In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

Radiance stepped forward quietly.

Or rather, he felt as though he stepped forward.

His physical body had long since vanished, yet his presence remained rooted in this place.

The damp air brushed against his numb, unfeeling skin.

When his foot passed through a cold puddle, ripples spread across the surface—

But he could no longer feel the sensation.

The cave was drowned in endless darkness.

Its walls were slick with moss and mold, and water dripped rhythmically from the ceiling, soaking the ground in haunting beats.

Though no wind blew, faint whispers echoed—like the lingering traces of vanished souls brushing past Radiance's ears.

He reached out a hand—

A hand that was no longer physical.

The blurred silhouette of his form began to solidify again.

Radiance clenched his jaw.

Ever since his battle with Alfred, he had lost the ability to feel anything.

What he sensed now were merely echoes—memories of sensations long gone.

The air was thick with the scent of rotting soil and mold.

But it wasn't just a foul odor.

Something more profound lingered here—

A residue of an ancient presence, a force that wandered between life and death.

A faint flicker of light blinked in the distance.

Radiance couldn't tell whether it was truly there or just a hallucination conjured by fading memories.

He ventured deeper.

The darkness thickened, and it felt as though even his very existence was being absorbed into it.

There were no footsteps.

Only the cave's humming breath, reacting to his presence, filled the space like a low murmur.

Even as a disembodied spirit, Radiance had the uncanny sense of water soaking beneath his feet.

'What a wretched place.'

He clicked his tongue.

It was fitting that the person he hated most in the world would rest here.

This place was so cursed, it was sickening to even pretend to breathe.

Though he no longer had lungs or a heart, the oppressive atmosphere alone was enough to fill him with revulsion.

The cave stretched on endlessly, soaked in damp air and old blood.

A faint, bluish glow seeped from cracks in the walls.

It was not from ordinary phosphorescence.

The light was a barrier—a shield left behind by Alfred.

Radiance extended a hand.

He could feel the tightly-woven threads of the barrier—like a web—brushing against his soul.

A transparent ripple shimmered.

The blue glow flickered in response, recognizing his presence and repelling him with a force strong enough to make even his soul tremble.

'So, he wanted to protect the one he loved…'

Radiance smiled bitterly.

Alfred—once a figure of utmost admiration, yet never someone he could walk alongside.

Memories of their fierce battle resurfaced.

That battle had cost Radiance greatly.

He had once possessed an almost limitless power of absorption—

Able to devour divine authority, erase existences.

But the battle with Alfred had shattered that.

His essence had been broken, and the Radiance who now remained was no longer whole.

Even so, he endured.

And now, he needed Arabella's body.

Radiance stepped closer.

As he focused his will, his blurred spirit reformed again.

The blue glow of the barrier twisted like a living being, rejecting his approach.

But he didn't back away.

'So Alfred… you've grown weak. If this is all you have left…'

Radiance's soul pushed through the barrier.

A violent resistance surged through him.

It felt as though lightning had struck him—his entire being rocked with shock.

Alfred's barrier was no simple magical shield.

It was alive—imbued with a will to incinerate any intruder.

But Radiance, too, had once been a god.

He focused his strength again.

A formless wave pulsed outward from his presence.

Absorption.

The barrier recognized his intrusion and struggled desperately to push him back, but the resistance was futile.

His essence gradually consumed the barrier.

At first, it fought back—twisting its shape to repel him—

But he didn't waver.

Little by little, bit by bit, the blue glow began to fade.

The remnants of Alfred's presence dimmed… and dissolved.

With cold eyes, Radiance devoured it.

He watched as drops of magical residue fell like blood—

And with each one, he relived his ancient resentment.

No more resistance remained in the barrier.

Radiance let out a slow breath.

Or rather, he recalled the sensation of breathing from long ago.

He moved forward, step by step.

The deeper he went, the more the air changed.

The chill intensified.

It was so cold, it gave the illusion that his non-existent lungs might freeze.

At first, it was just a damp chill creeping along the cave walls—

But that was only the beginning.

'This isn't ordinary cold… Then again, this may have been the only way to preserve a body without a soul.'

The chill began to encroach upon his very being.

For even his soul to feel such cold, a normal human would likely turn to ice the moment they entered.

It was as if the air itself was filled with invisible crystals of ice.

He felt their tiny shards piercing through him.

Tiny, frozen needles burrowed into his form, shaving away at his essence.

This wasn't just cold—it was a frost that could erase the living.

Radiance looked down at his hand.

His fingertips flickered faintly.

Even a soulless entity like him couldn't escape the influence of this place.

The boundary of Radiance's soul began to blur.

The longer he remained in this place, the more it felt as though his existence would gradually freeze and vanish.

He took another step forward.

The moment he did, a chill from deep within the ground wrapped around his entire being.

Even the shallow puddles on the floor felt like ice—just brushing against them made his form feel as if it would solidify and shatter.

It was like poison infused with frost.

Around his soul, the air began to freeze.

A faint halo of frost gathered around his shimmering form, and thick ice crystals slowly took shape.

This was a chill that could freeze even a soul—

A cold that denied the very act of existence.

'Arabella's domain.'

She was not merely asleep.

She breathed within an eternal frost.

And this cold that surrounded her was no mere environmental condition—it was her very essence.

Radiance tightened his lips.

He had come too far.

There was no turning back now.

Before this cold could shatter his soul, he had to obtain her body.

If he stayed any longer, even his soul would freeze solid.

He didn't know how long he had walked.

The rough, damp cave walls eventually gave way to intricate carvings.

As he moved deeper, faint shadows danced along the surfaces, gradually revealing themselves.

Etchings lined the walls—long, flowing markings that began to glow faint red as they awakened.

Radiance narrowed his eyes.

'Quite the effort, Alfred.'

These were no mere decorations.

They were remnants of a sacred ritual.

Geometric curves and straight lines intertwined into a massive glyph—

Its soft, living glow made it clear that this cave was no ordinary place.

Radiance clenched his teeth.

'Was she worth this much to you?'

He reached out and traced the markings.

As his fingers brushed them, a cold, smooth surface met his touch.

It wasn't the rough stone typical of caves.

This was carved, refined stone—cut and polished with intent.

It was not a natural formation.

It was a holy temple, built meticulously by hand.

'You really went this far for her.'

Looking up, Radiance saw towering pillars lining the walls.

Once mere stalactites, they had been transformed—refined into solid marble-like columns.

What had once been part of nature was now repurposed into a structure of sacred order.

Slowly, Radiance raised his gaze.

There, beyond the chamber, was the temple's heart.

Alfred had chosen the most beautiful and vast natural cave to preserve Arabella.

He had carved and built it all with his own hands.

The time, the effort—it was unfathomable.

This wasn't preservation.

It was worship.

Radiance's lips twisted.

Hatred surged within him.

His eyes darkened with a cold gleam.

He had harbored resentment toward Alfred for a long time—for never accepting him.

But now, standing in this place, that hatred reached a new dimension.

Raising his wavering hand, he pressed it against the wall.

The glowing red symbols trembled.

At first, it was just a gentle flicker—

Like a candle wavering in a breeze. The markings quivered quietly, resisting.

But as Radiance's will intensified, the trembling grew violent.

Rage consumed his soul.

Alfred had worshipped Arabella.

He had built a sanctuary and guarded the empty shell she left behind.

And that knowledge drove Radiance into a fury.

A pulse surged from his fingertips.

Energy rippled like waves through the wall, and the delicate engravings shook violently.

The force within the wall resisted—

But the newly awakened temple's defense mechanisms were no match for the full force of Radiance's wrath.

– BOOM!

The first to break was the nearest pillar.

A massive stone column, once standing tall, split apart with a deafening crack.

The red-glowing markings shattered into fragments, scattering shards across the floor.

The fallen debris thundered as it hit the ground, splinters slicing into the cave walls.

But Radiance didn't stop.

He reached toward the wall again.

To offer divine power, to worship a woman who was nothing more than a shell—

The very thought enraged him beyond reason.

'God of death and vengeance? Hah!'

– GRRRRNG…

This time, the wall cracked.

The finely engraved stone surface split wide, glowing red fragments raining down to the ground.

The light flickered—like a dying breath.

The final layer of defense began to collapse.

Radiance raised his hand again.

His existence surged wildly.

His power was meant to absorb all things.

Even if broken, it was more than enough to consume the divine energy within this cursed sanctuary.

Invisible energy gathered in the air.

The cave itself seemed to recognize his presence and screamed in response.

The ceiling trembled. The floor began to crack.

The defenses made one last stand.

Scarlet light flared violently, trying to repel Radiance.

But he did not back down.

Instead, he thrust his hand even deeper.

This temple—Alfred's shrine to her—

He would destroy it all.

While Radiance rampaged in blind fury, elsewhere in the cavern…

Michael and Alfred watched silently from behind a hidden wall.

A faint smile played on Michael's lips.

The more their enemy wasted his power in rage—

The easier it would be to bring him down.