novelraw Chapter 416 - 417 : A New trait
Chapter 416 - 417 : A New trait
Victoria vanished.
There was no sound.
No distortion.
No warning.
One moment she stood several feet away—
The next—
She was directly behind him.
Close enough that he could feel the cold edge of her presence brush against his spine.
A massive black sword materialized in her grasp.
It did not simply form.
It condensed.
Layer upon layer of cursed energy compressed into physical shape, forging a long, jagged blade that looked less like metal and more like solidified ruin. Its surface rippled faintly, as though struggling to remain stable under the density of power infused within it.
The air around the sword rotted.
Space thinned.
The ground beneath her feet decayed into powder.
Her crimson eyes gleamed.
She swung.
Not wildly.
Not angrily.
Perfectly.
The blade descended with silent executioner precision, cursed energy exploding outward at the moment of release.
The attack did not merely cut.
It erased.
It aimed to split Alex from shoulder to waist.
But in the final fraction of a second—
His instincts screamed.
The world slowed.
His body moved.
He pivoted sharply, twisting his torso just enough for the blade to pass where he had stood.
The black sword carved through the ground instead.
There was no explosion.
No debris.
The terrain simply disintegrated into gray ash.
Victoria vanished again.
Alex exhaled lightly.
’Fast.’
A faint disturbance rippled above him.
He looked up—
And for the first time—
He miscalculated.
She descended from the sky like divine punishment.
This strike carried more weight.
More speed.
More intent.
The black blade fell with catastrophic force.
Clang.
At the very last instant, Alex raised his purple sword.
The collision detonated a shockwave.
The decaying landscape cracked outward in concentric circles. The air compressed violently, then burst outward like a sonic cannon.
Their blades ground against each other.
Purple destruction against absolute decay.
Victoria’s wrist shifted subtly.
A minor movement.
But one executed with flawless sword mastery.
Her blade slid along his weapon’s edge at a razor angle.
A thin flash.
A whisper of contact.
Pain bloomed.
A shallow cut opened across his left arm.
Blood spilled.
Dark red against the gray world.
She kicked backward and landed gracefully several meters away.
Then—
She laughed.
Not loud.
Not hysterical.
But sharp.
"It’s over for you."
The wound pulsed.
Red veins erupted outward from the cut, crawling beneath his skin like living parasites.
His muscles tightened involuntarily.
Then—
The pain hit.
It felt as if something inside him was being peeled apart.
Not from the outside—
From within.
His cells vibrated violently.
His mana circuits destabilized.
His organs twisted against themselves.
Victoria stepped forward slowly.
"Your body is now in a state of decay."
Her voice echoed across the crumbling horizon.
"Your structure is collapsing from within."
Mountains in the distance eroded into dust.
The sky above dimmed further.
"You will feel your bones weaken."
"Your flesh tear."
"Your life force drain."
As if in response—
The world intensified its pull.
His vitality began siphoning outward into the environment.
He could feel it.
A constant, grinding erosion.
Like sandpaper dragging against his existence.
She smiled wider.
"Don’t worry."
Her tone softened.
"I will not let you die."
The decaying wind circled them slowly.
"The moment you approach death... this world will restore you using the life force it stole."
Her crimson eyes gleamed.
"You will relive this agony."
"Again."
"And again."
"For eternity."
Silence.
The pain intensified.
His knees bent slightly.
His breathing grew heavier.
Then—
He chuckled.
Low.
Amused.
"You really are impatient, aren’t you?"
He rolled his neck slowly.
Crack.
Despite the red veins pulsing violently across his arm.
Despite the internal tearing sensation.
He stretched his shoulders casually.
Crack.
Then—
A translucent window materialized before his eyes.
[ Adapting to Decay... 85% ]
The veins pulsed harder.
[ 90% ]
His bones vibrated.
[ 99% ]
His organs stabilized.
[ 100% ]
[ Trait Acquired: Lord of Decay
Description:
Grants limited authority over the Law of Decay — the natural breakdown of matter, energy, and living entities.
Allows the acceleration of deterioration and the forced destabilization of structures.
Affects physical bodies, mana constructs, and certain abilities.
]
Inside his mind—
[ Host physique has fully adapted. Full combat capacity unlocked. ]
Alex exhaled slowly.
A faint purple glow spread from his chest outward.
Kaelith’s Law of Order activated.
A violet aura enveloped him smoothly.
Unlike Victoria’s chaotic decay—
This was perfect alignment.
Every particle within his body fell into flawless structure.
His heart rhythm synchronized.
Mana flow optimized.
Nerve signals recalibrated.
The instability vanished.
The red veins stopped spreading.
Then—
The wound closed.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
Victoria’s smile faltered.
"What?"
The drain of the world continued—
But now something else occurred.
The decay touching his body began weakening instead.
His presence harmonized with it.
Adapted.
Commanded it.
The erosion no longer dominated him.
It responded.
He flexed his fingers.
Perfect.
Then—
He vanished.
Victoria’s eyes widened—
But too late.
A streak of violet flashed across the air.
A slicing sound.
Soft.
Clean.
Her right arm detached at the shoulder.
For a split second—
There was no reaction.
Then—
Blood erupted violently into the gray sky.
The severed limb spun through the air, scattering droplets like crimson rain.
It struck the decaying ground and began slowly dissolving.
Victoria stared at the empty space where her arm had been.
Shock froze her face.
Alex stood behind her.
Purple blade resting on his shoulder.
Calm.
Relaxed.
"You’re such a baddy."
His voice carried faint amusement.
"It’ll be fun to tame you into an obedient dog."
Her body trembled.
Not from weakness.
From rage.
Cursed energy exploded outward violently, shaking the entire World of Decay.
The ground fractured deeper.
The sky cracked.
Her severed arm began regenerating slowly through decay reversal.
Her crimson eyes burned with murderous fury.
Alex licked his lips slowly.
As he was after a really long time was enjoying the thrill of battle.
"Come now."
He tilted his head.
"What are you waiting for?"
The purple energy around his sword pulsed eagerly.
"Don’t you want to eat me?"
Silence hung for a breath—
Right before the world erupted again.