“Elena. That’s an army. What do I do? I can’t outrun that.”

Keith sprinted as fast as he could. But the mounts of the Kysansha were catching up. There was no way he could win against this. He knew his limits. He didn’t know what to do. The System was great but when it came to combat, it had no advice.

Elena was silent. The longer it took for her to respond, the more worried Keith grew. There was a way out of this right, right? How ironic would it be if he died before he could learn what his mission was? If there was one thing in life he would regret, it was not being able to find out the reason as to why Anthrus and the rest of the Divine Monarchs died.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Elena responded. “There is a way…” She said carefully.

“Is there a problem?” From her tone of voice, it sounded as if there was a risk involved. But even if it was risky, right now he was open to any idea.

“Keith, you have two choices. Keep your Soul Points and possibly, a very small possibly; you will survive this on your own. The other is to spend your Soul Points on what I tell you to, it will take away nearly all of your Soul Points. I have seen the [Soul Shop] through your eyes, and within it there is a way for your survival chances to increase considerably… provided you have a high pain tolerance. So, make your choice.”

Even if he wanted to learn Law as early as possible, it would not matter at all if he died before getting the chance to comprehend it. So what if it was risky. The best way to grow quickly was by taking risks.

“Alright, I’ll do what you say. Tell me what to do.”

The moment he agreed, Elena told him to purchase four abilities. The moment he did so, even more pain assaulted Keith’s already aching head. Information about the abilities, as well as visions of Anthrus using them manifested in Keith’s mind. It felt as if he had been able to use them all of his life. Although it wasn’t perfect, with a bit of practice using them would be as easy as breathing. Luckily, there were the perfect targets to practice on.

“Are you sure this will work?” Keith’s asked. He trusted Elena, but even so, he had never faced off against more than six to ten Kysansha at once. In front of him was more than ten times that number especially when the war beasts the Kysansha rode were factored in.

“Relax. Follow your instincts. You are Anthrus’s direct descendant. Even if you aren’t his first generation grandchild, his divine blood still flows through your veins. No matter how diluted, it is the blood of a Divine Monarch. Be prideful of your heritage. Stand proud and face all adversity head on just like your Grandfather. “Feel” the memories he left you. Embrace them and merge them into yourself.”

Unexpectedly, Elena turned out to be quite the morale booster. He would have never thought that the annoying woman who liked to harass him could be so inspiring. This was a first. Maybe… just maybe travelling with her will be a bit different than he thought. If there was one person he could trust himself entirely to, perhaps it was Elena.

“Alright, here goes nothing.”

Keith stopped running away. The original distance between him and the army had closed by more than half. Some of the Kysansha were starting to use long range magic against him. But Keith didn’t even bother to pay attention to it.

Turning to the army, or perhaps since it was a bit small to be an army, a battalion would be better to describe the amount of foes. Facing the battalion of Kysansha and their War Beasts, Keith unsheathed Atraxia’s Wrath.

Standing with his feet firmly planted in the mix of white and brown sand beneath him, he closed his eyes. Searching deep within himself Keith began to call upon the power of his soul. He did as Elena instructed and trusted his instincts and let his mind seemingly become wrapped in the memories of Anthrus.

Suddenly, a deathly aura far stronger than what Keith was capable of creating enveloped the earth. It began to sweep around the earth before him, causing the sand to billow and form dust clouds. The temperature dropped within the field of this aura until it was a near freezing temperature. Had it not already been over a hundred degrees in the middle of a desert, ice might’ve formed on the ground.

Standing completely still as if he was a statue, Keith gazed at the battalion approaching him. There was no joy on his face. No, there were no emotions. He didn’t feel confidence or fear, he felt empty.

Slowly he opened his mouth and said two words, “Banshee’s Vessel.”

The moment he spoke, the aura that was not his own magnified multiple times, it was so dense that the realm seemed to lose its vibrancy. Color seemed to drain from the surrounding area. All that was left was a world of gray. Due to the magnified pressure, thin ice even began to form upon the sand of the wastelands.

The battalion which was in the midst of charging towards Keith stopped in its tracks merely a few hundred feet away from him. Uneasiness swept through the ranks. The war beasts began to recoil in anxiety due to the aura they felt. The leader of the battalion observed his troops. Even he felt deterred by this aura.

This was the detestable creature that had annihilated their scouting parties for months now. Even if it was alone, it must not be underestimated. However, it had to be slaughtered. Nothing that could be a threat to the Master’s plans would be allowed to live. They had strict kill on sight orders. Deciding to follow orders was one thing, and carrying them out was another. The leader of the Kysansha began to hesitate, especially when it suddenly saw something that it would never be able to erase from its mind.

Behind Keith, something began to manifest. Slowly stepping out from his shadow was the figure of a woman with blood-red eyes. She was transparent and had raven-black hair. She wore a white-lace dress, almost like a night gown, or perhaps a dress that someone who died would wear as they were laid to rest in a coffin. It was quite traditional and ancient. It was certainly not a modern look.

The woman’s skin was a sickly bluish-gray color. Even if she was transparent as if she did not belong to this world, her features were still visible. If it wasn’t for her blood red eyes, skin color, and the fact she clearly didn’t have a physical form, she could be seen as someone whom most men would be drawn to. However, the reality was far different. She would be their worst nightmare.

When the woman appeared, the aura of death continued to grow. A faint smell of blood filled the air. For the Kysansha who were especially sensitive with the five senses, it was overwhelming. They felt impending fear begin to arise from deep within the recesses of their body. It came from their souls.

Almost as quickly as she manifested, the woman suddenly began to fade. She began to merge into Keith’s body. Keith looked as if he was paralyzed due to his stiff posture, but he could still move. He silently observes as changes began to happen to his body.

His smooth pale skin became a grayish-blue color. His muscles and body seemed to contract and shrink, becoming scrawnier and skinnier. But in truth, he could sense a dense and cold power flowing through his body. Although he couldn’t see his reflection, he instinctively knew that his hair changed color to become a dark black, the same raven black color as the ghostly women’s hair.

His eyes became blood-red. They became even more eye-catching due to the flame-like aura caused by his Yin Eyes. The contrast between sky blue and blood red was almost hypnotizing.

Keith’s aura of life and death due to Unholy Incarnation merged with the woman’s aura. His whole body felt cold. His mind was clear. Slowly raising his left hand, Keith repeatedly made a fist, squeezed, and then released it as if he was testing his grip strength.

Finally, Keith turned his attention to the Kysansha who he had ignored. He gripped his sword and scanned the battalion, seemingly searching for something. When his eyes fell upon a certain war beast, the quickest flash of cruelty passed through them before he returned to being seemingly emotionless.

Keith looked at that particular war beast. Then he did something that no one expected. He inhaled quite sharply. It was quite audible since nothing was making a sound.

Opening his mouth, suddenly Keith screamed. But the scream was not of a man, or a beast. It was something else all-together. It was extremely high-pitched and feminine. Shockwaves were visible and the ground was ruptured which caused small craters and cracks to form. Ice shards and sand flew in the direction of the Kysansha Battalion.

What the Kysansha heard, it was something that would make anyone shiver. What they heard was the sound of their impending deaths, the cry of the Banshee.