyes (passive): Your runic eyes have slightly mutated from their initial purpose.

(1) Increases your comprehension of rune-related activity by 300%.

(2) Increases your general comprehension by 200%.

(3) It can remain active even when using your second aspect, with less effectiveness.

Energy Sense(non-aspectual)-(passive): You can innately sense the energy of the world and connect to it, utilising it as an external sense within a 10-meter radius. You can also innately understand the flow of it. It is a non-aspectual skill. Skill mastery depends on its usage and practice.

(1) Mana Sense

The moment Axel embraced the complete demon transformation, the world changed in his eyes; more than that, he himself had changed - his mind, his body, and perhaps even his personality had shifted drastically into something severely insidious.

He had 300 unallocated stats and put them all into the Demonic Energy reserves stat. Increasing his stat from 1700 to 2000, and because of the 150% boost from the form of Demon of Obsession, that 2000 turned to 3000 stat points.

A crushing pressure spread all around; his unholy demonic energy tainted everything, corrupting all that it touched. It did not merely cause decay to the elements of reality that it touched. More than that, his energy now overflowed with the very concept of obsession.

Everything his obsession touched, it seemed to gain a will of its own. Going out of the world Will’s supervision. If the Eldarion continent were the whole computer, then the world Will would be like the admin with complete control over all processes and operations.

In that scenario, the demonic energy of Axel was like a corruptive virus, affecting any files and processes it touched, taking over the administrative authority regarding those particular procedures.

The form he now endowed was the very embodiment of all the dark and twisted obsession he held for Sophia brought out into reality. His demonic eyes gleamed with dark intensity, gazing at Sophia like a prized possession, a delicate dessert meant to be savored, a food meant to be devoured, a bird meant to be trapped.

He let out a maniacal demonic laughter, "Heeheehee... ahahahaha... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Pure terror was written all over Sophia’s face; that monstrous, deep, dark sound of his laughter sent a chill down her spine. She hurriedly stepped backwards, and the demonic energy spreading all around him created a massive crater in the surrounding area just from its sheer abominable power. She could instinctively feel it; that energy, it was dangerous.

The moment her killing intent touched that wretched power, she would lose control over that portion of her bloodlust. The demonic energy was more insidious than even her all-encompassing darkness. But that hardly mattered; the shock she felt at this moment was palpable.

At this moment, she felt betrayed on so many levels that she couldn’t even form proper words. She pursed her lips, her teeth dug into her lower lip, spilling fresh blood. Her expression cracked into a mix of shock, pain, and disappointment. She spoke with tears in her eyes, "Axel...."

"You...what have you done?????"

Axel took one step forward and answered, "What needs to be done to protect you, to protect us?"

Then, with no more delay, in his galloping form of a complete demon, wielding the concept of obsession, with a light push on the ground, he shot forward like a missile, effortlessly breaking the sound barrier and beyond, causing a sonic boom in the process.

KRAAAA-THOOOOOOOMMM!!!

Sophia could barely react to that sudden attack, not because she couldn’t, but more because she was emotionally broken in that moment, and Axel did not waste the opportunity. His fist slammed onto Sophia’s stomach like a speeding bullet train hitting a brick wall.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Sophia’s entire body convulsed in pain, her pupils widened from taking a direct open hit on the body, the sheer force of it sent her flying backwards more than 500 meters, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood in mid-air. Axel followed her like a predator locked onto their prey, not willing to allow her even a single moment to catch breath.

Sophia rolled on the ground continuously, it looked similar to a spinning pebble shot on still water. Axel appeared in her vision again, landing another powerful kick, pushing her back by almost another 500 meters of distance.

But this time, she was better prepared, as she had covered herself in a compact layer of darkness, softening the blow of the kick and the impact she received every time she hit the ground.

But the injuries she received from the two attacks were no joke, not because of the strength or speed displayed by Axel, but because of the demonic energy ravaging her insides, making her bleed internally, her organs threatened to shut down, going out of her control.

Using an immense amount of saint force, shaping them into tiny, cellular-level, sharp swords, attacking the remnants of the demonic energy, and only then did she finally feel everything come under her control.

With a pained grunt, blood all over her body, countless bones broken, having barely 30% of her energy reserves, she got up, more psychologically shaken than the physical injuries ever could. She looked slightly upward, her beautiful face, her divine figure, bathed in crimson moonlight, oozing with hatred.

The most tremendous hatred she had ever felt in her entire lifetime of more than 100,000 years. She spat with boundless fury, gazing directly in Axel’s demonic eyes,

"You were the one who was supposed to be on my side. You promised me, so many times, you said, that you would always be on my side, no matter what."

"The one I could trust with all of my heart. The only one who would always have my back, my trust, my heart. Even if I were the most vile being in existence."

"Was it...all a lie?"

Each word of Sophia felt like someone was tearing at his soul, driving an iron nail into an already existing bloody wound, not showing any trace of his boundless struggle, Axel could only offer his conflicted advice, "If that makes you feel better, to believe that I have betrayed you. Then I will gladly be the traitor in your eyes."

Sophia became even more enraged by that statement, manifesting two swords made of her darkness, she spat hatefully, "Don’t you fucking pretend like you’re doing this for me."

"You turned out to be the same as all of them. Maybe you also saw me as a monster. Just hiding the truth."

Axel also brought out his runic sword, etched with three pseudo-runes of Metal, Fire, and Strength, "Maybe you’re right. Maybe I did. Perhaps I was the same as all of them, just like you said, hiding the truth, to exploit you."

Sophia gritted her teeth, her hatred reaching its peak; her bloodlust became so intense that it transformed into a liquid form, coating both darkness-manifested swords on top of her. She attacked him without a shred of mercy, charging the attack upwards into the sky, "Saint Art, Crimson Sword Cascade."

Axel was also prepared for the incoming attack, sensing the severe danger it posed. A wave of blinding fire burst forth from his sword, melting the very particles of air. The sharpness of the sword reached the extreme; his body was filled with the strength of the beasts and the toughness of the adamantine metal, by the effects of the pseudo-runes.

Axel roared in response to the incoming calamitous attack, "Berserker Sword Art — Second Form, Rain of Demonic Flames."

Sophia’s figure spun like a tornado, both swords in her hands, cutting through the very air. Her all-encompassing darkness and liquified bloodlust mixed, forming something unknown and transcendentally powerful, beyond all common sense.

Tiny droplets of countless small mix of darkness and thick crimson killing intent shot upwards, until it became a literal stream ascending above like a reverse waterfall.

Axel’s dark red flame, powered by his demonic energy overflowing with the concept of obsession, spread through a large part of the skies as he made the motion of stabbing downwards. The demonic flames covering the skies started to drop like water. His imposing, sinister figure, with two bright red horns, hovered high in the sky.

While the bright red fire rained down from the crimson heavens, a waterfall of red and blackness ascended higher and higher, clashing with the raining down demonic flames. However, it all happened so quickly that it felt like nothing short of an apocalyptic world-ending event.

WOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM... BRRRRRAAAAUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

The world went black and white from the collision point of the two massive attacks, destroying everything within an area of almost 1 kilometer in all directions. When the world slowly regained its color. The devastation and dust cleared, Axel, using his eyes as a radar, detected Sophia’s energy signature.

Sophia had lost in this bout of exchange. Axel’s demonic energy was too powerful, too unholy in its nature. Making Sophia lose control of her fire attack in the middle.

Sophia’s beautiful white skin and divine face were burned completely; she looked like a human who had been rescued in the midst of being burned alive. The demonic energy, filled with obsession, continued to act like a virus even within her body.

But despite her precarious situation, she managed to muster a cynical smile. For some reason, the concept of obsession stopped working on her; the virus was unable to do its work any further, as if a counter was discovered.

Unlike her smiling face, her monstrous eyes flashed with murderous intent. She mentally commanded her Nexus Panel to appear, and she commanded that all the unallocated stats she had be put into her mana reserves.

Glazing over her stat panel, she spoke with a warning edge, "I’m done holding back."