Apocalypse Healer 3: A LitRPG Adventure, page 28
David didn’t kill the shapeshifted Void instantly. He used the lightning currents to drain the Void, to weaken it as much as possible before pushing [Fearwrought] out. It was the first time he unleashed his newest asset, yet he did not hesitate to intensify it further, filling the eternal darkness around him with fear—flooding it until there was no escape.
At last, once the traces of the Void reached the desired threshold, David’s will surged forward to consume them. There was no need to destroy them. Draining their power until only a minuscule trace of the Void was left—that was all he ever wanted. It was all he needed to complete his plan. After all, he never wanted to work against the Maelstrom, let alone destroy the Void within. He just had to weaken it enough to claim it. To make it his.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” he said, increasing the output of pristine-white lightning once again.
David felt something change. It was too subtle to perceive all the details and too early to tell if it was successful, but it was something.
“Thank you for giving birth to me.”
His life hadn’t always been easy. It had been a mess, to say the least. But his parents had given him love. They had overwhelmed him with their love. It had been an obsession, definitely—David was aware of that now. Despite that, his life had been much better than others’, even if he loathed his parents at times.
“I love you,” he muttered, gritting his teeth as he unleashed [Primeval Pulse], squashing the Maelstrom’s last layer of resistance—obliterating the power that had taken on the appearance of his parents.
His eyes, wet and blurry, turned to his younger self—young David—showing the hint of a smile as it disintegrated alongside his parents.
Deryadus’ Arm was the sole reason he had been willing to risk absorbing the Maelstrom. As an Ancient Relic, it was said to be capable of altering all kinds of energy, so it shouldn’t have been a problem to help him claim the Maelstrom and the energy within as well. However, preparing the Relic for the final day had been torturous and expensive, draining his funds considerably.
It was worth the price, though, David thought as he opened his eyes once again.
He was covered in a mixture of sweat and blood, transforming every movement into an uncomfortable ordeal. Exhaustion clung tightly to him, yet David couldn’t tell if it was his body, mind, or soul that was exhausted. It was all and none at the same time.
“I’m alive,” he muttered, leaning back. His back hit the ground softly, a bright smile blooming on his face.
I made it. The Maelstrom is mine now! David screamed in his heart, too exhausted to shout his excitement out loud. Deryadus’ Arm was still intact and worked efficiently, though some changes were happening to it—to him—as the integration of the Maelstrom continued. But that was not something David could influence. He might be able to shift the Maelstrom, but the Ancient Relic was already doing that.
Unwilling to destroy his hard work with ignorance, David waited impatiently until the notifications from the System finally popped up.
Show me what you think about my actions!
[Non-system has been detected in the User’s system. The User has consumed – claimed –...]
The message was cut short and shifted before his eyes. Letters swirled through the holographic screen and reshaped into something new.
[Error. Error! Non-system energy has been integrated into the User’s system! Forceful expulsion of harmful energy is recommended!!
Do you wish to expel the devious substance?
Remark: Expulsion is mandated by the System. Rejecting the–...]
“Hell no!” David shouted before finishing the system message. He couldn’t care less what the System wanted. It was like the exhaustion was washed away as he jerked up to take a double-take at the first part of the mission.
“Don’t you dare to expel it!”
[The User has rejected expulsion of harmful non-system energy, going against the mandate and well-meant recommendation!]
[Error! Error!
The User has forcefully taken control of a Maelstrom. Against all odds, it remained unscathed and did not shatter.
Traces of Nihilum within the subject’s body, mind, and soul have been fully absorbed, distorted, and reconfigured.
A new vessel of the Nemesis’ might has been forged—claimed, shaped, and in full control of the Herald.]
[Where once there was void, a breath was drawn.
In defiance of all laws, it came to be—singular, sovereign, inevitable.]
[Vitae Nihilum has been created.]
[+0.01]
David half-expected to be punished by the System. A mandate by the System was most definitely not something he could refuse without facing consequences. That would make sense, given how much the System seemed to hate the Fissure and everything associated with it. However, as he read through the last messages over and over again, understanding began to dawn on him.
Is it satisfying that I managed to annex the Fissure’s greatest power? That it transformed the greatest adversary of the cosmos into something that can be wielded against them?
He was not quite sure about that, but the System did not give him any rewards for his achievement. Presumably, the punishment he would have received was waived because he made Nihilum his.
Nihilum was an odd name to give the energy empowering the Voidlings. However, upon thinking about it for a few seconds, it was not necessarily wrong.
“I’ll call you Vitae though. That has a better ring to it,” David muttered—not that anyone could understand him either way. Except for Electra.
His throat tightened as he recalled the Sacred Beast and the struggle it had gone through while he was busy wreaking havoc within the Maelstrom. The fact that the System said all Nihilum had been consumed calmed him a little, but there were still lingering traces of Nihilum spread through Deryadus’ Arm. Well… reconfigured Nihilum.
The traces that latched onto the Ancient Relic were Vitae, though weak and fading. Their presence was barely worth mentioning, which made sense given that he had only 0.01 Vitae in total.
Despite that, David did not stay idle and focused on his connection with the Sacred Beast.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he loosened up as the severed connection to Electra returned.
“Good. I was worried,” he grimaced, closing his eyes to check on the Mythical Electra.
His mind entered the space within the Sacred Beast Core without resistance, the smile slipping from his lips as his eyes landed on the cracks permeating the Core’s insides. Electra levitated high above him, but the Sacred Beast looked nothing like before. The remnants of its will had altered its shape, transforming it into a perfect replica of her form as an Echo.
Electra must have accepted its new role, David mused as he analyzed the post-massacre damage.
[Bloodlife Echo] was almost drained. The Sacred Beast didn’t even have ten droplets of pure Blood left to maintain its form. And that wasn’t even the worst of it. The Sacred Beast Core was dried out and damaged. It could be repaired—however, that would consume a considerable amount of pure Blood. Not that it was a problem, but it would take time to fix the mess.
Scalemore and Serpent Fang weren’t fully drained, but that was probably the only reason they hadn’t disintegrated. Both bound weapons were cracked and looked like a light blow would destroy them.
“That was closer than expected,” David winced as the Mythical Electra continued to regard him in silence. Its form was weak and on the verge of fading, but it had survived. Though he was certain the Beast’s Will had been damaged and partially consumed by the intrusive Nihilum that had surged into the Sacred Beast Core.
“Thanks a lot. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it,” David said—and he truly meant it.
Electra gad stalled the majority of Nihilum left within the Maelstrom, creating the opportunity he’d needed to take it over.
They—David, to be precise—had never expected the bits of Nihilum within the Maelstrom to cause this much damage. It shouldn’t have been this difficult. Not after spending most of the years growing stronger, preparing for this day. All research had hinted that absorbing more nothingness would help him claim the Maelstrom more easily, but was that really the case?
If the theories based on his dedicated research were right, would he have died if he hadn’t cleansed the entire nation and surrounding counties of all nothingness? How much more nothingness was needed to claim a Maelstrom more easily? Would it require the cleansing of an entire world to claim a nurtured Maelstrom?
Why am I even thinking about this? I’ve already claimed a Maelstrom and don’t need to worry about others attempting the same. Not that it’s likely anyone would be stupid enough to do that.
Others did not have his Class Skills, a companion like Electra, let alone the energy storages needed to survive this long. Additionally, nobody had an Ancient Relic of a Fallen capable of devouring and annexing all types of energy and materials. Deryadus’ Arm was unique—and so, too, was the existence of Vitae Nihilum, if the System could be trusted.
30
CLEANSED
His left arm was transforming—but it wasn’t Deryadus’ Arm that transformed. It was… just his arm.
There was no longer a gap separating the Ancient Relic from his body. The difference wasn’t significant, as Deryadus’ Arm had felt like part of his body for a while now, but there had always been a small barrier—a restriction that made it increasingly difficult to consider the Relic truly his.
However, the restriction was no longer present. It had disappeared, unraveling things David could have only fathomed before. He watched with great interest as his arm continued to change. A mark of [Lifeweaver’s Bond] and pure Blood coursed through it, revealing everything David needed to understand that Deryadus’ Arm was no longer a ‘mere’ Ancient Relic.
It was his blood, bone, and flesh.
As the changes settled, it expanded. His arm was still metallic black, engraved with intricate runic engravings. The tattoo of [Bloodlife Echo] was faint and fading—the scarcity of pure Blood restraining Electra’s movements—but it was still coiled around the arm. It had moved up to his upper shoulder, where the Ancient Relic connected to the rest of his upper arm.
David took a second to notice the faint black taint traveling across his skin. It wasn’t long, and it looked like a smear, but a quick examination of his left arm showed that the effects of Deryadus’ Arm had traveled further along his upper arm, shaping it slowly.
Is the change another hidden property of the arm, or is it something that came to be from binding the Maelstrom?
The changes did not feel malignant, but it required more data to be certain. Therefore, David retrieved one of the Maelstroms he had collected from a weak Sapling. The Nihilum within this Maelstrom was stronger—more nurtured—than the Nihilum in the Maelstrom he had claimed, though the difference was minuscule.
He could have waited until he and Electra were back at their peak, but he could feel the Nihilum within the Maelstrom with shocking clarity. He knew that it didn’t want him to come closer. It was… afraid?
David cocked his head at that and called upon Vitae. It poured from the Maelstrom and coursed smoothly through his left arm without causing any harm. Neither did it weaken the Ancient Relic, nor did it affect him otherwise. He was in full control of Vitae Nihilum and even applied [Herald’s Blessing] on it as it infiltrated enemy territory. It infested the Maelstrom resting in his hand and did exactly the same the Voidlings had done: it devoured everything.
David couldn’t categorize everything he was seeing, but no profound understanding of his new power was required to tell a head-on battle apart from a one-sided battle. And that was exactly what was happening. A one-sided battle. Carnage.
Only a few seconds passed before the Maelstrom in his hand shattered. It disintegrated into tiny particles, which would have disappeared within seconds if Vitae had allowed even a moment’s resistance. But that was not the case. Vitae Nihilum expanded explosively and devoured the Maelstrom’s remains alongside all of the Nihilum it had collected.
His eyes were fixated on his empty hand even as his new power retracted. It pulled back and returned to the Maelstrom, but nothing was how it used to be. David felt an itch in his upper arm as the Maelstrom coiled, doing… something he couldn’t quite grasp yet.
However, he could say one thing for sure: Deryadus’ Arm had built up some resistance to Nihilum. The Ancient Relic—and with that, David as well—were changing, improving, as he digested the power drained from consuming the first Maelstrom.
The System seemed to agree.
[Inferior Seedling has been devoured and ripped out of the Nemesis’ control.]
[+0.02 Vitae Nihilum.]
That was enough for him to tell what to do next. David resolved to retrieve everything he had collected over the months—all Maelstroms and the corpses he’d managed to take away without letting Zachariah know.
Once all Maelstroms and body parts were spread out, David shrouded them in [Origin Lightning], containing their power and weakening the Nihilum swirling within. He followed up by organizing the Maelstroms and body parts according to quality and quantity and resumed work with the next Sapling’s Maelstrom.
Vitae burst from his Maelstrom, traveled through his arm, and latched onto the Sapling’s Maelstrom, entering it with brute force. David tried to join the process and alter it ever so slightly, sending currents of pristine-white lightning into the Maelstrom, but that did little to improve the process.
The currents are not useless, but their efficiency is barely worth mentioning. Still, they ignore Vitae and focus on breaking down Nihilum, which is good. It should be easier to make use of that. Brute force is certainly not the kind of support Vitae needs to sweep through it in one go.
David tilted his head and cast [Lifeweaver’s Bond] on the Maelstrom. He watched the process and remained unmoving as Vitae overwhelmed the Void’s greatest power to devour it. Vitae was stronger—more than before—yet it was apparent that it was not omnipotent. The Nihilum stored within the Maelstroms fought the Vitae and tried to rip it apart all the same.
Only a few seconds passed before the Maelstrom disintegrated. Vitae returned to him, and another notification popped up.
[+0.01 Vitae Nihilum.]
The gains were minuscule. It was a confusing sight, but disappointment never crossed his mind. After all, there was no reason to be disappointed.
David could sense the changes Vitae created from the mere addition of 0.01 to its mass and power. His perception was growing, particularly in the receptors responsible for sensing and seeing Nihilum. That alone was enough to widen his understanding of the Void’s power, even though it felt like a side effect of the main changes.
Other than the growth in his perception, David could tell he was becoming more resistant to Nihilum. It might be harder to absorb Nihilum directly with his current resistance, but the Nihilum of a Sapling was bound to do little to no damage once he was done here. That, along with the increased efficiency of [Origin Lightning], was one of the most important changes.
David released another lightning current upon picking up the next-strongest Maelstrom. This time, he tried to add a trace of Vitae to the lightning. It didn’t work as intended at first—the lightning exploded in his hand. So he tried again.
The lightning left his fingers, but it never reached the Maelstrom. It almost touched the designated target but failed to hit the mark.
Not until David released the fourth lightning current, that is.
The pristine-white lightning burst from his fingers and struck the Maelstrom resting in his palm. Dark outlines, resembling the all-consuming darkness of the Voidlings’ Barrier, surrounded the lightning as it hit the edge of the black shard, infiltrating the Maelstrom in a single surge.
[+0.02 Vitae Nihilum.]
Not even five seconds passed before the next message popped up. David grinned like the incarnation of the greatest fool and continued with his work, researching the consumption process with great interest after modifying [Origin Lightning] slightly whenever he retrieved a new Maelstrom.
It took dozens of tries and a few good minutes before a detail of his Maelstrom came to life. Accessing it grew more difficult as he accumulated more Vitae. Even accessing it felt… different. It didn’t feel like Vitae was resisting him, but the voices of the Void were still there. Not as loud as they had been when he first accessed the power of the Void, but still present, taunting him.
Just like the souls that had been tortured—devoured—to create Nihilum.
David’s hair stood on end at the implication. He had seen the terrors the Void spread through the worlds to manifest and grow stronger.
The stronger the Maelstrom resting in his hands, the more chaos and death it had sown, devouring monsters, plant life, and more intelligent life by the thousands, if not more.
David devoured the very Nihilum that had been created from the Body, Mind, and Soul of those poor victims. Knowing that, he continued to consume it all. While he could no longer protect the bodies and minds of those who had been devoured by the Void, David felt the need to quell the voices ringing in his head.
He continued creating Vitae Nihilum but made it a mission to set free those who had suffered long enough.
How am I supposed to do that though? David grimaced, his eyes shut tightly. He tried to usher Words of Power to aid the process, but it was to no avail. What should he say, to begin with? ‘Free the souls’ was unlikely to do anything. Not that he even knew how to say that in the Words of Power in the first place.
He accessed Vitae Nihilum with the desire to free the souls of the tortured when something pressed hard against him. The urge to open his eyes and look around rippled through his mind, but David knew better. His eyes remained shut as he focused on the weight pressing on his mind and body. It was heavy and would be cumbersome to carry for prolonged periods, but it was just as pleasant.
