Nameless King

Imps' leader suddenly thrust the halberd into itself. Wain was surprised. He did not understand what the monster was doing. However, Wain was sure that Imp would not give up and end his life by suicide.

'His aura is getting stronger by the second. I have to hurry!' Thought Wain and turned into blue lightning.

Not a second had passed since Imp thrust the halberd into himself. Wain intended to kill the monster before it got stronger. So he ran as fast as he could toward the monster.

The ground beneath Wain's feet was covered in cracks, and small craters were left on the surface. At that moment, he was close to exceeding the speed of sound. He was in front of Imp in less than 0.2 seconds and instantly attacked the monster.

The plasma sword rained down on Imp like a comet, capable of destroying anything. But suddenly, Wain thought he saw the face of a fire demon before him.

Whooosh.

A moment later, a torrent of fire erupted over Wain, and he was thrown aside with unbelievable force. He didn't even have time to react or somehow block this attack. Never before had Wain found himself in a situation where nothing he could do.

His body flew like a projectile a few dozen meters and slammed into the cave wall. The impact was so powerful that the tunnel system shook. Pretty much anyone in Wain's shoes would have been turned into a pancake by now.

"What the fuck was that?!" Wain said angrily, climbing out of the wreckage.

He stared intently at his opponent, whose appearance had been significantly transformed. The wound on Imp's side had not healed, but it was no longer bleeding as there were violent flames all over the monster's body.

The flames emanating from the monster gradually increased and spread over a larger area. Imp's aura was majestic and ancient. Wain could feel the tremendous pressure this aura was putting on him.

But, that was not the most important change. Strange symbols appeared on his chest, around the spot where Imp had pierced himself with the halberd. Wain didn't know what they meant, but the signs burned brightly and emitted energy in the form of flame.

That energy gradually turned into the silhouette of a fire demon standing behind the monster. This demon was not something foreign. It was part of the monster and represented its essence.

Wain stepped forward, and then he saw several messages.

[You are under the influence of Imp's Beyond.

Your resistance to fire has been lowered by 100%. All of your fire attacks will work against you. Your body is gradually heating up due to the incredible heat, and you will burn to the ground in five minutes]

"What the fuck?!" Cursed Wain. He had never seen anything like this before. To him, it seemed like some kind of nonsense.

He didn't know what Beyond was or how to use it, but now he was suddenly under the influence of the enemy Beyond.

'There are so many negative effects on me, it's unbelievable. What's more, it's likely Imp has received the strongest bonuses. He has increased his power and made me weaker. This is the power of Beyond...' thought Wain.

He was annoyed by the situation, but he was also thrilled by the power of Beyond. It was something fantastic and abnormal. It was beyond his comprehension. Beyond was something that stood above skills and even souls.

'This power that belongs to him, to me, and to everyone who has evolved and become First Chronicle's creature. Perhaps I can activate my Beyond now? But, what I need to do for it?' Wain pondered.

He also wanted to use the power that he had awakened during his evolution. However, Wain had no idea how to do it.

Step.

Imp took a step forward. The monster still had the massive halberd in his hand and was slowly heading toward Wain. Every step he took created a wave of fire spreading across the cave floor.

"Looks like I'll have to use my trump card in this fight," Wain muttered, and Soul Essence piled up around his body.

He would use the second form, the Cursed Swordsman since Wain thought that ice was perfectly suited to defeat a fiery opponent.

However...

At the last moment, Wain changed his mind.

'No, I can't use the Cursed Swordsman because if I use that skill, I will use up all my power, and I won't be able to use any more skills. If this monster's fire will be able to melt my ice, then activating the second form will be my fatal mistake.' Wain thought.

He didn't know exactly how powerful Imp's flames were, but he couldn't risk it.

'What's more, the message said that my resistance to fire was lowered by 100%. If that applies to my ice as well, then I'm screwed.' Wain thought, and Soul Essence gathered around his body again.

Then his hair turned white and lengthened considerably. A black and white armor appeared on him. He decided to activate the first form, Code of Light and Darkness. A peaceful and tranquil aura emanated from Wain.

In this state, nothing could shake his equilibrium. Wain decided to check his status.

[Wain Norheim

Level: 15

Race: Human

Beyond: Calamity

Soul: Nameless King

Additional Soul: Last Knight

Title: Savior of the Damned, Echo of Samurai, Mentor Inquisitor, The First

Status Points: 12

Strength: 84 / Agility: 84 / Vitality: 84 / Stamina: 84 / Energy: 84]

"Excellent..." Wain muttered and turned into a blur.

A moment later, he was behind Imp. The monster didn't have time to react to such rapid movements of Wain's, but not fire.

The torrents of flame immediately descended on Wain. The purpose of the fire was to protect its owner and destroy the enemy.

Wain bounced to the side and slashed at the right side of the monster. He made a fairly deep cut, but the open wound was immediately burned, and no bleeding began.

Imp swung his halberd furiously and created a massive blade of flame. It should have turned Wain into a pile of coals, but he easily bounced aside and passed the blow.

Then the Ring of Damned glowed, and a trident appeared in Wain's hands. He was going to use this weapon for his plan.

Whooosh.

Wain threw the trident as hard as he could toward Imp. The weapon flew with the speed of a bullet and reached the monster almost immediately. However, Imp was fast enough to dodge the attack.

The monster jumped to the right and turned toward Wain. Imp, however, was unable to locate Wain where he had just been.

"Gotcha." Said Wain smiling wryly. He stood beside Imp and sharply thrust his plasma sword into the monster's back.

Wain's plan was that the moment he threw the trident at the monster, he ran in the other direction at great speed.

Wain ran to the right because he knew that's where the monster would jump back. It wasn't luck. It was cold calculation and a deliberate plan. When Wain threw the trident, he was not aiming at the monster's chest but at its left shoulder.

Obviously, Imp would prefer to bounce to the right in such a case, as it was faster and safer.

In this case, one competent action and a few centimeters decided the fight's outcome. In any battle, the little things could make the difference. However, it was a factor that had to be taken advantage of.

Wain plunged his sword into Imp's back and made a vertical upward swing. Wain sliced the monster's spine in two with this motion and caused it to experience incredible pain.

Imp was gradually dying, and the flames did their best to prevent it. Suddenly the monster's regeneration was several times faster and more efficient. Right before Wain's eyes, the monster's flesh was overgrowing.

He was shocked that such a wound could be healed at all; it was something unbelievable to him.

"Such powers... fuck... that's not fair!" Proclaimed Wain and furiously began swinging his sword.

Wain sliced the monster's flesh apart, preventing it from regenerating and leaving new, severe wounds on Imp's body.

At one point, however, Wain's sword began to melt. The plasma sword could not withstand such tremendous heat.

Wain realized that the situation was critical. He had to kill the monster before it regenerated.

'Shit, I can't use the gauntlet. It hasn't been three minutes yet. Otherwise, I would have killed it already.' Thought Wain delivering another blow.

Then Wain decided to make a desperate move. He threw the sword aside and plunged his hand into the monster's flesh. Wain could feel his armor heating up and gradually beginning to melt, but that couldn't stop him.

"Found it," Wain said with a smile and squeezed the monster's heart with all his might.

Bam.

The monster's massive heart burst, and then Imp's aura disappeared, as did the flames emanating from it.

A blue soul flew from Imp's corpse and entered Wain's body.

[Soul of Fire Imp's Head (Whole)

Chronicle: First

Rating: Rare]

Wain canceled Code of Light and Darkness and breathed a sigh of relief. This fight was much harder than he had initially anticipated.

"Phew, that was incredible..." Wain said with a smile. He was tired, but he was pleased with this battle.

It was the first time Wain had seen Beyond in act. He thought it was a gratifying experience. Unfortunately, Wain didn't understand how to activate his Beyond, but this fight was the first step to comprehending it.

'Damn, even though I activated the first form, I got some serious wounds.' Thought Wain looking at the cut on his arm and the numerous burns. The armor was able to protect him, but not completely.

"Okay, I hope there's no one in this Nest stronger than this Imp." Mumbled Wain and crushed the blue soul.