Reincarnated With A System Of Different Genre

Chapter 112: Dark Apparitions

Caelum dashed back toward the group, completely oblivious to the girl who had quietly disappeared behind him.

Right now, he didn’t want to think about the consequences of what would happen if that thing awakened.

The mere thought of it sent a chill down his spine.

This time, he used the running technique contained within the [Heaven Dominating Divine Sword Art].

Or more accurately, its movement technique.

[Infinite Ways]

It was an absurdly arrogant name and an equally absurd technique.

The Qi consumption alone was enough to make most cultivators, if they existed here to curse its creator.

Blue Qi erupted as his figure shot through the air in a straight line.

His destination was the top of the colossal finger.

His mind worked at incredible speed, calculating the perfect trajectory for every step.

Each movement and leap was precise.

A fading blue afterimage remained wherever he passed, creating the illusion of multiple Caelums moving at once.

’This technique really loves blue...’ he thought lazily.

The sword art seemed strangely obsessed with creating flashy visual effects.

After only a few breaths, he arrived back at the group.

The price was a significant amount of Qi.

But there was no time to care about that.

"Everyone, we need to leave immediately." His tone was serious.

"There isn’t enough time to explain."

The others were startled.

They had never seen him look this urgent before and before anyone could question him, Caelum acted.

His Qi surged outward.

[Heaven Dominating Divine Sword Art] — Third Form

[Heaven’s Dominion]

Invisible waves spread across the area.

The surrounding space seemed to distort ever so slightly.

Normally, this move was meant for combat but now Caelum used it in a completely ridiculous manner.

To transport children.

Everyone suddenly felt a strange pressure surround their bodies.

It wasn’t painful.

It simply felt as though invisible hands had grabbed them.

The next moment Caelum jumped.

Using the spatial dominion of [Heaven’s Dominion], he forcibly carried everyone along with him.

Even in such a situation, he didn’t forget the rope he had tied earlier.

With a wave of his hand, he grabbed it and brought it along.

’Spatial manipulation...?’ Jojo thought.

The panda’s eyes narrowed.

Ever since they had arrived here, something felt different, his behavior had somewhat changed.

Within moments, they descended from the giant finger and arrived on the ground below.

Only after confirming everyone had landed safely did Caelum finally stop.

The others immediately turned toward him.

"What happened to the girl?" Sénior asked.

Caelum remained silent for a moment.

His eyes narrowed as he looked toward the distant horizon.

Toward the place where he had met her, yet there was nothing there.

"...She’s gone."

His expression became thoughtful.

For some reason, that fact troubled him more than it should have.

"Jojo, where should we go now?" Paul asked.

At this point, only Jojo, his loyal companion, felt reliable.

The panda was experienced, knowledgeable and most importantly, calm.

"Woof! Owner, I feel like something good will happen if we go in that direction!" Voomie suddenly said, pointing one of her paws toward a distant forest.

Everyone immediately looked at her.

The fat dog proudly raised her head as if she had just made an important contribution.

Jojo followed her gaze.

Then he gave Voomie a long meaningful look.

After a few moments of thought, Jojo nodded.

"Let’s proceed in the direction Miss Voomie suggested."

The others blinked, they hadn’t expected him to take her seriously.

"Really?" Caelum asked.

Jojo nodded again.

"The direction itself isn’t problematic, and since we currently lack information, we have no choice but to move forward."

Of course, he didn’t mention the details he knew about this Dog’s lineage.

The direction she pointed toward led into the middle of a dense forest.

Dark trees stretched endlessly into the distance. Even from afar, the place looked ominous.

"Skyler, you should take the lead." Bonjour suddenly patted Skyler’s shoulder.

"After all, you’re a Saint."

Skyler immediately looked horrified.

"I-I am a merchant first!"

He instinctively defended his profession as though being called a Saint was somehow threatening his life.

The others simply nodded as though Bonjour’s suggestion was completely reasonable.

"Good point."

"Saints should lead."

"Sounds reliable."

"I agree."

Skyler stared at his friends in disbelief.

A tear almost escaped his eye.

"Why are all of you ignoring the merchant part?!"

Thus, with a tearful expression and a broken heart, Skyler was forcibly promoted to the position of expedition leader.

And so, under the leadership of a Merchant-Saint who desperately wanted neither title, the group marched toward the suspicious forest like brave adventurers.

Or perhaps like soldiers attacking a hostile base.

The distinction was becoming increasingly difficult to determine.

***

Caelum had spread his Spirit Sense across the surrounding area, keeping everyone within its range as the group advanced through the forest.

They had naturally formed a triangular formation.

At the very front was Skyler.

The self-proclaimed merchant wore a tearful expression as he continuously circulated his divine power, creating a faint golden barrier around the group.

Despite his complaints, nobody questioned the usefulness of having a Saint walk in front.

Directly behind him was Caelum.

The others remained in the center of the formation, while Bonjour and Sénior guarded the two outer flanks.

Even Jojo seemed satisfied with this arrangement.

The deeper they ventured into the forest, the stranger the atmosphere became.

The trees were unnaturally dark with branches twisted in bizarre shapes.

Not a single bird could be heard.

The forest was completely silent.

Thirty minutes passed like this.

During that time, Jojo finally confirmed something that had been bothering Caelum ever since they entered this place.

"This area reeks of Unectha," the panda said grimly.

Everyone immediately looked toward him.

"Unectha?" Paul asked.

"It is a type of energy."

Jojo’s expression became serious.

"More specifically, it is the energy used by Apparitions."

Ghosts, Phantoms, Specters, Wraiths and countless other beings that existed in a semi-spiritual state.

Collectively, they were known as Apparitions.

More specifically, Dark Apparitions.

Unlike ordinary spirits, these beings often represented negative aspects of existence.

Death, Resentment, Despair, Hatred, Fear and countless other emotions.

While mana was the most primal form of energy, Apparitions relied on Unectha, a type of mana.

The two energies were similar in some aspects, yet fundamentally different.

Jojo looked around the forest.

"The concentration here is abnormally high and honestly speaking, I wouldn’t be surprised if a powerful Apparition appeared at any moment."

That statement immediately caused everyone’s nerves to tighten.

Even Voomie stopped making comments.

Rustle.

A sound echoed from nearby bushes as the entire group instantly froze.

Caelum’s Spirit Sense immediately focused on the source of the disturbance.

Rustle. Rustle.

Something was moving toward them and judging from the sound.

It wasn’t trying to hide itself.