Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Skullius had a bad feeling as soon as the card manifested in Stylla's hand. r

He knew he wasn't some expert at creatures of the so-called Null Verse, as the guidance field denoted, but his instincts warned him against what was about to happen.r

What did this regal creature mean that Null Life was wasted on him?r

Strangely, when the Null Devil King said this, even though he remained nonchalant in visage, his tone carried hints of a grudge, as if he was furious... with Skullius.r

But how could that be?r

The Hybrid Luman had never met the damn thing?!r

In any case, Skullius felt that letting whatever was happening to Stylla continue was going to lead to something horrible.r

Therefore...r

With a thought and slight employment of mana, the Bashful Abomination appeared in Skullius' hand.r

The Null Devil King narrowed its tenebrous eyes at Skullius, and glanced at the chipped zhanmadao.r

Immediately, a daunting force hurled against the Null Devil King like an insidious, unseen sword striking from above!r

It cut from the creature's crown... but failed to even pierce the upper rim of the golden construct before fizzing out like a candlewick!r

The Bashful Abomination's basic trait did not work.r

~~~r

[Bashful Abomination]r

<Pseudo-Mythical>r

A sword carved deep in the depths of ambitious soils to aid in the growth of a newly risen General. Its origin and birthplace as well as the time it spent there gave the weapon a unique trait where anyone but its chosen master will be fatally wounded if they gaze upon it.r

...r

~~~r

Skullius' face hardened a little and he heard the Bashful Abomination mutter muffled curses.r

"Oh..." the Null Devil King voiced, if not intrigued, then somewhat surprised by the failed attack.r

At the same time, Gillewart whom the creature had ignored underwent a surprising transformation.r

His body became wreathed in an incandescent flame that burned from his unveiled 'eye', the collection of searing flame into a miniature sphere that produced a horrendously powerful presence.r

In half a breath, the restored Bryne Family mansion was lit up by the fiendish light that exploded from Gillewart's new form... and also began to burn from the blazing heat.r

Strangely, the mansion held.r

A soft blue glow still kept the house intact.r

Skullius cursed after sensing the explosion of power way beyond his league as well as the flame but found that he, Stylla and Silrat were still under the protection of the sunlight that had been cast from the sun earlier!r

But this didn't give him much assurance.r

In as much as Gillewart felt like something outside the realm of normalcy, with his bright, orange body that barely had a human outline, Skullius was sure their enemy was far stronger than that.r

After all, even now, the Null Devil King showed no interest in Gillewart's terrifying power.r

"Ah... you're quite insistent. At least now you may serve as an interlude to the real show," it said.r

"What on Aigas is going on, Festos?!" Silrat suddenly screamed while looking at Skullius with no small amount of terror.r

The Hybrid Luman couldn't imagine how someone like Silrat was feeling right now.r

With all that was happening, added to the fact that he still couldn't see the Null Devil King like him and Gillewart – for some unknown reason – Silrat's reaction was to be expected.r

Since the Conforming Trickerteer was left without anything to do, after its mission to rescue Stylla from her trance had failed due to the fact that she was being held down by an unseen authority, Skullius directed it to grab Silrat and rush with him out of the mansion.r

And then, since only the relevant pieces were left, all the action blossomed in rapid succession.r

Three drastic things happened almost simultaneously.r

First, Gillewart stretched his burning hand towards the Null Devil King and a ring of blue flame ignited around the creature.r

The creature was amused at the showing and chose to see what its opponent could do.r

Gillewart was not from any Family, but he was a man with an almost psychotic dedication to protecting the city. He was so dedicated in fact, that in order to earn the title of City Guardian, he had strived to develop a technique of his own by abusing how resistant his body became once he became a Master. He spent 34 years of his life in isolation, in a place north of Genhuis City, near the very boundary between Pelian and Emeradis. There, he constructed what very well could be the largest and hottest artificial furnace in Aigas, a construct he would spend 18 hours of the day in, in order to gain, in his words, a true feeling and essence of FIRE.r

With each passing day, he made the furnace hotter and hotter until it destroyed the wide mountain range he had chosen to construct it within.r

By then though, he had already gained the enlightenment he needed. Knowledge of how to give and take from fire. What the flames offered besides its immolation – light, heat, protection.r

All of it became the very basis of his self crafted technique, Gracious Tinder.r

The circle of blue flame around the Null Devil King was not meant to harm, but to encase, not that the regal creature wanted to leave yet.r

With another gesture from Gillewart's hand, a crest made from fire appeared in front of him with dazzling brilliance and zeal, its resplendent coiled edges seeming to begin a certain process.r

Well... the purpose of this crest wasn't revealed just yet because right when it appeared, the second drastic shift occurred.r

Skullius moved.r

A half a skull mark appeared on his forehead and he used it – the Precept of Light – to move his body instead of actively controlling his own muscles to achieve the same result!r

In this way, he beat the suppression he felt from the Null Devil King and brandished his Pseudo-Mythical grade weapon, though awkwardly, since he had to balance the massive tree of bones stretching from his arm.r

Many thoughts ran through his head.r

If this was a Null creature... no, this calibre of Null creature...r

Could it even be defeated with conventional attacks?r

The Grand Flame Bringer had killed the blue skinned Null beast Skullius had summoned back then but that creature was in no way as strong as this thing before him.r

This thought made Skullius sceptical about whether or not Gillewart could actually harm their opponent.r

Thus, instead of staking his life on the City Guardian, Skullius channelled a large burst of Null Life Essence into the Bashful Abomination, saturating its blade with a blue tint!r

"Oh...dear Master, what is this unique energy?!" the sword giddily questioned, but Skullius didn't reply.r

Instead, he made a serious inquiry.r

"If IT affects me as badly as last time can you bring me back?" r

The Bashful Abomination didn't need minutes to figure out what Skullius meant, as what he was referring to had happened just recently.r

A silent ripple coursed through the Hybrid Luman's hand, acting as confirmation, and Skullius acted upon it.r

The Ghost Rending Divine Sword Art was employed as with every fibre of his being, he cut down the air between him and the Null Devil King.r

At the same time, he allowed the allure of [Swordmaster's Quiescence] to overwhelm his mind, body and soul.r

What was born when Skullius' consciousness slid back from the wheel, was a malignant fiend that only remembered the joys of slicing through immaterial entities and tangible vessels, the edge of its lengthy sword threatening to masterfully butcher enemy and ally alike!r

The Null Devil King was grinning in the midst of the violent intent being sent its way, in its hand a weapon materialising from nothingness.r

A familiar weapon in fact, but only greater in rank.r

The Bastard sword of the Hedonist!r

However, before the result of this could be seen, a third occurrence bloomed.r

Stylla transformed.r

The card in her hand depicted a minimalistic caricature of a bulky man with a mighty air of transcendence around him.r

This was the fate she had chosen.r

The redhead felt a wild gush of power burn through her like a flood of lava and she shrieked bitterly, the agony she felt so great that it nearly drove her to madness.r

But such was the price of power, one of the prices at least.r

The card in her hand, was called Knowing Might – at least that is what the Bone Tender named it.r

The holder would inherit power equivalent to what they imagined the ceiling of the concept of power was, either through someone they knew, something they had seen or something they deeply desired.r

A young boy from the Belvion Union had picked this card also and gained power equivalent to that of a Master Stage expert. Indeed, for common folk, their interpretation of power – since they rarely came across truly terrifying feats of might – was strained. Thus, the child's vision of what extraordinary power was... was equivalent to the Master Stage.r

However...r

For someone who had seen many terribly powerful experts and many Cluster beasts as well as Generals like Stylla...r

Her vision of power was vastly higher.r

But more than that, she knew exactly what she would want from said transcendent power based on her current ambitions.r

The ability to heal abominable curses.r

The ability to build a stronger Family.r

...And the ability to attain satisfying vengeance.r

As a result...r

Stylla's body changed.r

Her flesh grew many, many times more refined, some of her features changing to get filled with immense vitality from their previous sullen, weak and unhealthy state.r

She grew taller, her muscles more taut and tough, her eyes sharper and focused.r

On her back, a pair of dark, webbed wings spilled and unfurled themselves while her mana core shook and discarded its blue glow for a purple one!r

The air around her turned devastating and she breathed out a satisfied breath.r

Unfortunately, she wasn't above the loss of self that Knowing Might brought.r

She too sank into the mesmerising feel of abundant power.r