64. A: Test Of Swirling Light

Opening my eyes and looking forward, I once again felt it... that endless stream of curse around me resuming its flow... that madly beating heart of mine speeding up with every pulse... And also... That hidden and silent, cold touch of death tracing my neck as it spread through the mist...

Nevertheless, not letting my mind get distracted, I quickly suppressed it... that exhilaration and thrill invading my veins, as I then slowly... stretched my arm forward and toward that flow of curse, only to then speak a single word. But, Aah...

Don’t misunderstand, okay? ‘Cause even if it’s only a single word, it’s still more than enough, you know? Enough to play the role of a trigger... One expressing my will and so...

“Black”

And so, along with me releasing my clenched fist and speaking a word as the trigger, suddenly... Two bright flashes of light, one blue and the other red met right above my palm, swirling and melting together... Only to then...

Booom.

Only to then explode, rejecting each other and also disrupting the flow, as suddenly... Along with a strong force spreading from the point of contact, both colors disappeared... And looking at that, I smiled more. After all, what replaced those two colors was...

Fuuuush.

What replaced them was Black... an Arrogant and Selfish Black of my own denying all else, and differing from Oblivion’s murky color, as it suddenly spread devouring the flow...

Nevertheless not bothering to look at that, I slowly closed my eyes and then remembering the feeling of connection when manipulating my halberd, I... I abruptly clenched my fist and pulled it down, as suddenly...

Ssssss...

Suddenly along with a loud hissing sound, all the curse flowing in air, the remains and flesh filling the crater, and even the mist and trees around... They all shook, and as if a reflection losing its form, they instantly melted, before then getting absorbed. But Hmm? Absorbed where, you say?

Well, of course, it’s...

“Here”

Opening my eyes and saying so, I look at the hand in front of me, or more like at the thing held in my hand, and what I saw there was... No, it’s not an orb of light, nope... This time what I saw there was... a small glass marble, I guess?

Well, at least it looks like that if not using Observer, but anyway... as I was saying, the thing held in my hand was a small black marble with a weak glow of blue and red swirling inside of it. Still, leaving aside how it looks, I should try it now, no?

Thinking so, and looking at the crater around me now more than double its previous size, I take a deep breath and then...

Crack.

And then along with crimson lightning covering my arm, I smile before then putting more force in my hand as I then...

... Crush the marble. But...

“This... It’s... amazing, hee...”

Saying so and feeling surprised, I look at my arm and what I saw then was... what I saw then was the marble easily breaking before then exploding as a flow of black water, then engulfing my whole arm, as it instantly...

Ssssss...

Froze... or is crystallize the better word? Well, not like I care. Thinking such and glancing at the black crystal layer reaching until my elbow, I then close my eyes and for a couple of seconds wait. Until finally...

- #3 Sub Scenario: Observer’s Desire-

.... Progress: 39%

.........

- #3 Sub Scenario: Observer’s Desire.

Assimilation Progress: 44%-

-Conditions have been met.

Lv4 has been reached.-

“... It’s done.”

Saying that and opening my eyes, I take a moment to calm my spinning head, and then...

Crash.

And then I swing my hand breaking the black layer covering it, and glancing at that thing on my hand. But... Wow, it really looks like it...

“The 0th phantasm, I mean...”

Saying that and looking at my arm, I turn it here and there, like this and that, all as I scan the black gauntlet covering it, but... indeed, it really looks like a replica of it, The 0th phantasm’s main form, that is... Ah, but of course, that is if we exclude the color of black painting it, those pulsing crimson markings on it, and also that...

“... Silver shackle integrating into it? Hmm? But wait...”

“How did a bracelet become a shackle?... No, forget how, the question should be Why, I think?... Hmmm, this...”

“It feels... suspicious...”

Amusedly smiling and saying so, I look at my hand covered in a legacy of a forgotten world for a moment as I reminisce in nostalgia, before then closing my eyes once more as I then...

ZzzSsZt.

Sparks sound.

As then I clench my hand and feel it... That gauntlet of black melting and flowing toward my palm, before then once again following the path of crimson lightning as it take shape... this time as...

“A Halberd...”

Muttering that and glancing at the black halberd in my hand, I swing it once then twice as a test, and...

“And well... I don’t really see that much of a difference...”

Saying so and feeling a little disappointed, I slowly look up at my original halberd floating up there above me, before then once again glancing at this other halberd in my hand and comparing them, but... Haaaa, except for the pulsing crimson lines adorning this new halberd, I really don’t see much of a difference... Though on the other hand, that in itself...

“... Feel off...”

Closely glancing at the halberd’s glossy black surface and saying such, I turn my head to the side and check my reflection, but hmm? Is just me or did the marks spread?

Tilting my head once more and thinking such for a moment, I stop in place before then... Shrugging my shoulder and proceeding to ignore both the fact that the now-crimson marks had a line crossing my right cheek and almost reaching my eye, and the fact that all the previously available weapons were mostly of the same glossy black metal in default, as I then just throw the halberd in air testing it, but...

“Guess, there was a difference after all, ha...”

Saying that and appreciating both the smoothness of my control over the new halberd’s movement, and the visual resulting from Acceleration, Curse, and the Red Lines, I... I instantly move, raising my hand forward and stopping the halberd’s movement, as it then suddenly melts and gets once more absorbed in my hand. But, well... I guess this much testing is enough, so...

“So should we end this?”

Grinning and loudly saying such, I instantly push my stats to the limit with aura manipulation, before then putting more force in my feet and stabilizing myself.

Then, and only then after feeling more confident of not sustaining injuries, I slowly, very slowly at that, raise my hand and point with my index finger forward as suddenly...

VOoOo.

Following a weird noise from the air pressure, and a certain circle of azure lightning appearing at the tip of my finger, Light... White Light, at that... Instantly filled my vision as it split the world.