Past Life Returner

The head of the commander was falling off. He was protected by an enhanced physique and outstanding armor. Nevertheless, when I swung my dagger and sliced his neck there was hardly any resistance. There should have been some feeling when I cut through his neck, but there was none.

His helmet, armor, and even the sword he was holding were all destroyed in an instant, unable to withstand the force imbued in my dagger. What I felt was merely the repercussion of that impact.

However, there was no time to be amazed by the power of my dagger.

[Forerunner has been activated.]

[Your Agility figure has been changed. → MAX]

[Sensitive has been activated.]

[Your Sense figure has been changed. → MAX]

The figure was nine hundred. MAX. Both Sense and Agility reached their ultimate peak, and the screams of the dagger intensified. I wondered if it was truly a scream, fear, or if the dagger was simply pouring out curses. Until that moment, I couldn’t pinpoint why the dagger was vibrating so much.

But suddenly, it clicked in my mind. This was the second time my Sense had reached its peak. There was something I couldn’t quite feel the first time, and once I finally realized what it was, I noticed what else was possible.

Just as in the old days when I had to focus all my Sense to find hidden enemies, and a throbbing headache shook my vision as I concentrated my Sense intensively.

[You have entered the Realm of the Ultimate.]

The already slow world slowed down even more. It was almost as if the world had stopped. This silence was an even more overwhelming phenomenon than the destructive power shown by the dagger. The phenomenon of feeling like time had slowed down was something I experienced when I defeated Black.

However, the difference was stark now. Back then, there was some motion such as how cracks had formed on Black’s face and blood had coagulated before turning into dust. Nonetheless, even that was hard to find now.

Only the one called Sword Master, who was called ‘challenger’ from our side, showed slow movements. If it had been possible to enter this realm when I fought against Entegasto, then the result would have changed from a hard-fought draw to a slight victory.

I pressed down on my throbbing temples, then I removed the things that were taking up a significant part of my vision.

The head of the elf commander was on the ground. As I pushed it aside and looked up at the sky, I could directly see it looking down at me: Doom Arukuda.

***

It existed in an unknown dimension, which was its homeland. However, its gaze scanning the battlefield was here. If it wanted, it could reveal its massive eyeballs to us, just as it did in the homeland of the Baclan’s territory.

However, it was not interested in the battle situation. It was only staring intently at me. More precisely, at what I was holding in my hand, not me. The way it looked at the ‘Great Silver’ was blatant, whether there was no reason to hide its greed, or if the greed was too immense to conceal.

It seemed like it would descend at any moment to demand it from me. Just like how civilians in the world dominated by the club but knew nothing about it, I was also facing facts I was not aware of. Things undoubtedly existed but were unrecognizable.

It was not only Doom Arukada. From a distance, I could faintly sense the gazes of the Old One, Doom Kaos, and the Great Gold.

Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com.

At that time, Doom Arukuda proved how greedy it was. As its relatively small mouth compared to its eyes appeared and disappeared in the sky, the souls of the elves vanished proportionally.

However, very few elves’ souls disappeared into Arukuda’s mouth as the majority were vanishing into nothingness. Therefore, it must have been disappointed and its greed must have been growing uncontrollably.

I said, “You must know that even if I want to return to you, there is no way to do so.”

The Soul Transfer Ring of Saint Cassian, the so-called Soul Ring and Doom Arukuda’s Soul Harvesting Scythe, was truly gone now.

“Also, I vowed to devote myself to our Master once the battlefield is cleared.”

I was basically telling it to stop paying attention to me. I did not want to provoke it further. I was no longer part of the Seven Demon Kings camp now, and Doom Kaos could have changed his mind.

Just like Entegasto in his prime had torn apart the Undead Emperor in the past, Doom Kaos could have been cautious about me as I had acquired the ability to reverse time and gained a whole power of a dragon.

“I will devote myself to you once the task is done, my Lord.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck…

I did not forget to say that to Doom Kaos, who was watching me. There was a particular reason why I couldn’t help but speak while gritting my teeth. It was not because I wanted to display hostility toward it, but my headache was getting worse.

I could feel my limits and couldn’t stay in the Realm of the Ultimate indefinitely.

Soon after, I was bounced out. Just like when my Sense dropped and I was pushed out of the inner world, I couldn’t avoid the moment of losing concentration in this realm.

***

Doom Kaos and Arukuda might have been watching me even now, but I couldn’t feel them anymore.

[You have exited the Realm of the Ultimate.]

However, the world was still slow. The head of the elf, which had seemed fixed, was now moving slightly in the direction I pushed. There were movements in the fragments of his equipment, and in the surprised expressions of those around who were facing the ambushed commander.

The Swords Master, who was no different from a worm in the Realm of the Ultimate, now had regained an adequate speed. What I meant by ‘adequate speed’ was the pace of civilians. He might have been pushing to his maximum speed, but that was how it appeared to me.

[* Storage box]

[The Great Silver has been added.]

This weapon was so powerful that it destroyed even the enemy’s equipment, so I didn’t need it at the moment.

Anyway, the commander of the elf corps was not chosen based on strength. They must have considered lineage.

The strongest elf stared at me, then leaped high into the air, targeting me. He made such a reckless decision because he couldn’t grasp my power and the strength within the Great Silver with his level of skill.

The moment he soared high enough to look down on me, his pupils dilated.

“Eup…!”

His surprised groan filled the air. At that time, I was eliminating the elves surrounding me while waiting for him. Only then did he witness a part of my ability among the splattering blood of his fellows. I must have been moving at a speed impossible to follow with his naked eyes.

Meanwhile, William Spencer, a challenger Awakened on my side, shot a projectile toward the elves. His back was completely exposed, and I expected another powerful impact. That shouldn’t have happened. I couldn’t let another thing dent into my precious XP, especially since the commander’s equipment was already destroyed.

Tat!

I grabbed the elf’s neck in midair and landed far away. The level of his struggle and resistance was truly that of a civilian. Even the shield he was trying to create could only be completed if I allowed him the time. The same was true for the sword he was holding. Although they were considered sacred relics, he didn't have enough time to properly utilize their abilities.

Crack.

I broke his wrist. The sword he was holding started to fall slowly, abandoned by its master. I removed his helmet and forcefully tore out his earrings alone from his ears. These three items were the only things that held valuable XP at this very moment.

“Kuaaack!”

His scream was delayed, yet I could still sense the lingering Mana within him, a sign of his unyielding spirit. He began forming an image of swordsmanship, displaying graceful and authentic movements. I absorbed everything that I could, aware of the unpredictable usefulness they could bring in the future.

I let him complete his first attack. It started from the opposite fist without a sword. The moment his fist swung in accordance with the image of the swordsmanship and followed the flow of Mana…

[Blueprint ‘Swordsmanship(S)-2’ has been added.]

His fist was stopped by my palm. He had outlived his usefulness. The pressure I exerted by gripping his fist contained a power that could even intervene in space. Even the bastard Lunea couldn’t withstand this power. Not just his fist, but his entire body was concentrated at the center of the pressure.

“You… You… What on earth are you… Aaaaaaah-”

When I released the pressure, his entire body was so shrunken and crumpled that it was unrecognizable.

I collected the loot and moved on, cutting through the battlefield. The sensation of cutting through the necks of elves accumulated in my hand. The thunderbolts I had released earlier were chasing the scent of the elves like the spirits of Osiris. Devi’s Sword pierced through numerous heads.

My destination was the main force to which the now-dead commander and knight had belonged to. Since William’s troop had distanced themselves after engaging them, I must have been especially visible in their view.

When I reached the destination, I revealed myself even further. I also reduced the sensory web that slowed down the world. I stood still. Countless screams erupted from the back, and the noise was so intense that it momentarily drowned out the chaos of the war.

I could see the scene unfolding behind me by looking directly at the pupils of the elves in front of me. Thousands of elves, excluding the main force, were falling in the melee. Their necks were missing something that should have been there.

The blue waves were produced by the lightning bolts, and the blood of the elves swirled along the path where Devi’s Sword had swept past. Only after ashes were spat out by the lightning bolts did it all begin to whirl.

There were approximately five hundred in the main force. They were considered the elite among their species. That was why they could push the Awakened on the front lines this far and reach here.

I announced, “I will not spare any of you. I will not accept surrender. The only way for you to leave here alive is to bring me down.”

Zing.

Lightning bolts surged toward their escape route. Then, it began with the scream-like sound of an elf species. All of their Mana started moving at once. The knights began wielding swords, and the wizards started casting spells. As I expanded my Sense, the world slowed down again.

[Blueprint ‘Swordsmanship(B)-1’ has been added.]

…

[Blueprint ‘Swordsmanship(C)-43’ has been added.]

[Blueprint ‘Magic(A)-3’ has been added.]

…

[Blueprint ‘Magic(D)-22’ has been added.]

If you are going to die, at least give it your all.

[Blueprint ‘Swordsmanship(B)-15’ has been added.]

[Blueprint ‘Magic(C)-44’ has been added.]

…

By the time I was done, I felt something drawing my gaze from the north getting closer. It was Joshua, and he was not alone. The sunset in the sky was gradually engulfed by a bluish hue.

Soon, Joshua appeared, riding on the giant spirit of a dragon.

Hurry up, Master.

Joshua’s determination was conveyed to me. He did not stop and was heading towards Sector Twenty-Three, the origin of the wavelength.