SSS-Rank Skill Copy: I Can Steal Every Class

As he brought the heavy black sword down the world seemed to hold its breath. The blade hummed with predatory energy tearing through the freezing air and striking the invisible strings of corruption that tethered Elena’s corpse to the Ash Bloom network.

The impact did not produce a physical sound. Instead a psychic shockwave ripped through the ruined junction of Sector Seven.

The Wanderer screamed.

It was not a sound of pain but of absolute fury. The connection shattered like glass. The thick black strings of anti mana snapped recoiling violently into the rotting concrete. Without the constant flow of corrupted energy from the root system the vessel could no longer sustain itself.

Elena Rostova’s body convulsed. The pitch black voids in her eyes flickered and then dissolved into empty gray ash. The silver ice that had formed her armor cracked and crumbled. For a fraction of a second the terrifying presence of The Wanderer vanished leaving only the broken remains of a fallen hunter.

Then the corpse disintegrated.

It did not fall to the ground. It simply turned to dust blowing away in the freezing wind. Elena was finally at rest.

With the anchor destroyed the Abyssal Frost Domain collapsed.

The massive dome of silver ice that had sealed the junction fractured. Huge fissures spread across the frozen walls and ceiling. The absolute zero temperature spiked rapidly returning to the damp cold of the underground tunnels. The toxic snow stopped falling.

Evander Buchanan let out a massive breath. His golden aura flared brightly melting the remaining frost around him. He lowered his lance the phantom image of the roaring dragon fading into sparks of holy light.

Glen hit the ground hard. His boots cracked the concrete as he landed. He did not sheathe his sword. His chest heaved as his Iron Lungs worked overtime to process the thin air. He immediately looked toward the deepest shadows of the access line.

The twin orbs of burning light were still there.

The second entity watched the domain shatter. It watched The Wanderer lose his vessel. It did not seem angry. If anything the burning eyes conveyed a sense of mild amusement. The sheer oppressive weight radiating from the shadows pressed against Glen’s mind a terrifying reminder of the true power of the Nobles of the Lost.

Then the eyes slowly closed.

The entity faded into the darkness leaving nothing behind but the lingering stench of ozone and decay.

Glen exhaled a shaky breath. The pressure vanished but the memory of those burning eyes was permanently burned into his mind. They had just fought a desperate battle against a puppet and the puppet master had simply watched them struggle for entertainment.

"It is over," Isla said her voice cutting through the silence.

She lowered her single runic pistol. The barrel was glowing cherry red from the rapid fire. Her Frostbreaker gauntlet hissed as it vented the excess thermal energy it had absorbed from the domain. She looked exhausted her tactical gear covered in soot and frost.

Behind her Caleb Sterling collapsed onto his hands and knees.

"Caleb!" Isla rushed forward sliding across the wet concrete.

The gravity mage was bleeding heavily from his nose and ears. His titanium gravity focus lay on the ground beside him the geometric prism at the top completely shattered from the strain of holding back the domain. He coughed spitting a glob of blood onto the floor.

"I am fine," Caleb gasped waving her away weakly. "Just give me a minute. My core feels like it was run over by a freight train."

Fraser Lennox dropped to the ground a few feet away. The B Rank Pyromancer was shaking uncontrollably. The bright orange flames that had surrounded his hands were completely gone leaving his palms blistered and raw. He stared at the pile of ash where Elena had been floating moments earlier.

"We actually survived," Fraser whispered his eyes wide with disbelief. "I thought we were dead. When that domain expanded I thought we were completely dead."

Evander walked over his pristine white uniform now stained with black ash and dirt. He looked down at the spot where Elena had perished. His expression was unreadable. The S Rank Dragon Knight appeared to have known her. And seeing her reduced to a corrupted puppet had clearly affected him even if his pride refused to show it.

"She fought well," Evander said quietly. It was the highest compliment he could offer.

He turned his amber eyes toward Glen. The competitive fire was still there but it was tempered with a new layer of respect.

"You have gotten stronger Mcdonald," Evander admitted resting his golden lance against his shoulder. "Your coordination is flawless. You saw the connection point before I did. I will not deny your skill."

Glen wiped a streak of blood from his chin. The Obsidian Armor faded from his body returning to his core slots. "I had the right angle. You kept her pinned. We would not have broken that shield without Dragon Strike."

"Do not think this makes us equals," Evander warned pointing a gauntleted finger at Glen. "You are still a low A Rank. Your raw power is lacking. If that entity in the shadows had decided to step forward your tactical vision would not have saved you."

"I know," Glen replied his voice dead serious. "I saw it too."

Evander nodded slowly. "The Wanderer did not return alone. The Association needs to know about this immediately. If there are more of those things walking around the Mega City the Guilds are completely unprepared."

"The Association will just panic," Isla said standing up and helping Caleb to his feet. "They spent the last three months covering up the Red Gate massacre. If you tell them there are multiple Nobles of the Lost they will lock down the sectors and abandon the Sanctuaryall together."

"She is right," Caleb added leaning heavily on his broken titanium focus. "We need to take this information to Eden. They are the only ones who have been actively researching the anti mana. Malachi and Vane need to know about the second entity."

Evander frowned at the mention of the terrorist organization. As a proud member of the Valor Guild working with Eden went against everything he stood for. But the rules had changed. The world was ending and the old alliances were useless.

"Fine," Evander grunted. "Take your intel to your shadow masters. But I am reporting this to Elias. My Guild Master needs to prepare his forces for a siege."

"Tell Elias to watch his back," Glen said. "The Wanderer has a personal vendetta against him, you know for failing to kill him and all. If they are making moves Sector One is going to be a primary target."

Evander gripped his lance tightly. "Let them come. Valor does not hide."

"Just pass on the message you damn lizard."

The Dragon Knight smirked, turned and began walking back toward the surface. He did not look back. His golden aura illuminated the dark tunnels casting long shadows against the rotting walls.

Fraser scrambled to his feet dusting off his ruined combat suit. He looked at Glen and then at the retreating figure of Evander. "Wait are we splitting up? Is it safe to split up? What if that thing comes back?"

"It is not coming back today," Glen said sheathing his heavy black sword. "It got what it wanted. It tested our strength and it stalled our progress. The Ash Bloom is still spreading."

Glen looked around the ruined junction. The massive roots of corrupted ice had melted but the black ash remained embedded in the concrete. The environment was permanently scarred. The fiends would eventually return drawn by the lingering anti mana.

"We need to move," Isla said checking the power cell on her runic pistol. "The local monsters are going to swarm this place once they realize the domain is gone. Caleb cannot fight and my gauntlet needs time to recharge."

"Can you walk?" Glen asked looking at the gravity mage.

Caleb nodded wiping the blood from his face. "I can manage. But we need to avoid the main tunnels. The Ash fiendpatrols will be sweeping the area looking for the source of the thermal shock."

"We will take the old maintenance shafts," Glen decided. "They connect directly to the lower levels of Sector Four. We can slip into Eden from there."

"And Fraser, keep your mouth shut."

Fraser nodded frantically. "Got it. Shut mouth. No touching. I can do that."

Glen took one last look at the battlefield. The memory of Elena Rostova floating in the frozen air the terrifying voice of The Wanderer and the burning eyes of the second entity all swirled in his mind..