“Finally awake, asshole?” The man over Relictus sarcastically spoke, sighing in relief (he hoped). “You scared me half to death, not that I’m not getting there already. Never in a million years did I think you’d get all of those boards in just one session.” The man that Relictus now confirmed to be Darius laughed as he spoke, but his face hardened just as quickly. Relictus suddenly had 2 windows in front of him: he had gained two new abilities.

There is no Talent (Passive) [Intermediate 10/25] [10%]

Your training in technique has given you

the ability to raise your skill faster than normal.

This skill can only be gained through the most rigorous

training by the most diligent pupils.

Speed of technique gain +60%

+20 INT

+45 WIS

+75 DEX

Beyond the Edge (Passive) [Beginner 9/10] [52%]

Notoriously hard to raise, this Skill passively

raises stamina while increasing performance

when stamina is low.

+1000 Stamina

+40 DEF

Relictus exclaimed his appreciation in the deep recesses of his mind.

“What’s so entertaining?” Darius asked, a curious, almost suspicious expression crossing his face – his eyes were narrowed, and his eyebrows rose.

‘Even I can’t do that. Why’s this old man so sharp?’ Relictus thought, and responded. “It’s nothing. Ehehehe…” He tried to push it aside, and luckily, Darius stopped pressing him, leaning back.

“Well, if you say so, it’s not worth prying.” He dismissed it completely. “So, when do you want to start? Resting won’t do you any good. Those boards you fell asleep on would only build a dog house, so I’ll drop that part.” He smirked, as if he was glossing over a mistake. ‘Are you senile, old man?’ Relictus thought, glaring at Darius. “So, we start with technique.”

“Let’s start now, then.” Relictus grinned, standing up and dusting everything off of his clothes, before realizing that they were drenched with sweat.

Darius blinked twice, surprised at that zealous reply. “I’m not sure if you want to push yourself so much in such a short period, you were only out for a good 15 minutes. But if you say so, I’ll start teaching now.”

And thus, they walked over to the training arena.

~6 months later

(A/N Sorry, I felt it was just far too tedious to do another 2-10 chapters on discipleship)

The training worked out quite well. Every day, Relictus went to train, and had a new move to use in combat against the forces that assaulted them every night. He had the stamina regen of a monster and twice the dexterity, so he never quite ran out of stamina, but he got down there enough to raise his Beyond the Edge skill into the Advanced levels. Every single skill he had was now Advanced, even God Slayer and Emperor of Fury. Through his rigorous training regime, he had become master of two styles – that of the Deathbringer and that of the soldier. Through mixing and matching these styles, his movements became fluid to the point that one could not see where one attack ended and the other started. He even gained the title, “Master of the Sword and Dagger,” a title without nearly the benefits of Dark Emperor. It was still pretty cool though, in Relictus’s opinion. Compared to his pathetic real self, he was a serious force to be reckoned with. Message boards had been buzzing with thoughts and speculations and 4Chan trolling where the White Reaper had disappeared to, and why. Especially the 4Chan trolling.

The bright green grass rustled as Relictus stepped through it, slowly, slowly. He walked as if he had nothing to fear, even as he now walked through hordes of enemies of all shapes and sizes, growing in size as he went. The colossal beings had, at first, fought back. However, in an instant, hundreds had been brought down. None of them even knew what they had just witnessed, nor did they know that that was the beginning of their downfall. Relictus simply walked leisurely, not even bothering to keep his sabre out. When any of his foes- no, these were not foes. These were victims of his wrath. When any of his victims moved, there was a single flash of red, one that looked like a bolt of lightning coated in fresh crimson blood, the same blood that coated the edge of the weapon moments later. His eyes were covered by the shadow of his pure white hair that was blemished only by the blood of the fallen enemies before him.

He looked up. Relictus’s eyes were devoid of all of the light they had held before, just as dim and soulless as they were on the day that he learned that he lost the last person in his family that cared about him. A single drop of water fell to the ground, with a sound almost like a thump. It was followed by another, and another, until the ground was bombarded with a million heavy drops of the clear liquid. The cold water covered the hard dirt, softened it, and left Relictus’s footprints as he walked perpetually forward.

Relictus didn’t even bother to pull his hood up. If he did, the rain wouldn’t serve to hide the drops falling from his eyes. The scene played perpetually in his head.

“Relictus, I am both elated and sorry to say that this old man can teach you no more,” Darius spoke, a forlorn look of sincere happiness on his face. “Today, we fight alongside each other to protect the village. Tomorrow, you will go forth and end the village’s suffering. If it’s you, lad, it can be done. I know it can. You’re the most fitting guy for the job.” His look had softened, and tears fell down his face, creating trails of water. “How terrible of me to display such weakness before my only pupil. I guess I’m just overcome with the emotions of a geezer to see my first and last disciple ready to go out into the world.”

At that time, Relictus had embraced Darius, telling him that he’d see him again, after that night they’d be able to spend another drinking together as men. It was a promise he’d never be able to make after that night.

Relictus looked on at his teacher who was slicing through monster after monster despite a massive difference in level. Darius’s face was the picture of perfect composure, yet his swinging weapon told a different story altogether, as he hacked apart his enemies and left not a single one intact.

Then, a shadow appeared where it should never have appeared. It was midnight, and they were in an incredibly dark forest. However, a dark spot appeared on the ground, growing larger and darker, and its contours formed the shape of a wicked and nightmarish monster. It took the shape of an enemy Relictus had seen hundreds of times – it was a four-legged feral wolf, but it had one difference. This beast was a gargantuan version of it. Before he even knew what was happening, Relictus saw Darius’s body fighting to escape the impending doom of the jaws before him. However, he was unable to do so – Relictus could only watch as the life left Darius’s body along with his blood, as its bright red coloring was corrupted with a mysterious blackness. His body was impaled in several places on the cruel, jagged teeth of the beast, and Relictus could no longer keep control of himself as he saw Darius’s face – a face that was nearly confused, yet tinged with hopelessness and despair.

Relictus’s eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to an unnatural size.

Emperor of Fury has activated automatically.

Relictus remembered nothing once he woke up, standing, using his sabre’s blade for support. Before him, there was no forest. Rather than the green color of the vegetation that permeated the world around him before, there was a long crater, extending seemingly for miles, nothing but dirt soaked with red.

And so he walked. No monsters knew what had happened to them as hundreds of meters behind him, a single stroke of red appeared across each of their bodies. Monsters started to explode in a grand procession behind him, the upper halves of each of their bodies leaving nothing but red. Blood showered over him as they were destroyed, tainting his white teeth with the only remnants of those that dared cross him.

~–•–~

He walked seemingly for hours, his pace never hurrying or slowing. What awaited him at the end, he could never predict. In front of him now was his teacher – Darius, his sabre pointed downward, eyes shut as his head pointed downward. It was Darius’s favorite position to wait in before training begun, and now it seemed his teacher still had one final lesson. However, Darius opened his eyes, Relictus noticed one unusual thing – his eyes were shining that same awful red that shone in the eyes of that which had taken Darius in the first place.

Relictus didn’t speak, but the tears that fell from his eyes, cleansing a small area of the blood-dyed dirt in his path. The sabre he carried only let out a dull thump against the dark ground as it fell. Relictus was once again overcome with rage, but unwilling to let go of the control he had over himself. He simply wanted his teacher to rest in peace, since he wasn’t coming back any time soon. He stepped slowly towards this copycat, and it took up a combat stance as it endured the pressure of the aura of bloodlust that flowed from Relictus. Without so much as a warning, Relictus lifted his back foot from the ground and twisted his hips as he delivered a perfect roundhouse kick to the monster’s head.

With no time to react, it didn’t block or mitigate the blow, and was sent flying into the dense forest directly to Relictus’s right. Its body ran into dozens of different pieces of wood and dragged along the dirt before flying straight into a tree, knocking down the tree. It was killed in a single unarmed hit.

Right there, in his trail of blood and death, Relictus fell backwards, his eyes not to open again for some time. The forest was a picture of silence, but it was one that was far from serene. The forest had become a graveyard for millions.

Author's Note

Spoiler : Off of my break! I'll start trying to extend chapters again. In the meantime between now and chapter 14, have a skipped training and obvious kill-off! :D

Anyway, thanks for reading. If I made any mistakes, or you have criticism or ideas, please let me know in the comments! I'll actually get a new chapter tomorrow.