Shadow Weaver: Sole Heir Of The Night

"Hm?" Noticing the obsidian figure step out of the coffin, Master Jos first felt a chill run down his spine, which was quickly replaced by a sudden fear of death.

That thing was stronger than him… he didn't know how, he just knew.

Woosh

Before his very eyes it disappeared from sight, bringing down its sword in succession, aiming directly for his head.

Without a second thought, Master Jos desperately threw himself to the side as he struggled intensely to avoid the strike.

This wasn't an attack from Enzo or Raven which he could easily see the trajectory and dodge based on experience.

This movement was not only instant, the attack it delivered was too unpredictable.

"What is that thing?" Master Jos questioned in his mind as he watched the slender blade hit the ground and suddenly cause a big hole to form.

It was terrifying.

[Obsidian Guardian: Codename Victoria Draken

This Guardian is imbued with the fighting characteristics of the legendary being. Its uniqueness is in blood as it nourishes her and pushes away the consumption of darkness in her soul.

[Current Rank: Exalted]

[Skill: Redacted until unlocked]

Can be used once every couple of days]

Enzo watched Victoria's puppet chase Master Jos all over the cave, as he ran away like his life depended on it.

Naturally, because it did.

"I have to…" Steeling his resolve, Master Jos decided to use his abilities, if for nothing else, to escape.

Suddenly a massive red claw mark appeared overhead and slashed down at Victoria, seeking to tear it apart in an instant.

His ability was purely attack-based; not everyone in Weavetech could have time-based powers.

However, this didn't make him any less dangerous.

As Victoria took the full brunt of the claw attack, Master Jos shot at Enzo, cleaving downwards to take his life.

This was where the monster came from; killing Enzo was a sure way to get rid of it.

"Smart," Enzo complimented, making a mental note in his head.

Next time, when he released Victoria, he had to make sure no one could see him do it. Or else he could constantly become a target.

For now, however—

Enzo shot out a gesture and suddenly summoned shadow tentacles in front of him before shooting them out in quick succession.

Shadow Manipulation allowed him to create temporary constructs from shadows. He could solidify them and use them to attack.

However, shadows were in their base state intangible, so the skill could double as an illusion.

Swinging his sword in hopes of tearing the tentacles in two, Master Jos's sword struck through an intangible force.

Instead of breaking, they acted in full, allowing Enzo to phase through his shadow and appear on top of one of the flying tentacles.

Grinnn

His sword coiled, its spinning edge turning as it pierced directly into the old man's shoulder, causing him to scream in pain.

"Take this." Solidifying one of the tentacles, Enzo held the old man in mid-air and threw him directly toward the front door.

There, Raven had conjured her black singularity ball and had thrown it directly at him.

Before he knew it, the force and weight that even he couldn't control was on him, sending him crashing into the back wall of the cave.

"I'm being thrown around like a rag doll, this isn't normal."

The last thought Master Jos had before being smashed head-first into the wall.

Pain quickly shot through his very being, bringing an indescribable excruciating feeling that blasted through his entire being.

"Fuck."

The old man cursed, his elbow bone visible before him and blood splattered all over his body.

That ball was insanely dense, like a Black Hole.

"Yes, these people are fully capable of killing me," Master Jos grunted through the pain, confirming through his teeth.

Professionalism was one thing, strategic planning was another. But when placed between life and death… one had to make a real decision.

"No way I'm dying here." Master Jos slowly stood up, snapping his broken bones back into place as he slowly crawled toward a pile of barrels.

He looked pathetic, beaten and bruised. A man on his last straw.

Could he survive this?

"Should I end your misery?" Enzo asked, slowly approaching the old man.

The main point of their mission was to slow him down. Who would have expected it to morph into something like this? This was too hard.

Urg

The old man's grunts filled the room as Enzo slowly approached him, not a word leaving his mouth.

He wasn't willing to die, it seemed.

As he reached the pile of barrels, he fell behind them, his legs visible as if hiding behind them.

This was truly a pitiful sight for an Exalted Weaver.

"If you answer some questions, we can let you go." As Enzo too reached the barrels, he looked down below, speaking.

He wanted to know about Weavetech, this godhood concept of aging. He was very curious to understand it.

As for letting him go?

"Let me go? I'm not stupid, kid." Master Jos spoke between his teeth, a grunt laboriously released.

"Hm?" Noticing a strange liquid pouring out of the old man's mouth, Enzo tensed up and frowned.

"That's— fuck no!!" Enzo immediately recognized the liquid, and without a second thought, sent his dagger flying forward, crashing it directly through the old man's chest.

The moment he landed behind those barrels, the old man had started to gulp down star essence in its raw form.

This could do one of two things:

One—directly kill him, which was a swift release from death.

The second was to grant him an instant but temporary corrupted boost in power that would take him up a stage or two.

After all, star essence was more potent than star essence light. Only more dangerous… if he let that happen they would be facing something much stronger… more sinister.

[You have slain an Exalted being closely linked to a deity… you have been cursed. From today your time will…]

An announcement resounded in Enzo's head, but this time it stopped halfway.

[Double curse detected. Your bloodline has adapted to it. Nothing New Under the Night Sky has been activated. You're now immune to time curses.]

[Congratulations, you have unlocked a passive attribute: Time Robber; depending on how strong, you may steal 10–0.1% of the time of any opponent you kill.]

Enzo heard a flurry of information flood into his mind as he watched the spark leave Master Jos's eyes.

He had killed the man in cold blood.

"He's dead." Enzo turned around and signalled Raven. Working together, they loaded several barrels of star essence into the void coffin before leaving together.

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Outside the mine, the settlement had been thrown into absolute chaos with hundreds of people being detained by the Federation.

Troops kept pouring into the city, directly circling the mine. Meanwhile—

Wooooo

A staff burst through the center of an individual and burned him to a crisp from the inside out.

"Sky Grudge?"

Down below the platform, two Federation officers watched the scene of Zeke burning Vegar's body to a crisp and did nothing about it.

Truth was, even after arresting the people here, those directly involved with Weavetech could only be placed in a maximum-security prison.

Killing them was off-limits.

But then if they let someone else do it, it was a completely different issue.

"Take the head, we're done here." Beside Zeke, Sword Cleaver spoke, his sword stained with blood as he looked at Zeke.

The two of them later had to team up to kill Vegar. The young man was much more stubborn than he thought.

"Ohh?" Looking below at the cave entrance, he noticed Enzo and the rest exiting with their institute badges out, explaining themselves to the Federation troops.

To the Federation this was a massive operation they had wanted to carry out for the longest time.

But to Enzo and the rest, this was just a school project.

After clearing up the misunderstandings, they let them go with the proofs of completion and somewhat of a reward.

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Back in the Dual Moon Institute

"With the way these kids nowadays are completing their projects, won't we have to hide our own results in the future?"

In the hangar area, two instructors stood shoulder to shoulder watching a myriad of students leave their various Weavepods.

Some finishing their projects, some in the final stages of doing so.

It had been but a month plus, and this was already the case. The institution year was supposed to last for four. Were the missions these days that easy?

"Most probably. You know the universe will only keep getting stronger; it is for the best." One of the instructors commented, then suddenly his eyes fell upon a set of Weavepods.

"That's them." He nodded, prompting his counterpart to walk forward with him.

Five students rose from their Weavepods and got dressed, putting on their uniforms and grabbing the proceeds of their missions.

They had just completed their project.

"Malvaran, yes? Leader of the House of Darkness?" one of the instructors called out with a question.

"Yeah?" Enzo nodded calmly, a bit confused as to why they were here for him.

"Master Seth seeks your immediate attention, please come with us," the instructor said, calling upon a higher authority.

"Ohh, okay." Nodding, Enzo said to Raven and Zeke,

"You guys can turn them in, I'll be back in a few." Enzo nodded, walking with the two Exalted instructors.

They had no idea that in the mission boxes in their hands were the heads of two Exalted Weavers too!!!