Reborn: Evolving From Nothing

The blade shot downward like a bullet, aimed right at Fifteen. It moved faster than Dorian could make out, stabbing through the air. In a fraction of a second, it had already arrived right next to Fifteen.

THUD

WHOOSH

BOOOOOM

An explosion shook the air as the ground Fifteen had been standing on erupted, shards of stone and rock scattering as a large cloud of dust formed.

"I hit him but…" Dorian shifted back to his Balance Demon form, instantly activating his Perfect Body Ability, as he stared at the remnants.

The magical sword had managed to hit Fifteen, shearing into his right shoulder. In the middle of the impact, however, as the blade was cutting in, Fifteen's body had vanished from Dorian's sight.

"Hup!" In just a second, Dorian landed on the ground, running over to where Fifteen had been hit.

CLAP

He slammed his clawed hands together, creating a storm of wind that brushed aside the dust as he cleared his vision.

"Damn it." He spoke aloud as he spotted something lying in the ruptured stone floor.

The sword Mello had lent him.

The attack had hit Fifteen, but because the sword didn't pierce all the way through, the injury wasn't fatal. Fifteen Phased through reality as he was being stabbed, avoiding half of the attack.

'Still, his soul should be heavily injured. I can't let him escape! Helena will be in dire risk if I do.' Dorian's eyes blazed as he spun around, scanning everything.

Dust spinning in various clouds, chunks of shattered rock and stone, small flames and various pieces of wreckage, a grey skinned man sitting on one knee…

He couldn't see anything suspicious. Fifteen was nowhere he could consciously detect, the area around him devoid of life.

"So be it." He muttered aloud.

"If I can't find you directly, we'll do it the hard way."

He held a hand up.

When Dorian had entered into his Warping Turkey form, he gained a few unique Abilities. Some only applied to the Warping Turkey form itself, like its ability to teleport.

Others applied to all of his forms.

One of those Abilities was called 'One With Nature.'

Ability: One With Nature

This passive Ability enhances the body and soul of a being, adapting them to bear energy in great amounts. Energy will course through one's veins naturally, greatly easing the burden placed on one's body and soul when activating an Ability.

This Ability was a large part of why Warping Turkeys survived as a species, despite their low intelligence. It was because of this Ability that they could teleport over and over, escaping enemies with ease.

It was a passive Ability.

An Ability that applied to all forms… Not just Dorian's Warping Turkey form.

Above Dorian's hand, a small, black ball appeared. Then another one. Then another. Followed by another. And another…

In less than a heartbeat, 45 black balls appeared, floating above Dorian's hand.

'Ugh… the strain…' Energy consciously ran through Dorian's body at an incredible rate.

Previously, his comprehension of his Hyperion Beam Ability allowed him to activate up to 13 separate Hyperion Beams, all at once. Each Hyperion Beam had enough power to threaten a King Class fighter, especially when imbued with his Black Flames.

Dorian's comprehension was extremely high.

The only thing limiting him was the extreme burden that activating the Ability placed on him, especially for simultaneous activations. Even with the Soul of Balance and Body of Balance passive Abilities his Balance Demon form held, activating so many Hyperion Beams was extremely difficult.

The One With Nature Ability resolved these conflicts. His body was now adapted, able to handle raw energy like it was blood, with very little burden.

So little that he was able to activate 45 separate Hyperion Beams, simultaneously infusing each one with his Black Flames.

Thanks to his Jade Memory, Dorian could make out vague images of his Warping Turkey form activating a multitude of Hyperion Beams. While the number of Hyperion Beams Dorian was activating now was less than half that, these Hyperion Beams were also infused with Black Flames, making each one a rippling orb of raw, burning destruction.

"You think you can hide from me?" Dorian's eyes bled red light as a truly Demonic Aura rippled around him, his voice rising in volume.

"Let's see if you can." He clenched his fist.

'Activate.' Roughly half the remaining energy he had in his soul vanished.

WHOOOSH

"…"

"…"

"…"

The world around Dorian transformed into Hell.

Black Flames, earth-shattering explosions, air whiplashing back and forth… everything became a miasma of death and destruction.

Dorian's body was beaten and battered in the chaotic detonation. While the Black Flames couldn't harm him, and he was able to control the attack to limit the impact to where he was standing, he still was standing at ground zero.

"Hah!" Dorian was flung up into the air several hundred meters. He blinked several times, dazed as he looked around.

Below him, a huge sphere of black and white fire was expanding, incinerating everything in its path. Multiple shockwaves visibly flew out of this sphere, shaking the air and spreading out.

BOOOOM

BOOOOOOOM

Dorian was flung upward twice more as these explosions rang out. His attack seemed to have triggered some sort of defensive or leftover mechanic in what was left of the Array Networks, making his attack even stronger.

Despite the awesome power of the attack, most of it was self-contained within a 100 meters range. Mello and the various Demonic Councilmembers, if they were still lurking in the nearby area, would likely be fine, though also likely beating a full retreat.

'T-transform!' Dorian's thoughts were muddled as a result of the huge impact. As he began to fall back downward, from a height of roughly 1000 meters, he transformed, catching himself.

WHOOSH

His Sun Eagle form came into existence, his body transforming. Dorian moved into a dive-bomb as he rushed downward, not wasting any time.

'Dismiss!' The raging Black Flames all vanished as he let them fade. Keeping so many in existence was incredibly draining, especially when his energy stores were at roughly 20% of their maximum.

In just a few moments, he managed to land on the ground.

Everything around had become perfectly flat, the stone and rocks melting together to form a smooth surface. The explosion had finished spreading, and not even dust or smoke was left in its wake.

Instead, everything seemed pristine.

A few hundred meters away, there were clouds of dust and broken stone, but nothing close to Dorian.

He returned to his Balance Demon form, his senses expanding as he scanned his surroundings. Not a single thing within a few hundred meters could escape his vision.

His efforts were rewarded.

For, a moment later, a bedraggled, grey figure appeared, collapsing onto the ground just a couple dozen meters away from Dorian.

The bleeding form of Fifteen, using his Grey Mantor body. He was shaking from exhaustion and the injuries he'd sustained, a gruesome sword wound visible on his right shoulder.

"Touching Light!" Dorian didn't mince words.

WHOOSH

A blade of light appeared in his right hand.

His body blurred as he rushed forward, his every iota of focus zeroing in on Fifteen. He crossed the distance between himself and the Anomaly in just a few seconds.

Fifteen's eyes glowed as he looked at Dorian. The Anomaly was in terrible condition, his body and soul both severely injured. His face twisted as he saw the incoming attack, a shuddering hand raising to point at Dorian.

"Halt."

WHOOSH

Dorian froze.

"Huh?!" He sputtered out loud, shock filling him as he glanced at his arms.

Every part of his body seemed to be frozen in space.

"ARRRRGH!" He roared out loud as he pulled with all his might, trying to take a single step forward. The muscles in his arms bulged, his body shivered as he tried to break past whatever was blocking him.

He remained still.

'Transform! Expand!' Dorian's body shifted between a plethora of forms and sizes as he tried to escape and move forward, all to no avail. No matter how big, or how small, he got, he was unable to take a single step forward.

"Do you think I came here with nothing?" Fifteen's voice shuddered into the air as the badly injured Anomaly stood up, yellow light still gleaming from his eyes.

"You may have weakened the Array HE made, but it isn't destroyed. You may have access to it with part of HIS soul… but so do I." The injured Anomaly began to walk towards Dorian, taking slow, stumbling steps.

"Maybe not full access brother… after all, my Demonic forms could only get me so far. But I do have this…" Fifteen gave Dorian a bloody smile, bringing out a glowing grey necklace. One that was eye-catching, with several fluttering lights and glowing symbols built into it.

"The only Array Key that ever existed." He spat out loud.

Dorian watched all of Fifteen's actions, his mind racing ahead of himself as he tried to figure out a way to move, preparing to attack at a moment's notice. He was unable to move or even speak, completely at Fifteen's mercy.

This was an Array Network that was built to Seal the Demon Emperor himself. While large portions of it were damaged, its power was extremely focused in the area Dorian was standing at, a dead zone where Dorian was unable to access any of his Laws. Space itself was completely locked down, preventing even teleportation.

Stripped of the Ability to touch any Laws, unable to move a single muscle, the situation had taken a dire turn.

By now, Fifteen was standing right in front of him.

"This is a power left behind by HIM! A tool I found from the memories HE left. As much as I hate using it, you have no chance of stopping it!" Fifteen's free hand shot forward, grasping ahold of Dorian's neck.

"I'm sorry, brother. All I want to do is live, and live freely, not as a slave. The only way that will happen is if you die." He shook his head.

"You almost killed me. If I had stayed even a second less outside of reality, I would have died. I suppose you can say I survived due to luck." He smiled grimly,

"But that's what we're known for, isn't it? Our luck." He shrugged,

"Goodbye, brother."

He began to crush Dorian's throat.

'A power left behind by Yukeli?' Dorian's eyes flashed, a grim smile appearing on his face as Fifteen attacked him.

His heart pounded in his chest, his eyes boring into Fifteen as he stopped breathing. His head felt murky, his entire body restrained and helpless.

'Fine. We'll do it that way.' Determination flooded his veins as he did the only thing he could think of.

When he had first arrived in this reality, he had been gifted with a temporary Ability. One he could use 3 times.

The Ability to Absorb anything that his soul could bear the strain of absorbing.

He had used this power twice already, once to gain a form, and once to save his life.

He had saved this third use of the Ability, keeping it for a rainy day. It was one of his trump cards, something he would only use if he absolutely had to. Being locked into an Array designed to Seal an extremely powerful Angelic Class Demon certainly qualified.

As Fifteen held his battered body up by the neck, starting to kill him, Dorian felt a physical connection form. He could, faintly, directly sense Fifteen, as if he had rested a hand of his own on the Anomaly's shoulder.

He activated this life-saving Ability for the third and final time. A power gifted to him by Yukeli, one he could never use again.

'Absorb.'

WHOOSH

His Soul Spell Matrix flashed, causing his entire soul to shiver. A few symbols that had been carved into it, a temporary Ability grafted onto his soul by his creator, glowed and then vanished.

"..."

"W-what?! No. No!" Fifteen froze, stuttering as he looked at Dorian.

"You… How…"

"You are… HIM… Only HE can do… You have his… How…"

A moment later…

With no fanfare, no great explosions or blasts of energy…

Fifteen's body dissipated into dust, killed instantaneously.

A huge torrent of energy poured into Dorian's soul, a massive amount of Growth Points. At the same time, several mental notifications appeared.

'…'

'Grey Mantor Bloodline absorbed.'

'Greater Throne Demon Bloodline absorbed.'

'White Illusion Demon Bloodline absorbed.'

'Sky Edge Eagle Bloodline absorbed.'

'Black Tyrannosaurus Bloodline absorbed.'

'Pale-faced Lion Bloodline absorbed.'

'Sonic Mane Wolf Bloodline absorbed.

'…'

Dorian's body fell to the floor. Unlike his previous uses of the Absorption Ability, he didn't automatically start transforming into Fifteen's form, possibly due to Fifteen having multiple Bloodlines.

He instantly got up, pushing aside his exhaustion, his pain, his everything.

He didn't have even a second to waste. He forced himself to stand, withdrawing multiple healing Pills from his Spatial Ring as he turned to the north, where the World Bridge to Shaptle was located.

And then transformed into his Sun Eagle form, his body blurring as he shot forward at maximum speed.

He had a vampire to save.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Back on Shaptle, the battle in the city of Cracktyl had reached a crescendo. Up overhead, a series of explosions had shaken the air, blasts of light cascading all about. The locals had long since gone undercover as this occurred, hiding. This scale of clash could only be a battle between experts, powerful King Class ones.

Outside the Inn Helena was resting in, a fierce battle was still underway.

Dorian's army of Shades was bravely defending the front line, led by the fearless Warrior-Alchemist Bayron. The Third Shadow Captain Kanto Ren was forced to personally take action, leading to a stalemate.

The entire street had long since been deserted. While none of the combatants were aware of who was fighting up overhead, it didn't distract from the ongoing battle below.

With neither the City Lord nor any of the City Guards taking action, everything was allowed to run its natural course. The smell of smoke, burning buildings, and shattered stone stained the air, marring the otherwise beautiful afternoon.

The Inn Helena was hiding in was badly damaged, with large portions of its roof caving in. Her specific room was entirely untouched, however, fully protected.

Inside that room, Helena's body was pale and shivering as she looked outside a window, watching the unfolding battle. She coughed several times, looking small and pitiful as she forced herself to stay awake. Her body desperately wanted to rest and focus on healing, yet the danger she sensed refused to allow her peace.

"Where are you…" She muttered, her hands trembling. Abruptly, her eyes widened and she spun around, her heart pounding as she realized something.

She was no longer alone.

"Hello there, child." A man's voice softly sifted into the air, carrying into her ears as she stared at him.

It was a Shade, with cool grey eyes and a short grey beard. He wore a set of open purple robes, with several knives strapped to them, exposing his lean, muscular figure. His hands were held folded together and held in front of him as he looked at her, his voice calm.

"Who are you?" Helena stuttered out, feeling as if she faintly recognized the Shade, as if something about him tugged at her memories.

"My birth name was Farrow." His eyes were deep, endless founts of darkness, threatening to sweep up the world as he nodded back at Helena. His words were gentle, as was his expression as he looked at her.

As he spoke, Helena realized something. She knew who this was.

She had seen this particular Shade, many years ago.

In a duel a long time ago, when the man she knew and loved as a father had suffered a permanent, sinister wound that could never heal.

The grand battle that happened dozens of years ago, between Highlord Marcus Aurelius and…

"But you probably know me as Hasith Shanty."

…the Shade King.

Helena stared at him, transfixed for a brief instant.

A microsecond later, she let out a ferocious growl as she hurled her body at him, her fists taking on a weak glow as she attacked.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Back at the site of Fifteen's demise…

The smoke and dust had cleared, after a few minutes. A few fires still crackled, and the ruins of the Demon Emperor's castle were quite apparent. There was almost no one in sight, every being, whether a living Demonic Shade, an undead Demonic Remnant, or a non-living Guardian Knight, was nowhere to be seen.

Almost no one in sight…

In that empty wasteland of destruction, a lone figure could be seen, dragging a badly injured body towards the location where Fifteen had died.

Mello coughed several times as he swallowed a Light Pill, his body slowly regenerating from the injuries he took. He shook his arms and chest out a few times, taking a few tentative steps as he moved onto the smooth, melted stone.

After a few seconds of walking, he stopped at a particular spot.

"Return." His voice was soft as he held his hand out.

CRACK

WHOOSH

The rocky floor cracked and shattered as a small, black dagger shot into the air, landing in Mello's palm. Mello smiled as he saw this, staring at it.

"The Body Shearing Sword broke, but you did not." He was pleased.

"Excellent." He tapped on the base of the black dagger, where a small, red jewel was set.

This jewel fluttered with light for a moment before shattering.

Red liquid flowed out of this shattered jewel, magically floating in mid-air. This liquid looked as if it was about to fall, the dead zone that covered this area still active.

"The Gray Mantor's Heartblood, enough to absorb a complete Bloodline." Mello smiled,

"My main goal has been achieved." After a moment, he absorbed the blood, not waiting. Immediately the liquid vanished.

After a moment's thought, Mello turned to look at a spot not far from him, at exactly where Fifteen had died. He walked over to this spot, tapping on the ground lightly.

"Come on out. I know you're here. Well, you can't hear me, but you should be able to feel this…" Mello brought out a small shard of metal, cutting his own hand and letting some blood drip.

There was a moment's pause as nothing happened.

Then, slowly, a small strand of white essence rose from the earth. This strand was pure and condensed, fluctuating with light.

If Dorian saw it, he would've recognized it instantly.

It looked identical to the remnant soul of Yukeli that was attached to his own soul, unable to be removed.

Mello's eyes twinkled as he brought out a small bag. He then physically scooped up this passive, white soul remnant, tucking it away with a smile.

"Now then…" He clapped his hands together, wiping off any grime and dust he had picked up.

"Off to find my main body."

Next chapter on Tuesday, 1-2 hours after PS reset.