Without hesitation, without even a flicker of doubt, Ashan tightened his grip around the golden fragment.
His fingers closed.
The air around his hand compressed with a sharp, metallic groan.
Cracks spidered across the stone beneath his feet from the sheer force he exerted. The green afterglow of the Third Gate hadn't fully faded, and even in its dimming state, his physical strength was monstrous.
He squeezed harder.
Nothing happened.
The fragment didn't dent.
Didn't crack.
Didn't even tremble.
Ashan's brow furrowed slightly.
He increased the pressure.
Veins rose along his forearm as cursed energy wrapped around his palm, reinforcing bone and tendon. The sound barrier rippled faintly from the invisible force concentrated into that one grip.
Still, nothing.
Not a scratch.
Ashan slowly lowered his hand, staring at the shard in quiet confusion.
'What the hell?'
His grip just now had been more than enough to pulverize an S-rank artifact.
'That level of force could have crushed Arakwaru's skull. Why isn't it breaking?'
Before he could test it again, a translucent system window materialized in front of him.
—-----------------------------------
Warning…
Fate is going against the fragments' destruction. You won't be able to destroy the fragment.
To destroy it, you must collect all ten pieces and destroy them simultaneously.
- Absorption is possible but will affect the user.
—-----------------------------------
Ashan's eyes narrowed. 'Fate?'
That word irritated him.
'My mission is to destroy this. Now you're telling me it's impossible?'
His jaw tightened slightly.
'So I can't break it through force. Fine.'
He glanced at the shard again.
'Then I'll erase it.'
His cursed energy flared.
[Technique Extinguishment]
His hand began glowing with a pale, destructive radiance, the same ability capable of nullifying techniques, erasing constructs, severing supernatural formations at their root.
Sisiliya immediately took two steps back.
"Everyone, distance yourselves!" she ordered instinctively.
The raiders scattered slightly, tension rising again.
Ashan pressed the glowing hand toward the fragment.
Before contact, the same window appeared again.
—-----------------------------------
Warning…
Fate is going against the fragments' destruction. You won't be able to destroy the fragment.
To destroy it, you must collect all ten pieces and destroy them simultaneously.
- Absorption is possible but will affect the user.
- Technique Extinguishment will not work.
—-----------------------------------
The glow around his hand faded slowly.
For the first time since the battle ended, irritation flickered across his face.
'Damn it.'
His mind raced rapidly.
'If brute force doesn't work… if erasure doesn't work…'
He exhaled slowly.
Before he could think further, another system notification appeared.
—-----------------------------------
Mission Completed…
You cleared the first gate of the apocalypse.
Rewards:
- Mahoraga's Wheel of Adaptation
- System Points: 2500
> Upon the user's call, the wheel will appear above the user's head.
—-----------------------------------
Another window followed immediately.
—-----------------------------------
New Mission Created (Long Term)..
Collect all ten fragments of the Key Orb.
Collected Pieces: (1/10)
Reward: ???
—-----------------------------------
Ashan stared at the notifications silently.
'So that's how it is.'
His lips curved faintly, not in amusement, but acceptance.
'If destruction requires all ten… then I'll collect all ten.'
He closed his hand around the fragment once more, this time not to crush it, but to store it.
The shard vanished into his pocket dimension.
The golden glow disappeared instantly.
"What happened?" Sisiliya asked cautiously.
Ashan turned to her calmly.
"I tried to destroy it. It's impossible.. for now. So until I find a way, I'll keep it with me."
Her expression changed subtly.
Concern.
Calculation.
Doubt.
'What? Impossible to break..?'
'Wait.. more than that, If it's as dangerous as he described… allowing him to keep it might not be wise,' she thought.
She stepped forward slightly.
"Why don't you give it to us? We could secure it within the academy. Perhaps we might find a safer method to destroy it. It might not be safe for you to carry something like that alone."
Ashan let out a small, almost amused laugh.
"Safe? With you?"
His tone wasn't mocking, but it was blunt.
"You could bury it behind twenty barriers, lock it in a vault beneath ten layers of security, and assign S-rank guards around it."
He looked directly at her.
"And it would still exist."
Silence settled heavily.
"As long as it exists in the world, someone will eventually reach it. Someone ambitious. Someone desperate. Someone corrupted."
He tapped his chest lightly.
"But if it stays with me… no one knows who I am. No one knows where I live. No one knows my next move."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"With me, its existence vanishes."
A pause.
"Tell me… isn't that the safest outcome?"
Sisiliya had no immediate answer.
She understood something clearly now,
This man wasn't reckless.
He was decisive.
Arguing further would be pointless.
Ashan lightly patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry too much," he said calmly. "I'm not planning anything reckless. I gave my word. I'll destroy that fragment somehow."
There was no dramatic tone in his voice. No theatrical vow. Just quiet certainty.
Then he turned away from her and walked toward the place where Arakwaru had fallen.
The twin blades lay half-buried in fractured stone, still humming faintly with residual mana. Even without their master, they radiated a presence; sharp, refined, deadly.
Ashan crouched and pulled them free.
The sound of metal scraping against stone echoed through the ruined chamber.
He held one in each hand, weighing them carefully. His expression turned thoughtful.
"All three swords…" he murmured to himself. "Nullfang and these two."
He glanced at the academy raiders standing at a cautious distance.
'Awakeners would kill to own even one of these.'
His eyes lingered briefly on Nullfang resting across his back.
"At first, I thought I'd hand over all three. But…"
His fingers tightened slightly around the hilts.
"Would giving Nullfang away really be the right decision?"
For a few seconds, he simply stood there in silence, assessing.
Then he walked back to Sisiliya and extended the twin blades toward her.
"These two are yours."
Sisiliya blinked in surprise but accepted them carefully.
"They're powerful. Each one is A-rank."
She felt it immediately the moment her fingers wrapped around the grips, the controlled pulse of high-density mana running through the metal.
Ashan pointed at the darker blade.
"The black one is Veyra. On contact, it disrupts mana circulation. It can paralyze a mana user for a short duration."
Draven stiffened slightly.
"Mana paralysis… that's extremely rare."
Ashan nodded and gestured to the white blade.
"And this one is Solen. It vibrates at an extremely high frequency. It carries resistance against most mana-based attacks. When activated properly, it becomes sharp enough to cut through nearly anything reinforced with mana."
Sisiliya exhaled slowly.
"These are… treasures among treasures."
Even she, an S-rank commander, couldn't hide the admiration in her voice.
Her gaze then shifted upward, to the black sword resting diagonally across Ashan's back.
Nullfang.
It looked deceptively simple.
Dark. Matte. Quiet.
"Is that sword also one of the demon's weapons?" she asked carefully. "From the conversation earlier… I assume it is."
Ashan smiled faintly.
"Yes."
He unsheathed Nullfang in one smooth motion.
The blade emerged without reflection, as though it consumed light instead of shining under it.
"This was its primary weapon," he said. "I estimate it to be S-rank."
The air felt heavier the moment it was fully revealed.
Sisiliya's eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping in.
"So… are you planning to keep it?"
Ashan tilted his head slightly.
"I'm still deciding."
He rotated the blade, examining its edge.
"Honestly, I'm leaning toward keeping it. This sword is more dangerous than it looks."
Draven stepped closer, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Dangerous how?"
Ashan's gaze sharpened.
"It steals mana."
Silence.
"Not just from opponents," he continued. "From the surroundings. From spells mid-cast. From defensive barriers. It can drain the battlefield itself."
Eirena's eyes widened.
"Is that why the mana density here dropped so drastically during the fight?"
"Yes," Ashan replied calmly. "It played a part."
He lowered the blade slightly.
"But that's not the only issue."
The group leaned in instinctively.
"This sword has a form of consciousness. When I first tried to wield it, it resisted me. It tried to absorb my mana forcefully. It attempted to drain me."
Draven's face hardened.
"A semi-sentient S-rank weapon…"
Ashan nodded.
"I had to overpower it. Suppress it. If I hadn't, it would have consumed me instead."
The weight of that statement settled heavily in the air.
No one spoke for several seconds.
A mana-stealing, semi-sentient blade capable of nullifying spells?
It wasn't just powerful.
It was catastrophic.
From the academy's monitoring chamber, the S-rankers listening through communication channels erupted in chaos.
Silas nearly jumped out of his chair.
"A mana-stealing sword?! Sisil, you have to secure that blade! No matter what!"
His eyes were practically burning with greed.
"That weapon is legendary. Do you understand? Legendary!"
"Hey, Sheliya," he said urgently, almost breathless, "just name the price. I don't care what it is. I'll buy it. Sell one of my estates, drain my vault, trade artifacts, whatever it takes. I'm telling you right now, I won't sleep in peace if I don't get that sword."
Sheliya let out a slow breath, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Garrick leaned back in his seat, folding his arms across his broad chest, watching Silas with open amusement.
"There he goes," Garrick muttered, shaking his head. "The sword fanatic has awakened."
Rowan clenched his fists tightly, remembering how Ashan had shattered his own blade earlier.
"That's a cheat… an absolute cheat. Something like that shouldn't even exist."
Sheliya's voice cut in, calmer but firm.
"Sisiliya, please try to negotiate. That sword cannot leave our control."
Back inside the dungeon, Sisiliya pressed a hand to her earpiece subtly.
"That's easier said than done," she whispered under her breath. "You all saw what he's capable of."
But she wasn't quiet enough.
Ashan's ears picked up every word.
He turned his head slightly, a faint smirk touching his lips.
"So before I even decide what to do with this sword," he said evenly, "buyers have already lined up."
Sisiliya froze.
A faint gasp escaped her.
'Idiot… I forgot his senses are abnormal.'
She straightened herself quickly.
"I apologize if that seemed disrespectful," she said carefully. "But I believe I have the right to ask. From the beginning, you stated you would not claim anything here except the fragment."
Ashan nodded without hesitation. "That's true."
A flicker of relief crossed her eyes.
But he continued.
"However… that statement does not apply to this sword."
Her expression sharpened.
"What do you mean?"
Ashan lifted Nullfang and rested its flat side against his shoulder.
"I challenged the demon sword user to a duel."
He met her gaze directly.
"It accepted."
"And I defeated it."
No arrogance. Just fact.
"And as per the established rules of dueling combat, winner claims the spoils agreed upon."
He lightly tapped the blade.
"This sword was the price."