The atmosphere in the room was tense, with everyone standing in a straight line and not making a sound. The tension was palpable and could be cut with a knife.
"Listen up, you troublesome bunch. Follow me and try to keep up. Failure to make it to the transportation point will lead to death and failure. Understood? And in case you were wondering, no, I won’t be telling you anything else. What’s the point of calling this an exam if I give you all the answers?"
Nyrtha took a few steps forward, but before he opened the door, he turned around to face the group. His smile was so terrifying and menacing that it sent shivers down the spines of everyone present, even Merciless who was known for his lack of fear. With a dramatic flair, Nyrtha-H opened the door and spoke.
"If you fall behind, there’s a high chance you’ll get lost in the overwhelming fear that surrounds us. The building itself is relatively simple to navigate, but once we step outside and begin our journey towards opening the Silver Gate, things will become much more difficult."
’The Silver Gate... It was a vivid peace of information ingrained not only in Jordan’s memories, but also Lucy’s and Albedo’s. Their vivid recollections of the place left me wondering how such knowledge came to be. It dawned on me that the fragments of memory I acquired from them were just a glimpse into their immense understanding of the Spawn species. If I could obtain more of their blood, I could gain an edge over them. After all, Jordan holds valuable information about a powerful treasure in the Primix dimension, while Alucard knows the location of a sacred artifact his mother desires. Oh how unfortunate for Alucard, for that treasure belongs to me. It’s nothing personal, friend, but power is power - as game is game.’
This was Merciless current thoughts, however Merciless was soon knocked out of his own thoughts, when Nyrtha open the door, and walk ahead while saying.
"It’s time to start the exam, everyone get ready. A good grade now can benefit you in the long run."
As the door open up the group began to walk in a straight line and follow Nyrtha outside but the moment they did that.
"Ha…the fuck!?"
His eyes scanned the new environment as he stepped through the door, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The metallic walls and halls that once surrounded him had vanished, replaced by opulent corridors of a grand mansion. It was a drastic change from his previous surroundings, and Merciless couldn’t help but feel disoriented.
To make matters worse, he found himself completely alone. His entire team, including the guide, had vanished without a trace. And when he turned to look behind him, even the door they had entered through was nowhere to be seen.
"What the hell is this, some sort of spatial interference?"
Merciless said to himself, as he began to think what happen, in the end he came to believe that Keziah and Beatrice must have planned to split the examinees up from the very beginning.
’I have no idea what those two are trying to accomplish, but I’ll just go along with it for now.’
Merciless mentally chided himself, but he was caught off guard when a strange black notification panel appeared in front of him with golden words on it. He was no stranger to these things; he had seen them frequently in manhwa, and webnovel during his human life.
Frustrated, he exclaimed.
"What’s a system notification, really? I don’t need nor do I want this nonsense. Can’t you do something about it, Black Tail?"
Merciless expressed his deep aversion towards systems, but Black Tail responded in kind.
"It is a foreign power, not of our own. This system belongs to someone else, making termination impossible as it is being directly transmitted to your mind."
"Interesting. So this nonsense is someone else’s doing, huh? Oh well, I’ve never been a fan of System novels. The concept of a machine creating plot armor is overused and dull in my opinion. But I suppose that’s just how it is."
"Fine I will indulge in your existence system thing, so let see what this is about."
At that moment…. when Merciless looked on the blue notification screen in front of him, he was surprised to see the following.
--------------------------------------
[Your objective: Locate the instructor and reach the designated transport point unscathed. Remember, you are in a coveted position that many would fight for. Defend it fiercely and prove your worth, or risk losing it to someone who desires it just as much as you do. Failure is not an option.]
[Ps: For every head is 10 points]
--------------------------------------
Merciless smirked at the notification, his eyes narrowing with a predatory gleam. The sinister aura around him seemed to intensify as he processed the information.
"Ten points for every head, huh? Now you are talking my language, although im a little confused on what the message was trying to relay, does it means someone wants position, and they can have it if they kill me, or maybe im just looking too deeply into this."
Merciless muttered to himself, his voice laced with dark amusement but equal concern. He knew this was not going to be an ordinary exam. The stakes were high, and he was determined to excel, no matter what twisted challenges lay ahead.
Merciless shook his head, dismissing any valid thoughts that may have been lingering. He didn’t have time to waste on them; he knew no one would be able to kill him easily. And if someone did try, he would strike first.
He had a basic understanding of the notification panel and its purpose as an objective board, rather than a system. It was likely how the House of Ghal would provide guidance for their actions.
However, the thought of points reminded him that he didn’t have his bracelet with him. He realized that collecting points at this stage would be pointless without it. Fortunately, before his fight with Zane began, he had placed it inside his Proximia ring.
And with that thought in mind, he pulled out his bracelet. Typically, one would assume he would put it on his wrist, but Merciless was well aware of the potential hindrance it would cause. Without any further explanation, he used his shapeshifting abilities to transform the bracelet into a small pill-sized form before swallowing it without hesitation.
The bracelet was only operational when in direct contact with its user, so he had to swallow it for it to be recognized as valid. Without it getting in his way when he is fighting.
In that instant, Merciless was jolted by a deafening explosion that sent tremors through the entire area. He instinctively closed his eyes and tapped into his Mind’s eye, only to discover that its range had expanded significantly; what was once a few meters now encompassed countless kilometers. With a range of precisely 1000 kilometers, he had an omnidirectional view of everything around him.
"Father was correct. My powers have surpassed even my wildest dreams, but it’s remarkable how much clearer my vision is when I close my eyes. And with a blindfold on, no one would suspect that I can see with my mind eye. Hehehe... Now, let’s find where the excitement lies. I am eager for some action."
Rumble… BOOOM!!
The sound of explosions echoed in the distance, but oddly enough, Merciless despite his immense range supernatural sight couldn’t spot anyone. Yet, the sounds of battle continued to rage on heavily in the background.
"What the hell is even going on."
Suddenly, Silk’s voice clicked into his head, and she began to explain the situation.
’Hahahah, fascinating. The power of the 5th lineage is truly fearsome. To be able to create a dimension of this magnitude is truly a sight to behold, far better than being trapped in confinement for a change at least.’
"What? The fifth lineage? Can you explain what that even entails, Silk?"
Merciless asked, a little curious.
’The world has truly changed. In the olden days, spawns were common knowledge, but that brat Eos managed to hide them before he created the vampires - typical of someone from the first and ninth lineage and 1st generation true born nonetheless. But to answer your question, we must go back to the very beginning. At that time, only I and my kin existed. However, there was something else that was born before me. I emerged from nothingness, but this thing had already been present long before primordial nothingness came to be. Though not sentient or alive, it still existed in some form.’
’I am the first sentient being their is no doubt about that, although I may not be the first to exist. The story of how spawns came to be is a complex one my foolish master. You see all spawn lineage can be traced back to a single origin, despite their diverse forms. However, in order to understand their creation, I must first tell you about my own.’
’I confess, I know nothing about that entity that came before me. But for some inexplicable reason, I feel deeply connected to it, even though I have no familial ties. I am certain that I emerged from the primordial nothingness, destined to bring forth all creation in due time since I am very will and embodiment of it.’
’Before the entity created its spawns, I already existed. But there is more to my existence than that. As the embodiment of nothingness, it’s my nature to have knowledge of everything that originates from it and what will come into being. The spawns were unexpected, even for me as the embodiment. Despite feeling a strange bond with that entity, we are not related in any way. Our connection is not one of love; it is an instinctual drive to conquer, subdue, and control one another as if playing a game of which primordial being would have the right to rule over the universe.’
’Though I was ultimately defeated in the game, its memory remains within me, my former adversary, and eternal foe. The 12 Originators, their Loved Ones, Eos himself, and now you are the only ones aware of its existence. Among them it is known as "The Nuclear One," yet its true name remains a mystery even to its most favored creation. From my understanding, this entity is akin to myself - a manifestation of a primal force.’
’Some may consider it our origin or father, others may view it as the embodiment of nuclear chaos. However, I know for certain that it is my opposite - while I represent balance and order, this thing desires chaos in all forms.’
’It even went so far as to create god-like beings with similar power to my prime self, resulting in a world of imbalance filled with blood, darkness, and chaos. This is why our cosmology is twisted and dark - because I lost to this force, losing my right to creation in the process.’
’Now that you know about the existence of the Nuclear one, I can tell you about its attempts to defeat me. The Nuclear one driven by mindless instinct created three beings in its image, each one weaker than the previous. The first was known as the First Originator or "The Origin," embodying the essence of the Nuclear one itself, you can it is the soul, essence, and Origin of God Almighty.’
’Then came the second creation, the primordial twins: the 2nd Originator or commonly known as "The Alteration," she represent the mind of God, it is said her archive holds all secretes of creation, and the youngest creation, simply referred to as "The Corporeal." as the representation of the body, he represents the Body of God, he is the might and power of the Nuclear one given form. These three are among the most powerful beings in all of creation. And after creating them, it seemed as though the Nuclear one ceased to exist, almost as if it sacrificed itself to bring them into being.’
’Known to all as the Nuclear Siblings, only one has chosen to engage in war with me - "The Origin." I will never forgive it for what it did to me. Our feud will not end until I seal it away or defeat it by my own hand or will. Each passing second only fuels my hatred towards it. But this is the true origin of the being you all serve and revere, even the churches of every religion look up to it as the one True King of the Gods, unaware of its true nature and origins.’
’All they know is that "The One Before The Beginning and After The End," is the one and only True Supreme Being who created the Gods and shaped the Cosmology that encompasses all things as result in directly creating the Gods themselves as result of how the universe work with the "Collective Unconscious" and the "Sea of Ideology". And to make matters worse, their worship only strengthens it further, making our jobs in defeating it infinitely more harder. Tsk!!… humans are so easily deceived, regardless of the multiverse or composite bubble they inhabit. It’s pitiful to witness if I had to be honest, as The Origin has them completely under its grasp.’
’Now that we’ve covered the key details, let’s discuss what lineages actually are. There are 12 in total, with the first three being the strongest and in a league of their own. However, this does not mean that the remaining nine lineages are inferior; with enough cultivation and training, someone from outside the top three could still defeat a member of those lineages.’
’Yes, each lineage can be traced back to one origin - the nuclear one. This first origin gave rise to three others: "The Origin," "The Alteration," and "The Corporeal." However, the other nine lineages can also trace their roots back to these three originators because they intermingled and created offspring. But, it’s important to note that the remaining nine lineages were not directly born from the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd originators. Instead, the 2nd and 3rd origins gave birth to a fourth - "The End," making it the 4th originator.’
’It’s important to remember that each originator represents an aspect of creation. Moving on, "The Origin" is considered both male and female, and it engaged in sexual intercourse with the 3rd originator, resulting in the birth of the 5th originator known as "The Almighty." This strange dimension that stretches infinitely across was created by someone from the 5th lineage beyond any doubt.’
’Normally, spawns of the fifth lineage - whether from an Outer, Greater, or Lesser branch - possess a natural ability to manipulate energy. Each spawn also inherits a unique authority related to the aspect of creation their lineage originated from. And since the 5th created dimensional space for both lower and higher realms, as well as other composite bubbles through Aether (the mother of all energy), it is safe to say that this space, based on its size and quality, belongs to someone from the Greater lineage of the 5th.’
Silk said to a wide-eyed Merciless, who listened intently to her words. His mind raced with the intricate details of the cosmic origins she unveiled before him.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Well, well, well...this exam just got a hell of a lot more interesting."
Merciless leaned in closer, his eyes glinting with excitement.
"Can you believe it? The origin of our universe is tied to ancient eldritch Gods!"
In response to Merciless’s cold and arrogant attitude, Silk couldn’t help but question his sanity.
But Merciless response to this was simple as he continued to laugh out aloud to himself as he said.
"Hold yer horses for a tick, Silk. Gotta say, this whole origin story’s a real laugh riot. Who knew a fancy pants lineage of cosmic brats were the architects of this whole damn mess?"
Merciless chuckled, a low rumble that sent shivers down his spine.
He leaned back, his blue and purple eyes gleaming with morbid amusement behind the blindfolds. As he gazed at the intricate diamond patterns on the ceiling of the mansion, a swirling vortex of nostalgia washed over him, remind him of the days he used to count the moles on his old house walls as a human being.
"Look at it, Silk. This whole screwed-up world, this endless slaughterhouse...it’s beautiful, ain’t it? Like some twisted masterpiece painted by a drunk god with a bad case of the giggles."
A dark grin spread across Merciless face at this moment.
"Honestly, couldn’t have scripted it better myself. All this death, this destruction...it’s music to my ears. Makes me feel right at home, you know?"
Silk inwardly questioned Merciless’s sanity as he spoke.
(I share with him one of the most profound secrets of existence, and he responds with laughter. Maybe the constant presence of that thick corruption around him has finally taken its toll on his sanity.)
Merciless laugh echoed loudly.
"Hahaha! Ahahaha!… Heeheehee!!"
However….
Merciless’ laughter, a guttural roar that sent shivers down the very foundation of the decaying mansion, echoed through the halls. But his amusement was abruptly cut short by the jarring CLANG of metal meeting metal. Where moments ago he stood bathed in the warped amusement of his own dark thoughts, now stood a monstrous weapon.
Clang!!
His once-human right arm had undergone a grotesque and horrifying transformation. Pulsating flesh, an obscene parody of muscle and sinew, writhed beneath the surface before erupting into a colossal blade. It was not forged from steel or any ordinary metal; this bio-weapon was created within Merciless’ own body. His symbiotic partner, Black Tail, played a sinister role in its creation.
Iron, stripped violently from deep within Merciless’ veins, fused with Black Tail’s warped understanding of human and monster anatomy to form an esoteric substance - a dark mockery of the human skeleton. The result was a blade with an edge sharper than anything he had ever produced before.
He was confident that it could slice through multiple layers of reinforced steel with ease, a testament to his grotesque ability to morph and shape his body.
Formed and created from extracting iron from the blood of the body, and silicone from his bones as well, making a diamond edge for the newly form blade that was sharpen to perfection.
Merciless worked meticulously, twisting and shaping the iron extracted from his own body while Black Tail focused on transforming his bones into esoteric silicon using the different minerals within him taking them mostly from the marrows of his bones especially.
Under the combined influence of Merciless and Black Tail everything was amplified and fortified, enveloped in a mesmerizing purple plasma that crackled with raw electric energy.
This extraordinary fusion was a result of blending Stasis Ionize Purple and Tagamars radiation lightning, along with his innate aura. The result was a billowing cloak of thin smoke, emanating from the blade itself and imbued with both formidable defense and monstrously destructive capabilities.
A swirling vortex of power, twisting and turning with a mind of its own around the metal and silicon edge of the newly constructed arm blade.
As he worked diligently, Merciless suddenly sensed an approaching threat from the side. With lightning-fast reflexes, he swiftly blocked the surprise attack with his massive blade arm.
In that split second, he caught a glimpse of his attacker - a female non-human with skin as dark as the idea of what a void is, seeming to absorb all light around her.
Her hands were tipped with sharp claws and she lunged towards him with lethal intent.
But in this moment of surprise, she was taken aback. The shock on her face was evident, as Merciless was able to effortlessly counter her assault. She clearly did not anticipate anyone being able to deflect her attack with such ease.
But her shock quickly transformed into fear and concern as Merciless slowly turned his head towards her, his tone dropping to a quiet but unsettlingly menacing level.
"Bitch… I was having a moment there."
"Shit… how did you…
The woman’s declaration was cut short by a searing burst of purple lightning, lashing out from the Merciless blade arm. The electricity didn’t flow through her body like a typical shock; it was a violent explosion of pain that seemed to consume her whole being. The source of the attack was merciless and unrelenting, leaving her writhing in agony as she struggled against the electrical force.
The surge of electricity coursed through her body, as if the lightning was merging with her, intentionally attacking each of her cells with brutal force.
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The surge of electricity coursed through her void-black skin, the initial searing pain blossoming into a horrifying symphony of agony. Muscles contracted with agonizing spasms, her body contorting into an unnatural arch as her nervous system overloaded.
The stench of burning flesh filled the air, a sickly-sweet perfume that mingled with the metallic tang of bright crimson blood. Smoke wisped from the obsidian claws on her hands, now melted and fused into grotesque parodies of their former lethality. Her golden eyes, once burning with predatory fire, bulged from their sockets, the pupils dilating to inky blackness before exploding in a burst of crimson.
The electrical assault ripped through her like a pack of ravenous wolves, tearing at her insides with a ferocity that defied comprehension. Black veins snaked across her skin, a pulsing network of char where the electricity had carved its path. The obscene sizzling continued, the smell of burnt flesh intensifying with each passing moment.
Her screams, once a guttural battle cry, devolved into a wet, choked gurgle, the sound of a creature drowning in its own agony. Then, with a sickening snap, the sound of overcooked bone, her body went limp. The void color female warrior, once a predator poised for the kill, lay twitching on the cold stone floor, a grotesque testament to the destructive power unleashed by Merciless new attack.
The bio-blade itself pulsed with a malevolent satisfaction, the purple plasma receding into its metallic depths as if sated. Merciless, a literal walking arsenal of abilities surveyed the scene with a cold indifference, his blindfolded face betraying no emotion.
In the flickering torchlight, he looked less like a man and more like a monstrous idol carved from raw flesh and bone.
"Tsk stop playing dead woman! I can still hear the faint beat of your now melting heart."
Even as he looked down at the burnt corpse of the woman he had just killed, Merciless received no response from her.
However, he couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction. He raised up his blade arm to the sky and felt a surge of power course though it as he will it to be, as plasma from the environment around him, was absorbed by his cells at great speeds, combining with Alucard control of lightning-based energies and Albedo’s cells to compress and regulate the purple lightning.
His horns were crucial in creating the blade silicon edges, as he infused the same material they were made of into the metal during the last minute parry with the woman’s claws, resulting in her being burned alive.
With a swift, effortless motion, he brought down his blade infused with esoteric purple plasma upon the woman’s body. In an instant, she transformed into black smoke, unable to play dead any longer. But Merciless was already on the move, his blade-like arm cutting through the air with such speed and heat that it ignited the atmosphere around them.
The sound of a whistling purple arch filled the air as his blade of pure energy escaped his hands, slicing and burning a large part of the infinite-sized mansion dimension. The walls split brutally in two, scorching everything in their path. As the area around them began to shake brutally under their immense battle.
In a swift motion, the woman’s smoky form twisted and lunged towards the now open Merciless. In a matter of seconds, the gas-like substance solidified into a thick, tar-like liquid that consumed Merciless, coating his entire body with its oily darkness.
Merciless immediately began to fight against the woman’s tar-like body, but he soon realized that the more he struggled, the stronger the grip became. The tar seemed to be squeezing and crushing him, even breaking his reinforced bones that were able to withstand powerful attacks. He could feel himself getting weaker and weaker as the tar engulfed him.
To make matters worse, the tar he was covered in seemed to have a corrosive effect as the mysterious woman’s embrace caused his skin to slowly dissolve.
TSSSSSSS!!!
The sound of his flesh being melted and converted into more tar was evident, and finally the woman began to speak as she said.
"Just give up already damnit… its no use, I haven’t met a single person who was capable of escaping my Corrosive bind with physical strength alone, pointless struggling only make it more tighter and harder for the victim to escape."
A sly smirk crept onto Merciless’ face the moment he heard these words, as a cunning scheme took shape in his mind. If brute strength failed, he would resort to his shapeshifting abilities, among various others to escape.
In a blink of an eye, he transformed himself into a tiny doll only six inches long. With the power of solidification magic nature, he conjured up a triple-layered wind shield reinforced with plasma from his deadly S.I.P. attack, protecting his entire body, and freezing the enemy in place the paralysis light from S.I.P., before she could adjust to his new size.
As the curtains rose and the stage was set, he knew that his escape was inevitable. With a newfound sense of control, his powers felt like an extension of his body, effortlessly flowing through him. He opened up a small Aether portal within the force field, and with a swift jump, his tiny form disappeared into it. Victory was within reach, and nothing could stop him now.
Merciless teleported a few meters away in front of the woman, who had transformed into a slimy tar-like form. The sudden retaliation and escape caught her off guard, and she spoke with a voice emanating from her new form.
"Wait… What… HOWWW!?"
Merciless reply was simple.
"Fuck you that’s how!"
A snarky smile spread across his face as he pointed towards the woman. Every instinct in her body was telling her to run, but she couldn’t move. The Stasis effect of the Ionize purple barrier was still in motion, leaving her vulnerable to any of Merciless attacks. She was trapped from the inside out, a prisoner of her own actions you could say.
"Well, well, my little tar creature...looks like you’ve gotten yourself into quite a sticky situation now, haven’t you? Haha, oh well. You can be my latest experiment; I’m excited to see what this is capable of for a while now."
Merciless said while he quickly return back to his original form, his hand still point at her.
"Order: Command: Death of the Mind."
"Wait… wait… what do you m…
The woman’s words were cut off as a bright red light shone upon her, rendering her speechless. In that moment, the slimy creature also became still, seemingly on its own volition. It was as if its previous will and consciousness had disappeared into nothingness.
Merciless took slow steps towards the woman, who was still trapped in a tar-like substance, unable to move or even process her thoughts.
As Merciless reached out to her, he attempted to forge a connection with her mind through the use of his natural abilities inherited from the Solomon clan. However, upon doing so, he immediately sensed that her mind was completely gone, leaving only her physical body behind.
A smirk raised on his lips as he said to himself.
"Hehehe.. Jordan is one scary mf alright, an ichor like this can be problematic as fuck if you don’t have the proper counter measures to deal with it."
"On the other hand, eat up Black Tail, lets extract the information from her cell for ourselves."
With those words, Black Tail underwent a transformation, morphing into a creature that was part fox and part wolf. Its new form had powerful jaws, which it opened wide and used to devour the tar woman whole.
In that moment, Merciless’s mind was overwhelmed with a flood of memories and emotions, along with some souls as well.
