Oblivion's Heir: Rise of the Sovereign - Chapter 34: Regaining Consciousness

Chapter 34: Regaining Consciousness

Ren, or what was left of him, flapped his wings in the air as he looked at the fallen vermyrex below.

The wings, horns, and his blade-like arms crumbled to dust, forming a small sphere of concentrated ash that shot straight into his chest.

His body jerked midair before crashing to the ground.

The grey ash that was covering the eyes flaked away and was absorbed into the body. His pupils regained their usual white color.

“Wh-what? Where am I?” Ren muttered as clarity returned to him and before he could stand, a sharp pain stung his forehead.

He clutched his skull and that’s when he remembered what had occurred a few moments prior.

His palms swept across his head in a panic but he couldn’t find the horns that had grown out of his scalp. “Wait… my hands.” A vivid image flashed in Ren’s mind—both of his forearms bursting apart as blades grew from his elbows.

But looking at the completely normal hands, he thought that it was just a bad dream until his gaze focused on the body lying ahead.

’What even happened here?’

His fingers brushed past his back, and he felt the torn part of the tunic.

“I really did become a monster, huh?” And as if something finally clicked in his mind, he immediately checked his status.

—

｢Name: Ren

Level: 22~>24

Bloodline: Heir of Oblivion

Strength:54~>58

Agility:32~>34

Vitality:28~>30

Stamina:32~>34

Mana:44~>48 — [04/48]

Spirit Power:124(+)

Skill: Oblivion Series, Oblivion Integration(1/1)｣

—

He ignored everything else and focused solely on the skill section – Oblivion Integration, bringing forth another panel.

—

▌OBLIVION INTEGRATION ▐

Abyssal Sequences Available: 1

Stability Index: 41%

Consciousness Anchor: Strained

▸ Sequence #01 — Angel of Oblivion

Trait Imprint: Hyper-sensory perception, predatory reflex, wings of oblivion, arm-blade, and horns of ash

Integration Strain: Moderate

Consciousness Erosion: Low

Recommended Duration: 10 seconds

Status: Unstable

—

Ren almost bit his own tongue as he read the contents written on the panel.

’So I can use it for ten seconds and now it’s unstable to use? And the horns and arm-blade are definitely from Shrike and Fleshcleaver.’

This was the only thing Ren could understand from the complex information displayed on it.

“And what’s this Stability Index?” He tried to focus on it but nothing changed. Sighing, he swept one final glance across the screen when his eyes halted.

’My mana… ’ It was abysmally low.

“Wait, what about the others?” Ren’s thoughts shifted to Kael and the rest of the group.

He stood up and observed his surroundings for a second before realising he was quite far from where he should have been.

He spared another glance at the creature before him, gritted his teeth, and ran back.

Ren wanted to convert it into another one of his minions but his mana wasn’t enough for it and he didn’t have the time to let it recover in the middle of a road in the outer region.

He sprinted forward but an unfamiliar sensation kept lingering in his chest.

Nonetheless, he ignored it for now.

***

The same rotting place, the same stench still hanging in its air.

But the wretched figure wasn’t the same as before.

Its red eyes glowed brightly, and a scream pierced through the half-spherical chamber.

“M-my kids. How dare you?” Its chest rose up and down, the loose robe sliding down its thin and frail-looking body.

Tens of rats instantly entered the chamber from one of the passageways and stopped near it.

They shivered but didn’t dare to release a single squeak.

The humanoid figure extended its hand and caught one of the rats. It tightened its grip on the small rat and embedded its long black fingers inside it.

Blood flowed along its fingers and dropped on the rodents below, intensifying the terror in their eyes as they shivered even more.

The wretched figure retracted its hands with a small heart inside its fist.

It immediately threw it into its mouth and chewed on it, but a small heart was nowhere enough for it.

“MOREEEE.” With an abrupt scream, it snatched multiple rats in its hands and directly devoured them.

But the satisfaction still didn’t come.

“No, no, no. These are filthy. I need human hearts, the most delicious ones.” It kept on repeating the same sentence as if possessed by something.

And finally unable to restrain itself any further, it shot forward and entered one of the pathways.

Its destination unknown.

***

Meanwhile, Ren had already reached the place where the group had been thrown apart.

There wasn’t a single soul left at the place.

At once, Ren turned in one of the directions in which Derek had been standing before the surprise attack and bolted.

And he soon saw another creature’s body lying a few feet further.

But that wasn’t the thing his gaze was focused on.

It was on Luna.

She sat against a half- destroyed house. There were multiple gashes on her body and one deep gash across her chest, her torn clothes barely held her together.

Derek stood right before her, his battered body showing proof of what had taken place.

“Don’t even think about it,” Luna said all of a sudden.

Derek didn’t listen to her ramblings and was about to advance further, when he sensed something and immediately turned his head.

His eyes narrowed and knowing he could have fucked up badly, he started thinking of any way he could save himself.

“Oh, Ren. Looks like you survived too. So what do you say, want to try yourself?”

Ren’s brows wrinkled, not able to understand what type of freak stood before him.

’He actually thinks his plan would work?’ Ren wanted to laugh at his foolishness but focusing on his own low mana, he reconsidered his actions.

He stepped forward without a warning, and Derek tensed instantly.

’Does he really want to play save the damsel in distress?’ Derek didn’t say anything out loud, while his fingers twitched, ready to use his shadow ability.

Ren ignored his actions and stopped a meter away from him.

“So what’s in it for me to keep my mouth shut?” Ren asked, while contemplating how to take him down.

Luna snapped her head, disbelief and despair crossing her face, and she even forgot to scream for a second.

Ren didn’t know Luna well enough to save her, but given Derek’s nature, he also couldn’t be sure if Derek wouldn’t touch Selene in the future.

And Ren didn’t know why, but the moment he thought of Selene, a sense of possessiveness bloomed inside him.

“What are you all doing?” And that’s when Kael’s voice rang in everyone’s ear.