Chapter 148: Undead Evil Spirit

A blur of black light rapidly moved toward Aurelius, piercing straight through the dense white mist from the weak spot in his field of vision.

The suddenness, combined with its silent approach, left Aurelius with little time to react to the sneak attack.

Fortunately, Aurelius had already been prepared, remaining alert at all times.

The moment he heard the high-pitched screech, he turned around and faced the attacker.

Spirit flowed out from the depths of his body and gathered into a golden lance in his hand.

Then, it fired at the unknown enemy like a bullet.

"Shrieeek!" Another cry rang out mere moments earlier, equally eerie yet far less terrifying.

It was full of pain and sorrow, proof of its owner’s feelings.

From Aurelius’ point of view, the Radiant Lance embedded into the body of a humanoid, moving shadow before shattering into countless rays of light.

Then, the shadow rapidly melted away.

Moments later, it had completely shed its humanoid appearance, transforming into a murky liquid that resembled black ink.

It continuously squirmed along the ground, as though struggling to regain its original appearance.

Surprisingly, its attempts proved useful.

A pair of legs were slowly woven together from black spiderwebs. It seemed that it would truly recover if left unchecked.

Unfortunately...

Aurelius’ figure suddenly appeared beside it.

The silver sword at his waist was unsheathed, slashing at the pair of black legs with a fluid motion.

Shhh!

The blade faced little resistance. Soon, the shadowy legs had been cut apart, melting back into the murky liquid beneath them.

Yet that was not enough.

Even after Aurelius slashed several times at the liquid itself, dividing it into countless smaller portions, it remained alive, constantly attempting to get closer and be reborn.

This situation made his expression change. He turned solemn.

He had never encountered such a strange creature before.

Although its own strength was not very powerful and he was able to defeat it with ease despite the sneak attack, he had no way to truly kill it.

Whether he used physical attacks, skills, or even attacks that targeted one’s mind, the black liquid remained unaffected.

It seemed to be immortal and indestructible! It was destined to be reborn!

Just as Aurelius was prepared to try more methods to suppress it, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Don’t waste your time trying to kill it. These things are indestructible," it said casually.

Aurelius didn’t need to turn around to see where it came from. In fact, it was coming from his free hand.

Edward!

After so much time had passed, this Thief had finally woken up from the coma.

Surprisingly, he recognized the mysterious creature and was familiar with its abilities.

Aurelius raised his eyebrows, but was not shocked.

"Do you recognize this creature?" he questioned without turning to look at the other party, constantly attacking the black ink to prevent it from recovering.

Still, the hand holding Edward remained steady and firm, not allowing the Thief to take a single step away, much less escape.

Edward grumbled inwardly.

However, recalling the earlier interrogation he had gone through and how he had been suddenly attacked and knocked unconscious, he chose not to play tough.

His eyes turned toward the black ink, and he watched Aurelius continuously divide it.

After a few seconds, he finally replied.

"I’ve never encountered one before, but I’ve read about them in an ancient book. According to its author, these things are commonly referred to as Undead Evil Spirits."

He took the initiative to explain.

"When an Awakener perishes, the Mana they have absorbed throughout their life will naturally return to the world. This ensures that the amount of Mana in the world remains the same."

"For ordinary Awakeners like us, this is nothing. The amount of Mana we have absorbed is minuscule."

"However, for powerful Awakeners, things are different. Rumors say that if an Awakener is powerful enough, their death will be accompanied by natural disasters."

"Earthquakes. Tornadoes. Blizzards."

Edward pointed toward the Undead Evil Spirit.

"These things are similar. They are born from the Mana released during an Awakener’s death, which has combined with the resentment they had before their death."

"Since they are made of Mana and resentment, they are impossible to kill. At most, they can be sealed through skills or using Relics. Only powers of a higher level than Mana can possibly extinguish them forever."

’Undead Evil Spirit...’ Aurelius mulled over that term.

Edward’s explanation was succinct.

It also suggested what the opportunity at the center of the Dryad Forest was.

According to him, some powerful Awakener had perished here in the past.

These Undead Evil Spirits had been born as a result of their death.

Perhaps even the atmosphere of the core area itself was also a result of it... Aurelius thought.

Although Edward did not explicitly state it, Aurelius could tell that any being capable of causing such a reaction was bound to be extremely strong.

At the very least, their Rank surpassed Rank 4 and even Rank 5.

With that in mind, Aurelius lowered his head.

His gaze shifted back to the black ink beneath him.

Only a few seconds had passed since he last struck it. Yet this creature had already fused back together, trying to weave a new body for itself.

’It’s no wonder that this thing can only be sealed and not killed.’

’For ordinary Awakeners, this thing is truly indestructible.’ Aurelius confirmed Edward’s words.

Unfortunately, he possessed no sealing skills or Talents. It was one of the few departments in which he lacked.

Despite this, Aurelius did not fret.

According to Edward, there was one more way to deal with these creatures: using a power that was stronger than Mana to suppress them.

For ordinary Awakeners, such a thing was impossible.

Mana was the fundamental energy that empowered them, after all. Whether it was skills or their physical strength, it was all related to it.

But for Aurelius, this was not something he lacked. He possessed several powers that were conceptually more powerful than Mana.

The most convenient among his options was...